Batman and Robin have got nothing on us! 
We are fast encroaching upon National Handwriting Week– this year it is January 19th through January 25th and is centered around National Handwriting Day which is based on the birthday of John Hancock’s birthday, January 23rd.
National Handwriting Day was formerly established by the Writing Instrument Manufacturer’s Association back in 1977. Thank you! My hat’s off to you.
This morning I stumbled upon a simply delightful blog post by Barb Riley from 3 years ago about this national holiday. I am pleased to share points from the delightful thread and embellish the ideas a little further from a graphologist’s point of view.
Barb shares that she had a “curious obsession hobby. I used to practice copying other people’s cursive styles until I morphed my own to look just like theirs….You might wonder if I had identity issues—if perhaps, secretly, it was some type of insecure desire to be just like my peers. A valid notion, and one with a very small element of truth, but really, the main reason was to satisfy my appetite for whimsy. Switching up handwriting has always been a fun way to express my mood de jour….I suppose my obsession with writing in different styles back then is what led me to a love of creating fictional characters today: a fun way to try on different pen caps for a while, to live out someone else’s story, and in turn, learn more about myself.
Whatever the case, writing by hand makes a much better connection for me than writing on the computer. It’s therapeutic, cathartic, and just plain fun for me. Like the days I used to sit and color with my toddler-aged kids, writing by hand comforts me. I wouldn’t give it up for the world, and I’m doing everything I can to encourage my kids to understand its benefits, too…..How about you? Do you like to write by hand, or have you abandoned the practice in this age of digitized communication? Do you have any stories about your love (or hate) of handwriting? Did you ever used to practice your signature over and over again like I did?”
And a lively thread ensued from there. Naturally I feel compelled to add my 2 cents worth from a graphologist’s point of view.
When it comes to changing your writing, I caution people, “Do not try this at home!” I’m being a little tongue in cheek, but not really.
There is a science to strategically changing your writing to change your life – it’s called grapho-therapy. So when you “mind your p’s and q’s” it could be the difference of snarls of struggle or surprising success.
Do not worry that your handwriting is not as beautiful or even as legible as your grandmother’s.
Messy handwriting may simply mean you have a lot of interesting things going on. Anyway, you are in good company as the world uses the computer more and more.
As Anonymous wrote:
“A teacher told me once that my writing looks like it was written with my feet! To which I replied, ‘like a foot note’. Badum.”
However I insist that human beings still write more than is commonly thought these days. And there are a few of you out there who still take pleasure in the craft and are even still proud of your writing. In classrooms of all kinds, I still see many putting pen to paper as they take notes and who bothers to pull out a computer to jot down a grocery list? There is something romantic about receiving a handwritten note in a Valentine’s card.
I would love to hear your ideas of ways you’ve used or seen handwriting used in recent past. I’d love to see if there is something I can add to my growing list!
Kathi
Your “Write” Coach
As seen on Dr. Oz, Kathi McKnight is a master graphologist. For more information visit www.TheHandwritingExpert.com