It’s Good for Your Mental Health
Art in general can be relaxing and therapeutic, but calligraphy in particular requires such concentration and precision that it's hard to really think about anything else. It's one of the main benefits, in my opinion. (Stay away, bad thoughts!)
When I pull out pen and paper to practice, my favorite thing to do is place myself on the floor in front of my coffee table, pour a glass of wine, and put on a TV show or a movie I love and have seen a hundred times. For me, that would definitely be The Office. Calligraphy allows me to access my happy place, while making sure my hands and mind are occupied.
Calligraphy is Not an Expensive Activity
When I first picked up calligraphy, I didn't have any special pens. Nope, just a ballpoint pen. "Faux-ligraphy" is a beginner hand letterer's best friend. You can use any pen and just make the down strokes thicker to make them look like calligraphy.
There are some great, affordable tutorials available online, including this one from The Happy Ever Crafter.
Once you've had fun learning faux-ligraphy, the next step up (Brush Lettering) requires a brush pen, which are at minimum a few dollars each! Incredible! Check out my favorite brush pens on Amazon here.
Anyone Can Learn
I hear this all the time: "I could never be good at calligraphy. My handwriting sucks." FALSE. *insert Dwight Shrute GIF* Calligraphy and hand lettering is an art, which takes patience and most importantly PRACTICE! So yes, friends, if you have awful handwriting like me, you can still learn hand lettering!
Need more proof? Check out my awful handwriting here.
Break from Screens
In a world where we are bombarded daily with information and distractions from all kinds of screens, it's so relaxing and freeing to put the phone down and just focus on the letters.
The feature I've starting using more and more is Airplane Mode. It's a feature on iPhones that mutes your notifications, either for a certain amount of time or until you decide to turn it off. You can update your settings to allow phone calls in case of emergencies, but I can't tell you how often I stop lettering because I heard the phone vibrate. And let's be honest, most of your phone dings don't require an immediate response. It creates an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality, so you can take the time you need to focus on the calligraphy.
Your cards and invitations will look amazing
How often do you send a letter in the mail these days? I know, it's probably not very often. But what if you're applying for a job, and you're mailing them a thank you note for their consideration. Which envelope do you think they'll pick up first? Chicken Scratch McGee's? Or yours? With the elegant calligraphy that obviously took time and care.
This day and age, snail mail is very under appreciated. But when we do need to send a physical letter, it's usually for something very important. If you learn calligraphy, you can take that very important letter and take it to the next level.
I'm sure there are a ton more reasons to learn calligraphy, but these are the main ones that can apply to pretty much anyone. The main reason I learned calligraphy (and still do) is that it brings me so much joy to letter beautifully written quotes and lyrics on paper. I hope it brings you joy too! (Even if it's joy from distracting yourself from other things)