On Returning to the Ink Fields...

 Well, judging by the last post on this thing, it has been some time since I last posted anything about ink, stationery, letter writing, etc. When my time as an unpaid disciple to the analogue communication I love so much (in other words, after I realized I could not afford doing the seminars and was never offered a cent for them), I retreated home to live with the stories and experiences.

In the intervening years, I have seen others come along and say they are doing pretty much what I did for all those years, and being allowed to charge for it. Okay, fair enough, get what you can and why not? I just did not feel right in asking for money in a field I had no experience in, that is to say, giving seminars in correspondence and stationery making. But I did it for years, traveled to many parts of the country, got good at it, and was ready to up the game. Well, there were no offers for me personally, yet others found there way.

 That being said, through a truly odd twist of fate, I wound up as being part of the upcoming Long Island Pen Show, now called the New York Metropolitan Pen Show. Same place (Hofstra University) and same time (a Saturday and Sunday in April). I agreed to do it because, well, yeah, let's talk about that...

 As usual, there is no money involved and I will be giving out free stuff to everyone. While the tolls are killer, the Sunday drive should be easy and I really look forward to see people I have not been in the presence of in some time (pre-pandemic). I am not whining about no money, but I just want to make sure it is understood, as I have seen people charging good amounts of cash for similar classes recently. I love doing it, plain and simple.

Have I learned anything new since my last seminar years ago? Having read some more books of letters from authors and artists, I am amazed at two things: one is how distinct everyone's letters are and secondly how alike they are. We all have our own "voice" or style of expressing ourselves in written language. To the surprise of no one, those people who have given themselves to writing novels and the like, tend to be more fluid and expressive in their writing style. And, before you start to say anything, Van Gogh's "Letter's to Theo" is a masterpiece. Painters and dancers have wonderful letters, but their active mode of expression is not in the writing of words, it is in another miraculous field. This is not a slam in any way, shape, or form. Hardly. When a visual artist adds a sketch to their letters (something I WISH I could do), it is a thrill! But, as I shall forever keep saying, the personal letter is just that, absolutely individual to every person and must stay that way.

I have developed some new artistic ideas for stationery over the intervening years, using inks in new ways with images, and I am looking forward to sharing that with anyone who attends. Also, I have discovered some new graphic design ideas to share. Some are somewhat involved and daring, others pretty easy. I guess that time in lock down during the pandemic brought some good things.

So, yes, I will be back and am looking forward to seeing everyone again getting our hands stained with ink as we make stationery and envelopes while discussing all things correspondence.  Here is the link to the pen show. (Hofstra University, April 22 &23). I should note that I will be there on Sunday at 1pm for the seminar. This is not on the website, but it IS in the large ad inside the current copy of Pen World Magazine. 

So, y'all, I'm back and looking forward to wandering through the Fields of Ink with everyone!

A Break in the Silence, Ink on the Page

Hello Everyone. Sorry I've been so out of the picture. It's been a few months of lots of events. Regardless, I'm back and want to share this video that found me on Youtube, a TedTalk about handwriting....
Handwriting in the 21st Century

My Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/KovacsLetters/

10 Things You Need to Do to Write a Letter

10 Things You Need to Do to Write a Letter

1. PUT YOUR CELL PHONE DOWN!
2. Don’t worry about what you write, just write.
3. Don’t worry about what you are writing on, just write.
4. Don’t worry about how long you think it should be or want it to be, just write.
5. PUT YOUR CELL PHONE DOWN!!!
6. Don’t worry about it being perfect, it isn’t supposed to be.
7. Don’t try to be clever. Be honest.
8. Don’t try to write like someone else.Thankfully, you will always fail at this if you are doing it right.
9. Don’t wait to mail it when you are done. Things get misplaced easily.
10. Look at your cell phone. See? It’s doing fine without you.

Mission statement

I believe that there is a longing for analogue communication. At our core, we ourselves are homo sapiens and we need to engage as many senses as possible to be fully human. The digital simulacrum will never truly feed us as we truly need and it is up to us to keep the form of personal letter writing alive.

