As technology has become increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the traditional act of writing with a pen is being forgotten. The ease of word-processing documents, as well as all the easy-to-use applications that can sync our notes across multiple devices, has made the purpose of handwriting almost arduous. But however rare the act of writing has become, it still carries a charm, a sense of personal connection, and much more utility than it is often given credit for. Words can be beautiful in meaning—but when they are also visually appealing, it gives the reader an immense sense of delight. In recent times, more and more people have been taking attention to lettering as an art form.
Many people today have embraced calligraphy styles, both traditional as well as modern. While traditional calligraphy is very consistent from project to project, modern calligraphy allows you to have some fun, and allows you to adjust your lettering to fit the project. This means that you can make invitations to a Halloween party a bit edgy and spooky, while baby shower place cards might be cute and fun.
Modern calligraphy is also referred to as hand lettering. Essentially, it’s an art form that consists of creating artistic lettering using repetitive upstrokes, downstrokes, and repeating shapes. We spoke to Dubai-based artist Nishika Dhakan who believes in keeping the ancient and revered art of calligraphy alive in the modern day.
1. What does the art of calligraphy mean to you?
Calligraphy is a way of life for me. It allows me to express creativity and individuality through writing. The aesthetic quality of being able to convey different moods and emotions through a variety of styles and fonts really fascinates me. Being able to deliver that really brings joy to me.
2. What inspired you to learn it?
Ever since I was a child, I was always interested in handwriting and fonts. As I grew older and discovered the art of calligraphy, I wanted to deep dive further, learn more, and eventually, I ended up teaching the art keeping it alive in today’s times.
There is a sense of mindfulness that shows up from the nature of slowing down and focusing on each individual stroke of the pen, and hence it can be deeply therapeutic too. It allows you to be creative, slow down, come up with new ideas, and see the beauty in each letter. The entire process of creating each letter drew me into the art. And now, I am always looking at letters on billboards, magazines and posters to appreciate their beauty.
3. How can we keep this ancient art alive and thriving?
Calligraphy has a long and rich history in many cultures. Our world is rapidly moving towards a digital way of working and while this can bring many benefits and opportunities for us, it is still important to remember the culture and history that brought beautiful works of art that we still keep and restore today. Teaching calligraphy at schools, having more opportunities for workshops, and collaborating with other artists are a few ways to keep this ancient art alive. It allows for a beautiful human touch in an otherwise digital world.
4. What would you like to tell people who haven’t tried their hand at calligraphy?
I truly believe everyone is creative. You don’t have to be a professional artist or be educated in the arts to explore your creative nature. I interpret creativity as a form or way for anyone to express themselves, I love to encourage people to explore this side of themselves. My vision is to provide a platform that allows people to realize their creative side and help them explore, express and enjoy it.
And for a special gift, click on: https://nishinks.com/getcreative/