Over the past six days, I had been thinking of how to start this blog, I know I have something to tell, I have a hobby and I want to share it but I couldn't get the right motivation to start it, blame my busy schedule! My head seems to be blank and I can't get on the right track.

But as I was watching a volleyball match on screen, I thought I should multitask just like how normal women do (fist bump girl)! So I opened up a text editor, start typing so here I go. Oh, I never knew a sports game would help me fire up these ideas in mind.

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^{Me writing Precious in calligraphy style.}

This is my Hobby: Lettering and Calligraphy

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A little look back...

My childhood was all about school, art, and play. I keep up with school because I want my parents to be proud of my performance in the academic side but to also keep myself entertained, I would face my notebooks and art materials, I start scribbling, writing, coloring and whatever I could do on my journal.

^{Made this for my husband who loves the quote.}

I didn't even know that what I was doing was into lettering already! I was simply trying to entertain myself with whatever I have in hand.

I learned that my father's cousin who's my uncle is an artist of the famous greeting card maker Sterling. He used to send me some art items like watercolors, sketchbooks, those Staedtler ones which I laugh before 'coz they don't have erasers attached to them so I refer them as eraser-less pencils.

^{This was a reminder to myself when I was feeling like I need to stay away from some things which bothers me.}

Then my father gave me this Lettering Guide Book. It was of black and white, I can still remember the smell of the paper pages and the ink combined, there's no other color but black and I was totally mesmerized, I kept on looking into the sheets, the variety of font styles made me extraordinarily inquisitive and at the same time amusing, I wanted to copy each single figure, I tried hard to write words, phrases, and quotes using each specific font technique. I wonder how these letters were created beautifully, I admire who made them and I wished I can also do the same.

^{A lettering in one of my 2018 journal pages}

That was the start, my days in high school was usually me seen in the art room of our campus together with my classmates and committee, creating the letter cuttings for school events, back in high school we don't pay outsiders to create our stage designs and lettering. Instead, we the team and I specifically during my years would draft, manually cut each single letter and even put them up myself with some assistance from my co-committee members up in the stage. I remember almost getting to school late for my graduation day because I was still finalizing our stage lettering and it was just two hours before the commencement rites would start.

There's a different feeling when I am holding a pen, colored or black, I would scribble and write, drafting bigger letters would even give me that satisfaction.

^{I post inspirational quotes too!}

I know on those times that I am in my happy place, I wouldn't mind spending numerous hours as long as I am making them, I would even skip classes to complete the project as fast as I can (don't tell my mom about that).

When I was in college, I have slightly departed from the hobby because of the studies but that didn't mean I stopped. I still do it but not that often. It was in college when I kept a notebook all for study notes and just create quote letterings just on some pages.

^{Do Small Things with Great Love.}

Immediately right when I had begun working and earning on my own after college graduation, that I started collecting pens of different types, most especially brushes, pointed, ballpoint, water brushes, name it all. I would go over to different stores, National Bookstore as my favorite but I would also buy online and even join giveaways so I could gain a pen I adore.

Aside from that, I consciously hoard notebooks and also journals. My favorites are dotted and blank books while I still welcome anything that is colorful and girly while also enjoys those which are dark and earthy in color.

^{Some of the brush pens I purchased from National Bookstore.}

I began to have the tendency of hoarding them, as of this writing, I have numerous notebooks with empty pages, most unused for months, some years in fact. My friends give me notebooks too for birthdays and also Christmas.

^{One of the lettering art I created with a metallic pen.}

With social media rising and booming these years, I have found a medium as well to share my works. I used to post on Instagram and Facebook to share my letterings and calligraphy pieces. I had posted more than hundreds of bits, in fact, I used to write or make letterings or calligraphy every day before. This made me create another account on Instagram which is solely for my lettering pieces.

However, I began to switch over to #steemit instead because, with #steemit, I am able to showcase my hobby and earn from it at the same time. The earnings I get from Steemit becomes another source for me to be able to purchase and try new lettering items. As well as join workshops to enhance this hobby. I am not really good at this yet but I know that constant practice and investing in my personal development is a vast help for me to improve.

^{Me creating the quote my husband @panoramicview requested.}

One of the workshops I have recently join and in fact, my first with Calligraphy and Floral Illustration happened earlier this month with IFex and National Bookstore. I got a hand of a new brush pen brand which is the Winsor and Newton's pastel color set. I am also starting to immerse myself with metallic markers which are interesting against black or dark surfaces.

Lettering and Calligraphy is not a hard hobby to sustain although sometimes the materials might be a bit pricey then again, simple pens and other affordable supplies can be found anywhere, it just requires research, but watch out for the tiniest reviews of other enthusiasts because there are cheap ones with good quality.

^{Great heroes don't always win battles.}

Lettering is simply manually writing words in different font styles in a specific surface while Calligraphy is using a specific pen material to beautifully write words in thin and thick strokes.

Aside from it becomes my stream of sharing my thoughts and favorite quotes, I can also inspire others to get their pens out and write. With my time spent on writing and lettering, this allows me to keep my eyes away from technology for a few minutes or hours. Above all, this is my own way of de-stressing!

I can't see myself retiring from doing this. I totally believe that I belong to Lettering and Calligraphy and I can utilize this hobby to be a blessing and to inspire others.

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Huge thanks to @blocktrades and @anomadsoul for creating this amazing contest. More power to you guys!

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