Thoughts from the experts on being kind.
One of my yearly projects is to create a poster for a holiday mailing, so I’m sharing the results. Usually it’s on a motivational topic, but this year seemed like kindness would be a good topic to highlight.
My work on these began as a normal calligraphy design job, to make a holiday greeting card for the client. It grew in scope over the years, and my client and I formed a partnership in producing posters that convey a message, sending out 1000 prints a year. We felt they would be appreciated as they draw from many sources on a single theme. It’s an object that can ripple out quietly with subtle positive vibes to whoever passes by.
This is our 40th annual print! We choose a theme and get the quotes together at the end of summer, then I do the design, write out the calligraphy, make the banner art, scan and optimize the elements in Photoshop and Illustrator, and finally send the file to our local printer. Then it is mailed out to a list, leaving a few extras in inventory. You can see this print on my website and I will be uploading the full archive of prints for those who are interested in this sort of thing.
One of my favorite quotes is from philosopher, statesman, scholar, and writer Marcus Tullius Cicero (146-43 BCE), who refers to human relationships, the interchange of giving and receiving. He seems to suggest that kindness, that ineffable quality that brings us all together, is a natural and unconditional state of being. He says:
We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.
Next week…
We celebrate the holidays leading up to the start of a new year. As one day flows seamlessly into the next, we will write our days, not necessarily with pen and ink, but with the continuous cursive line of our moving body and the rhythm shape of our breath (though there may always be some INK involved).
Enjoy the festivities! I’ll see you around the bend.
Winter courses have been announced by Stanford Continuing Studies with registration now open for Art 53 - Calligraphy Design and Norse Runes, beginning on January 29, 2025.
As you can see by the above image, the exercises are multi-layered, painterly, gestural, literate, and expressive! More information is on my website. And the announcement, including access to art supply list, is also at John Neal Books. I hope you will join in! Swing into action and follow a new road in good company.
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