10 Ways To Find Time To Practice Calligraphy Daily
Learn 10 ways to find time to practice calligraphy and incorporate the practice into your life DAILY!
HOW TO FIND TIME TO PRACTICE CALLIGRAPHY?
I often get asked, “What’s the best way to improve my calligraphy?” or “How did you get so good at calligraphy?”
Wanna know my secret?
PRACTICE!
Yes, that’s it — practice, practice, and then more practice.
I always tell everybody who’s starting this lettering journey. The key to getting ahead is getting started. To get better, you need to practice consistently.
There is a big difference between practicing every day and practicing every once in a while. Consistency is key if you want to see improvement.
It’s simple, especially if you want to get better at calligraphy fast. The more you practice, the more you improve.
I wish I could tell you there is a magic pen that will make you write amazing instantly. I’m still working on creating it, ???? But until it’s done, I can help you in other ways. