To type or to write?

With the arrival of new technologies and the social advance generated to simplify, in the daily routine, the processes that consumed the most time, writing by hand became one of the most undervalued skills.

First with the practical and attractive typewriters, and then with the mega-computers and all the more stylized versions that followed, writing became a mechanical task, mediated by the tools that technology gave us, separating from these the once well received fountain pens and other writing instruments.

Subsequently, mobile phones appeared, more specifically Smartphones, which can be said to have swept over other technologies regarding writing, since the infinite applications of text/information input replaced even the most banal note taking tasks.

So why do we still talk about handwriting? Because man has been perfecting this technique for more than five thousand years - not to mention the rudimentary forms that preceded it. Two centuries of technological inventions cannot go against the history of mankind.

Tibaldi Perfecta

WRITING BY HAND, A LOST ART

Surely you write more on your laptop or smartphone than in a notebook or book, and take the possibility of writing by hand for granted, but it was not always like that.

Writing by hand was considered, in the Middle Ages, an exclusive skill of the monks in the abbeys. Then in the Renaissance age and in later centuries it was a precious technique reserved for the highest classes of European aristocratic society. And although in contemporary times it was privileged to the bourgeoisie, even so people of the lower classes managed to develop it and it was a valuable skill to get work and improve their status quo. Today, although it is taught in schools out of basic necessity, the beauty of putting our own words on paper is not appreciated.

Even though it may be considered unimportant or in decline, writing by hand is an art that highlights and personalizes the meaning of the messages transmitted, while providing great pleasure.

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BENEFITS OF WRITING BY HAND

Beyond need or pleasure, writing by hand brings values ​​to life itself:

Increase the speed of understanding, learning and retention of knowledge

Writing requires us to consciously produce a text that, through special connections in our brain, is attached to our memory. This is the main reason behind our enhanced memory when it comes to note taking or copying text. As with everything in life the more you practice the faster new knowledge will be consolidated.

It is therapeutic

It has been said: writing is therapy. Although writing does not always serve the same purpose, it has been proven that writing promotes relaxation and calm, and deepens thoughts, ideas and creativity.

Promotes written and oral expression

When writing, content of all kinds is generated and in the search to avoid cacophony, to produce ideas with aesthetic beauty and to add value to what is written, whatever the occasion and context, it is always possible to expand the vocabulary, culture and to perfect one's own technique, which in turn contributes to a more confident, stylized and solid oral expression

It constitutes an act of affection/kindness

A handwritten letter, a thank you card, an invitation to an event, or simply a note on the fridge, whatever the format, a handwritten piece always causes a psychological effect of human closeness, it constitutes personalization, consideration and dedication in each stroke.

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HOW TO RETURN TO HANDWRITING

The best way to resume handwriting is to write. There are hundreds of guides and catalogs on the internet that you can download to practice, but the best way is to sit down with a pen in front of the paper and simply start writing.

The use of the fountain pen is highly recommended for this exciting task as it will help improve the fluency of your calligraphy.

You can start here.

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