2016 DC Pen Show Handout

2016 Seminar notes on the Art of Personal Letter Writing

By Michael Kovacs

Ten Rules for Letter Writing

1. Write letters.
2. Letters are a conversation in slow motion between two people. Treat it as such.
3. No one HAS to write back. If they do, it is a gift. Respect it as such.
4. No one can tell you how to write. Conversely, you are not allowed to tell anyone how they should be writing you.
5. Write letters.
6. You must make the choice between what you choose more: content or presentation.
7. If someone does not write back, send a postcard asking how they are doing and if they got the letter. If there is no reply, respect the silence and keep going on with life.
8. To quote Charles Bukowski, as the spirit wanes, the form rises. You are not obliged to follow any strict form in personal letter writing. If you wish to do so fine, but that is a personal choice.
9. Unless otherwise stated or understood, letters are between the sender and reader. Respect that privacy.
10. Oh yeah, did I mention WRITE LETTERS!

  

Ten Rules for Stationery Making

1. Decide if you are a more verbal or visual person. If you feel you express yourself better with your art, incorporate that into the letter.
2. Stationery is not “art” inasmuch as it is functional and is completed visually when a letter is written on it. Consider this when designing stationery.
3. Stationery is FUNCTIONAL. When designing a page, try, at the very least, to leave 51% blank space to be written on.
4. When reading the English language (which is the language for this seminar, but by no means the only one) , the eye tracks from left to write. Designs on the right side of the page tend to be distracting and hinder flow. MOST BASIC AND EASY DESIGN CONCEPT: SOMETHING IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER, SOMETHING IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER.
5. If you think about it, most people would rather receive a passionate and heartfelt letter  written in pencil on a legal pad than something written on $20 a page paper and a $1500 Mont Blanc with $40 a bottle ink that has no emotion. Think about it.
6. Stationery can be designed after the letter is written by leaving blank spaces on the page and having designs added to give context to what has or will be written
7. What you are making is being made for an audience of ONE, not for the world to see or care about. Do not put pressure on yourself to make a De Vinci, Van Gogh, or Rothko.
8. You do not need much of anything to make stationery. Basic collage techniques, some ink, some old magazines, and a color copier are all you really need.
9. Every try, ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
10. Write Letters.

Ten Rules on Becoming a Better Personal Letter Writer

1. Write letters.
2. The only goal is to have your own voice, that you sound like you and only you. Why? By basic logic, you can only be yourself. Think about it.
3. Read the letters of the greats and see what they do. Hemingway, Iris Murdoch, Vincent Van Gogh, Kurt Vonnegut, Albert Camus, F.Scott Fitzgerald, Rilke, the Letters of the New Testament, etc. They will calibrate your mind towards the flow of the artform.
4. Never EVER criticize the writing of the person writing you in a reply letter! EVER! If you think they could do better, YOU do better. Raise the bar by example, not by criticism.
5. Write letters.
6. Not all letters are the same just as no conversation between different friends are the same. Do not expect something from the other person that the relationship cannot give.
7. Be kind and honest over clever and flashy. Always.
8. Re-write, by hand, passages from letters or books you think are amazing. You need to get the feel of what it means to WRITE things down, not just read them. (Hey, it worked for Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson....)
9. Be patient for a reply. This is not a game for sprinters, but for the long distance runners.
10. Write letters.

Suggested Media:

Music:

Seasons......and other Imperfect Circles:: The Fractal Ensemble

(four spoken word letters are part of the album)

Airmail: Michael Kovacs

Off the album “sacred”

After the Valentines: Mike Kovacs and the Post-Modern Tribe

Rock Opera kinda based on letter writing between people

Books:

Any/ALL letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

(The Romantic Egoists:The Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald)

The Letters of Iris Murdoch

Van Gogh’s Letter to Theo

Letters to a Young Poet: Rilke

Albert Camus’ Letter to his former teacher upon receiving the Nobel Prize

Dear Fatty by Dawn French

Letters of artist W.C.Wyeth

Any books on the letters of Soldiers from any of the Wars

Films/Plays:

The Best of Friends

Collage/Art Books:

There are hundreds on Amazon.com. Take your pick.

Also, go to as many museums as you can and steal ideas.

Design (general):

Color Design: by Jim Krauss (Now Publishing)

Places to find Penpals:

Letter Writing Resources: (online sign up))

League of Extraordinary Penpals (online sign up)

Contact information:

Michael Kovacs

PO Box 200

Old Bridge, NJ 08857   www.postmoderntribe@gmail.com

Yours With Utmost Gratitude for Being Part of  the Journey,

Michael

On letters...

Here is a repost of a video that is the holy grail of letter writing. Enjoy...
\The Best of Friends