ai

shodo:

to linda (who laughed) & katie (who encouraged)...i miss you both more than words can say.

i love different writing styles & am constantly working on new font inventions & unique monograms. i guess my dad, who is an incredible calligrapher & painter, sparked this obsession. if there is a pen in his hand & a spare moment, he'll design a beautiful monogram or an abstract sketch. he is truly amazing! a couple years ago i started to borrow his calligraphy pens & teach myself the different strokes of each alphabet. i fell in love. ever since then, i've always dreamed of mastering this gorgeous art form. 

when i decided to move to japan, i promised myself that i would learn to write japanese kanji characters (which are the most intricate form of calligraphy). little did i know how difficult & time consuming this is! i gave up for a while until last weekend, when i had an actual lesson from the tiniest, most precious, japanese lady. i learned so much in such a short period of time: the terms of the strokes & names of the brushes, which way to angle the brush, how to apply ink & the natural rhythm of kanji. it was amazing & has opened my eyes to this ancient artistry, called shodo.   

i only did one character, the word ai, which means "love". the woman guided me initially, by holding my wrist & directing the strokes of my brush. it was quite complicated, so naturally i panicked when she took her hand away & gestured that i finish alone. but--i did it! here is my final product. in the bottom left hand corner is my name (liiiii-ahhhh & a red, year of the cow, stamp). i must admit its pretty terrible, but hopefully after more practice i'll improve! 

ai: