(Roughly) Daily

Happily, there are some with the virtue of patience– and as Todd Oppenheimer (the founder, editor, and publisher of Craftsmanship) explains, with equal measures of creativity and resourcefulness…

One of the things I love most about publishing a magazine on craftsmanship is that it continually leads me to little-known but fascinating subcultures.

Almost without fail, these communities are filled with highly talented sorts, who pursue their endeavors with uncommon passion and commitment. That was certainly the case, in extremis, when I dove recently into the world of calligraphy.

I know—the practice of calligraphy is no secret. First introduced in China, it has been around since 1600 BCE, and over the centuries took shape in one form or another in virtually every culture across the globe. What I didn’t know about—even though I’ve been fussing with fountain pens and my own versions of calligraphy since I was a teenager—are the craft’s complex dimensions behind the scene, and its numerous, much-admired innovators. By some measures, we might even be in the midst of a kind of calligraphy renaissance. Hundreds of different calligraphy societies are operating across the globe today, many growing vigorously. Perhaps most surprising, the craft seems to be attracting a new generation of young enthusiasts, particularly in the U.S…

The fascinating story, beautifully illustrated: “Calligraphy’s Magicians.”

* Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson

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As we practice our hand, we might recall that it was on this date in 1957 that two gentlement whose pen work was hugely consequential (if not beautiful) met for the first time: Beatles songwriting team John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time at the St. Peter’s Church Rose Queen garden fête in Woolton (near Liverpool), England, at which Lennon’s skiffle group The Quarrymen were playing. In the audience was 15-year-old Paul McCartney. At the Woolton Village Hall across the street, where The Quarrymen were scheduled to perform that evening, McCartney borrowed Lennon’s guitar to play Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock” as well as Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” on the hall’s piano. Lennon later told biographer Hunter Davies, “I half thought to myself, ‘He’s as good as me.’ If I take him on, what will happen? It went through my head that I’d have to keep him in line if I let him join. But he was good, so he was worth having. He also looked like Elvis. I dug him.”