Thursday 22 April 2010

The written 'you'


This had been brilliant.
Thank you so much for taking part and producing such a varied and entertaining response.
I was a bit worried I'd bitten off more than I could chew; set myself up as some sort of handwriting afficianado , but its been a lot of fun.
(I hope you don't mind that I've uploaded this to flickr . Please let me know if you object .)

There are still people joining in so I'll put them on the list.
Some people want to do it every week but I don't think I could keep it up.
I suppose we could start a blog with lots of members who can post handwriting whenever they feel like it.



There are still one or two to do it but I've collected them together to show what a varied result we had.

I learnt a lot.
I actually sat and read each one much more carefully and feeling more engaged than I would when I read the usual spell checked perfect text. I read some with a smile on my face and some with a tear in my eye.

I don't know about you but I felt as if the real person was speaking to me.

That many of you enjoyed the challenge but are very grateful for the PC

That we all worry about what will remain in the future when we have no letters left for our descendants to discover, but merely defunct laptops and non compatible memory sticks.

That there a lot of left handed bloggers who had a struggle and were discouraged from using their left hand.

That we are all wimps and get writers cramp after half a page.

I found a lot of new bloggers and I think you all found new bloggers too. I felt a bit like a party hostess introducing one to another and watching while you met each other. Then you introduced me to new people.
Its a real chain event and I am meeting bloggers from two or three blogs 'removed' .

I was greatly entertained by the different ways you presented your handwriting.
Poems, shopping lists, childhood games, recipes, notes to accompany doodles, German Homework, quilters wisdom.

What fun.
Thank you.
I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. If you have no idea what I'm talking about look here


I still think my writing is awful.

26 comments:

Robin Mac said...

This was so much fun Jackie and like you I have found lots of new blogging friends. Handwriting is so much more interesting than typing......but I don't think I could write my blogs by hand all the time! Cheers, Robin

WinnibriggsHouse said...

It was a brilliant idea that I found too late, but did read several of your 'entries'. It must have been quite a task. So glad you had a great response.

Marigold Jam said...

That was clever getting that mosaic together. It was fun to do something a bit different and it was interesting to read that many of us wouldn't want to go back to pen and ink for everything but enjoyed it for a while. I had to laugh at the idea that our typed blogs are all word perfect as mine surely are not I often find mistakes later that I didn't notice on screen. Does anyone else find it difficult to proof read on screen rather than on a hard copy?

Jane

Kim said...

Jackie, this is wonderful. Good reminder to us to value difference and to think of future generations.
I am now giving letters as presents and doing mail art and insisting on having stamps on the package due to the following quote...“The stamp is an important object. Although very small in format, it carries a message. Stamps are a measure of the culture of a country. This tiny, rectangular piece of paper links the hearts of the sender and receiver. It is a bridge between peoples and nations. The stamp knows no borders. It reaches us even in prisons, asylums, and hospitals, and wherever we may be on earth. Stamps should be ambassadors of art and life and not simply soulless proofs of postage paid. The stamp must experience its destiny. The stamp must once again fulfil its purpose, which means it must serve on letters. A true stamp must feel the tongue of the sender moistening its gum. A stamp must be stuck on a letter. A stamp must experience the dark depths of the post box. A stamp must suffer franking. A stamp must sense the hand of the postman handing the letter to the addressee....The stamp is the only work of art that everyone can own, young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick, educated and ignorant, free or robbed of freedom..." 2-14-1990 Hundertwasser

Joy said...

Hello Jackie, this was an interesting challenge. I just found out about it, (day late and a dollar short...), but I just did a post on the handwriting of me, my mother and my grandmother. Very, very interesting idea. I found out about it from Marigold Jam. I might do a variance of your idea once in awhile. Sure looks more personal.

Fiona said...

Thanks you so much for doing this. It was great fun to be a part of. Perhaps a handwritten postcard from our holidays could be another post in later summer?

Michala Gyetvai (Kayla coo) said...

What a brilliant idea and so interesting to see all the different styles of hand writting.
If I can work out how to scan I would love to join in!

WendyCarole said...

It was great to do it.

I was only saying to John the other day that the next generation will have nothing left behind for others to read.
We sent letters to each other while he was here at university and I was down south. We have three years worth each. When his mum died we found a big box of letters that she had from the war. We hope to find time to sit and and read them all one day.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jackie, I am still in the middle of doing mine.I will be late, but I decided to write about buttons! This was such a good idea of yours.Now I'll go and look at all those responses....can't wait!

Diva Kreszl said...

what a fun endeavor! It must have been amzing to receive so many handwritten items :)

Jude said...

Ohhhhhhhhh! I'm so sad...I'v just not got enough time this week to join in...we have visitors, it's been my birthday and I'm trying to work every other night...please extend it for another week...I understand if you can't..sob...

Elderberry-Rob said...

that looks great when you put all the different styles together - sorry I didn't join in my writing is terrible so you wouldn't have been able to read it!

alice c said...

I'm in!

Thanks for organising this, Jackie.

menopausalmusing said...

Don't the efforts look good as a mosaic? I think I shall use "handwriting" as a them within my blog from time to time.....

Thank you for organising this.

Emma said...

Thanks again Jackie, such a lot of interest! Facinating bit about the stamp, too. It is amazing how far reaching it is.

I hope to write more, legibly or not, in my sketchbook/journal.

Your 'party' was great & I look forward to others who mentioned it hosting a party (but not weekly!)

Gina said...

Thank you Jackie. This was such good fun and a real insight. Loved meeting some new people too.

vintagerockchick said...

Sorry Jackie, I'm a bit late with my homework as usual - but it's on your desk now! x

Sue said...

I'll add to the clamour and say thanks for organising this, I did enjoy it, and I love that mosaic you've done. Well done for being super :-)

Linda Vincent said...

They look great all together like that. What a brill idea Jackie :-)
Am I too late to have a go?
Linda x

Anonymous said...

Thanks for such a fun game Jackie. I noticed my shopping list this morning looked a bit tidier than usual! Interesting to see so many different styles. Would be lovely to do something similar sometime??
Penny :)

ferinn said...

Thanks for your comments Jackie.I'd seen your post and meant to join in but other things intervened and I didn't get around to it.It lovely to see the different characteristics of handwriting.I always used to say to children I taught that they never expected their handwriting to be the same so why did they all expect to draw the same.We need to celebrate our differences.

Ann Summerville said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Yes, the bluebonnets are very similar to lupins. Apparently there are five varieties that grow here and two of them only grow in Texas. I have relatives who have tried to grow them in England without much success. They are beautiful this time of year. I love your handwriting "exercise".
Ann
Ann Summerville
Cozy In Texas

Heather said...

It was fun Jackie and I agree with so much of what you say, except that I like your handwriting - it's artistic! Well done on creating the mosaic from our entries.

Julie said...

This was a great idea Jackie and I'm sorry I didn't get round to joining in :o( You are right about future generations missing out on so much personal family memories. I never knew my grandfather but after my Nan died I found some letters that he had written to her when he was in hospital. Family lore said that he was a drinker but the letters showed me a tender man who obviously loved my Nan, something I would not have realised without these letters (all written in pencil). Sadly my granddad died the year after these letters were written.

Andi's English Attic said...

This was such an interesting idea, I had to join in. xx

ArtPropelled said...

Such a good idea Jackie. The mosaic looks great.



Mo
st of my pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Dear Anonymous.....

....don't waste your time...I have a spam filter.