on my generation’s relationship to manual creation and technology
we were born and raised before computers were common. computers, cell phones, smart phones. we’re part of the only generation to be raised on writing both via handheld instruments and typing. we are just in that sweet spot where we were young enough to learn typing as a close second language (my upbringing on AOL instant messenger is the reason why i tend to write in all lowercase, have a disdain for capitalization and overly formalized writing, and hate autocorrect), but writing by hand was distinctively our native/primary language. the margin between the two almost barely exists for a lot of us.
i wonder about that and its impact on artists. how art is taught now. because writing by hand is tangential to hand illustration. my notes always came with sketches on the side. i had to. it was the only way i could listen/focus and retain what i was receiving.
you develop your ability to draw indirectly by developing your ability to write. you learn how to form straight lines and curves accurately through tons of handwriting. it’s practice. with all the practice, it becomes second nature. it’s practice that we artists probably take for granted.
if you haven’t handwritten in a year, you can feel and see it. and you eventually get it back. but imagine growing up without that.
the more that we move from ink and paper (which makes sense; it’s the eco-conscious, economical, technically efficient thing to do) to overall better mediums, the more we move away from that subconscious practice and the opportunity to stumble upon skills related to handwriting… creative hand work.
and as we get away from it, maybe kids will be exploring it in extreme happenstance cases, the way that a person who grew up without cassette tapes or vinyl records stumbled into that medium/format as a teenager, and grows a fascination with what is now considered a vintage/retro hobby.
or they may discover it because it was handed down by generations who had retained the skill and appreciation for it, the way calligraphy is considered an old art (that there’s a section of instagram and pinterest for).
i wonder how that will impact the volume of interested future artists.
the medium of digital creation by tablet is such a different experience both in tactile output and in how you visually receive what you’re making as you’re making it compared to tangible, touchable, traditional formats.
perhaps ink and paper illustration will gradually become nothing more but a vintage habit, like vinyl records, chinese character brush strokes on scrolls, and anything else that seems antique at this point.
i have no conclusion here - just wide open eyes and curiosity to how this all unfurls in the next decades.
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