What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Well, I don’t have the answer to that one, but many people agree that is not destiny that makes us who we are, but we who create our destiny.
In thinking the right thoughts and taking appropriate actions, we create our habits. Those very habits help form our character and ultimately, our destiny.
This text, written by Charles A. Hall, summarises it perfectly:
We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions:
We sow our actions, and we reap our habits;
We sow our habits, and we reap our characters,
We sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.
Of course, I am going to tie that thought into calligraphy. By doing things in the right order, by creating a solid base and building on it, we will reap sure and steady strokes, create beautiful letters and produce work that we can be proud of.
Like with many other activities, our best results come when we prepare ourselves, when we attack the page in a relaxed state. Perhaps you make yourself a cup of tea before beginning to draw your letters in calligraphy. I do! (I try to avoid coffee when I know I’m going to be working with pen and ink, as I tend to draw shakier strokes when I’m full of caffeine!)
Visualising the outcome is another thing I try to do before picking up my pen, just so that my subconscious has a rough idea of where I’m going.
And breathe! Remember to breathe steadily as you write. Don’t hold your breath!
Sow even strokes, reap beautiful letters!
