Both the Same

I’ve been learning about faux-calligraphy. At least, I watched two tutorials of it and went back to doing what I was doing before. Faux-calligraphy or fauxligraphy is the art of using any pen and making it look like calligraphy by thickening the down stroke, like a brush or brush pen. I had been trying to do this for weeks, and I realize, I was doing it wrong. 

I was thickening the up strokes, instead of the down stokes, and it didn’t look that great. The more recent ones, done correctly don’t have much more skill than the other ones, but at least the shading isn’t haphazard. It’s fun. 

It is also bearable to get back into working on my book. I can’t really say it’s fun, because it’s not. Sometimes it’s unbearably difficult, because I’m working on my life story, and some parts of life are just difficult. But fauxligraphy is a way to enjoy the art of creativity, even when my job isn’t the easiest, because it’s not. 

The lines in my words look a little shaky. (I can’t draw a straight line to save my life.) The meshes of my story may not been very clear yet, but I’m trying. I’m practicing, and I’m putting words down on paper, even if it is only digital paper. The same goes for fauxligraphy, but at least that is on real paper that I can touch. In both cases, what comes out is a product of connections in my brain, and they will make sense once I put in enough effort. 

As Anne Frank said, “Paper is patient…” And I say, “...words will come.” That is what it takes. Patience. Practice. And perseverance. For both fauxligraphy and writing my book. It’s one stroke and one word at a time.