3 Misconceptions about Hand Lettering and Calligraphy

Take a peek at the statements below. 

• I could never be good at lettering. My handwriting is awful!
• I need all of the fanciest tools to learn hand lettering. 
• I'm not creative, so lettering could never be my 'thing'. 

Sound familiar? 

These are just a few misconceptions about lettering that are simply not true. I'm here to tell you that you - YES YOU - can learn lettering if you put your mind to it!

Misconception #1: I could never be good at lettering. My handwriting is awful!

Listen up, girlfriend. Your grocery lists might be chicken scratch, but that doesn't mean your lettering is going to be chicken scratch, too! I like to compare hand lettering to drawing instead of writing. When you're lettering, you're composing individual letters and then creatively connecting them to form one big work of art. On the other hand, your everyday hand writing is just a laundry list of letters that don't need to flow together or have any kind of artistic style. 

Misconception #2: I need all the fanciest tools to learn hand lettering. 

To that I say 'NOPE!'. You don't need all the latest brush pens, nibs, and ink to get started. Heck, you don't even need fancy paper or an iPad with an Apple pencil. In my learn-to-letter workbook, I simply recommend starting with a Sharpie and computer paper. The magic doesn't happen because of the tools you have - it happens with the practice you put into perfecting your swirly, curly letters. 

Misconception #3: I'm not creative, so lettering could never be my 'thing'.

I'm going to politely disagree with ya on this one. I'm convinced that you become creative by flexing your creative muscle. Kind of like you wouldn't expect to be strong if you never picked up a set of weights, you can't expect yourself to be creative unless you've consciously let that part of your brain shine. 

Feeling like you could conquer this whole lettering thing once and for all? I know you can! Check out my digital workbook that will teach you to letter using just a Sharpie in 5 simple steps! You can also check out my journey to learning hand lettering here.