From Practice ✍🏻 to Creating 🌈

It’s been a very long time since I created a piece of calligraphy.

Not simply practice sheets, but pieces where I think about layout, colour choices and composition — where I bring an idea to life on paper.

I scrolled through my photo archive quickly, and realised I didn’t create anything in 2025.

So it was a very welcome kick in the butt when Nana from The Creative Kinds reached out to co-host a calligraphy challenge on Instagram.

In January, we kickstarted the #behindthestrokes challenge.

Instagram is full of polished aesthetic shots.

But the creative process is rarely neat or pretty.

That’s what this challenge is about: sharing the behind-the-scenes of messy drafts, mistakes and bloopers, creative inspiration and choices.

Here’s what I created in January.

Knowing the focus was more on the process, not the outcome, felt very forgiving and supportive.

In fact, here’s an ongoing list of things I’ve gained / learnt / noticed from this challenge:

• I picked up tools and supplies that I haven’t touched in ages: broad-edge pen, light pad for tracing, and watercolour paints.

• I revisited scripts I’d learnt before… and forgot about.

• I was reminded that creativity really is a muscle. If you don’t use it, it gets stiff.

• The fear of a blank page is very real. So is the hesitation that comes with having zero ideas. But it lessens each time you push through and try anyway.

• Ideas come to me most often when I’m showering. 😅

• Mistakes happen to everyone — literally, every single calligrapher who took part in the challenge. Instead of calling it a failed attempt and trying again, I’m learning to go with the flow and cover or adapt to the mistake.

Most importantly, it’s been a joy to rediscover the process of creating (albeit sometimes stressful), and to not default to mindless repetitive practice.

This was first published in my email newsletter, 💌 Curious Letters, where I share tips and stories about calligraphy.

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