I'm feeling a little bitter today, so here goes a full on tyrannical rant about a topic that is truly troubling to me. Writing. I love it. Not everyone does, nor should they. I'm not saying I'm an incredible writer or anything. I do enjoy it though. When I say writing, I also actually mean pen to paper, physical act of transforming thoughts into words and images. Typing is just not the same. Fingers touching plastic keys....something gets lost in the translation from the mind. Writing is a beautiful faculty. Penmanship was once seen as an art unto itself. Thus, my disgust with our progression to obliterate this craft completely.
I collect postcards. They represent so many divine constitutions to me. One thing I love so much about them is that before e-mails, twitters, text messages and facebook statuses, there was this really great uncomplicated way to drop a short note to someone to say hello. Let's face it, EVERYONE loves getting mail that isn't bills or direct mail pieces.....something personal. Postcards allow you to just say the right amount of words without the cumbersome task of composing a letter. Short, sweet, personal. There is great nostalgia in that. The picture, photo, comic or what ever on the opposite side is just a bonus. Most often it's a snapshot in a time and place the composer wants you to experience as well.
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| A Tiny Taste of My Own Collection |
Postcards represent such a unique and elegant form of communication I see going by the wayside. I too, am guilty of not sending or receiving any in recent years. I hear about the elementary schools taking the emphasis off of practicing and learning handwriting and cursive. These practices will soon be obsolete and it breaks my heart! I am going to start baby-steps towards my communication revolution! (First by updating my actual address book). I would love to see a resurgence of postcards! Send me your address, I will send you a hand-made postcard. Make this old-fashioned gal a little happier.
I'm feeling a little bitter today, so here goes a full on tyrannical rant about a topic that is truly troubling to me. Writing. I love it. Not everyone does, nor should they. I'm not saying I'm an incredible writer or anything. I do enjoy it though. When I say writing, I also actually mean pen to paper, physical act of transforming thoughts into words and images. Typing is just not the same. Fingers touching plastic keys....something gets lost in the translation from the mind. Writing is a beautiful faculty. Penmanship was once seen as an art unto itself. Thus, my disgust with our progression to obliterate this craft completely.
I collect postcards. They represent so many divine constitutions to me. One thing I love so much about them is that before e-mails, twitters, text messages and facebook statuses, there was this really great uncomplicated way to drop a short note to someone to say hello. Let's face it, EVERYONE loves getting mail that isn't bills or direct mail pieces.....something personal. Postcards allow you to just say the right amount of words without the cumbersome task of composing a letter. Short, sweet, personal. There is great nostalgia in that. The picture, photo, comic or what ever on the opposite side is just a bonus. Most often it's a snapshot in a time and place the composer wants you to experience as well.
I completely empathise with you! I become mesmerised when I walk into a stationary store in search of the perfect new pen. Even though I have an iPhone which has a "notepad" in it, I still carry around a little 6" x 7" notepad because I too love the physical act of writing. I also see a LOT of horrible penmanship; we get phone numbers wrong at work because people can't even legibly write a frickin' NUMBER! Sheesh!
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