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!
