Everyone who learns calligraphy knows that practice is the key to improving and building a more consistent script.
But I often hear calligraphers say how challenging it is to keep up with consistent practice.
When I asked my subscribers what problems or challenges they’re facing, several cited a lack of time to practise. For others, life responsibilities shifted so calligraphy had to take a back seat.
Of course, I’ve faced the same problems too in the past few years of practising calligraphy!
I’ve approached it by thinking about how I can build a habit of consistent practice. Books like James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Gretchen Rubin’s Better than Before were immensely helpful. I recommend that you check out these books if you’re interested in productivity and habit formation in general!
In this blogpost, I’m sharing some of the tips and tactics that have worked for me in the context of calligraphy practice.
Not all of these are used at the same time of course! I hope this list gives you some ideas that you can cherry-pick and come back to at different times in your calligraphy journey, to find what suits you best.
Set the Stage
Professional chefs practise mise en place, where all the ingredients are cut, measured, and set out before cooking. Having the ingredients ready to go makes the cooking process easier and smoother.
In the same way, I put my most often used calligraphy tools together. For example, my favourite nib is kept in my favourite holder; my current go-to ink is kept in my dinky dip holder; and I keep my preferred guidesheet (a 5mm grid sheet) in the folder of papers that I reuse for practice.
All of these are kept next to each other on my shelving cabinet. When I want to practise calligraphy, it’s very easy to pull them out and start writing in less than a minute.
Try this: How can you set up your supplies for easier practice? Think about removing friction and making it as easy and fuss-free as possible to start. Maybe it’s setting aside your favourite nib, so you don’t have to dig through a box of nibs when you want to practise. Or maybe like me, try setting up a specific place to store one set of supplies ready to go – nib, pen holder, ink and paper. That’s all you need to start practising.
Switch Things Up
There are so many ways to practise – basic strokes, letters, words, pangrams, drills (you can get my free worksheets for drills here!). I like to keep things fun by switching up what I practise. Some days I’ll write names, some days I’ll write lyrics to a song that I’m listening to, and other days I’ll focus on a particular basic stroke. Otherwise, I find it too boring to keep practising the same thing day after day!
Another way is to switch up how I practise. I use different inks to make practice extra colourful, or write using different ratios and guidelines. A 1 : 1 : 1 ratio (equal parts ascender, x-height and descender) is a fun spin on traditional Copperplate. Even if it deviates from the standard Copperplate script, I’m still practising things like nib control, stroke transitions and spacing.
I feel it’s more important to keep practice sustainable. What’s the point of practising diligently and consistently, if I get bored of it and eventually lose steam?
Try this: Draw up a list of ways to make practice fun for yourself. You can try practising with different tools like inks / papers / nib, different x-heights and different ratios. I came up with a list of 20 fun and creative ideas to play with calligraphy. If you’re interested in getting this free list, join my email list using the form at the bottom of this blogpost!
Don’t Miss Two Days In A Row
Some may find it easier to build a new habit by committing to it every single day instead of a few times a week. This way, you won’t have to deal with the temptation and inner struggles of “Is today a rest day? Can I postpone till tomorrow instead?”
But sometimes life does get in the way, so even if you have to take a break, just remember not to skip two days in a row. This is what some productivity gurus call the Two-Day Rule.
I speak from personal experience – it’s hard to start a new habit, but it’s even harder to restart after stopping. Cos how did my two days of rest become three days … then 5 months? (That probably speaks volumes about my willpower. 😬)
Try this: If you want to commit to practising every day, having a visual habit tracker may help. Use a monthly calendar and strike off the days that you’ve practised to create a visual streak, then try not to break that streak!
Put It in Your Calendar
If you have control over your calendar and daily schedule, this is perhaps one of the most effective ways to build a habit of consistent practice. Don’t wait until you have time to practise, instead, set aside time in your calendar to practise.
Choose a time slot that works best for you, whether that’s late at night after everyone else goes to bed, or on the weekends when you have more free time.
Depending on how important calligraphy practice is to you at this point in your life, this time slot for practice can be a non-negotiable. Make dinner or social plans around it to protect the time you’ve set aside for yourself and for practice!
Try this: Look at your schedule for the past and next few weeks. Is there a time slot in your calendar that’s suitable (e.g. less distractions and chances of conflicting events)? Put “practise calligraphy” in your calendar and create recurring reminders for the coming weeks.
Something is Better than Nothing
With all that I’ve said about making time for consistent calligraphy practice, you may ask “so how long should I practise each time?”
There’s no formula for maximum efficacy since everyone works differently. Some calligraphers practise 1 hour three times a week, while others practise 30 minutes each day.
I often harp on how important mindful practice, coupled with self-analysis and critique, is. But realistically, how long (and how often) I can practise is affected by my daily schedule and how many other life commitments I have at that moment.
So my rule of thumb for calligraphy practice is “something is better than nothing”, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day and I only manage to write a few words. At least I don’t entirely lose touch of how to write with a nib!
Try this: Don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t dedicate too much time to consistent practice. Small pockets of practice are helpful too. Even one line of writing is considered practice, you don’t always have to fill up an entire page!
Lastly
While there are merits to conscientious practice and self-critique, sometimes I too get bogged down by making calligraphy practice more difficult or sacred then it should be.
I hope this list of tips can help you to realise that calligraphy practice can, and sometimes should, be plain simple and fun!
Like I mentioned, I believe it’s more important to keep practice sustainable. Look at it as building a long-term relationship, not a short fling that fizzles out quickly.
As always, happy writing!
