I could wax eloquently about handwriting for hours, so it was a bit of a challenge to condense my enthusiasm on the subject to the most helpful tips. Since working on the Digital Dynamite radio show and talking about my passion for writing by hand, I’ve wanted to make a short video showcasing my passion for this antiquated art.

I filmed myself writing with a Noodler’s Konrad Flex pen filled with Noodler’s Lexington Gray ink. The Lexington is a beautiful ink that appears black with some shading, and shows the variation in line weight possible with the Flex better than other inks I’ve used. I captured this footage with my iPhone camera propped up with its typing stand. I also filmed it simultaneously with the webcam on my computer, thinking I’d edit them together or use the wide shot as a scene-setting opener. Then I realized it’s much more intriguing just to see close-up the flowing shapes and development of words. It’s similar to my own experience of writing them. There’s a sense of mystery beginning with a white page, or screen in this instance.

As I began to record video, I accidentally pressed the play music button on my laptop’s keyboard, and it proceeded to play 8-bit Art of the Dress, a cover of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic song by RainbowCrash88. As this song embodies similar creative feelings as writing and the 8-bit cover kindles nostalgia, I felt it was very appropriate to my subject and embraced the serendipity. I knew that I’d need some music due to the difference in time required to write and speak the same content. Instead of adding music as well as speech in post-production, this was simple!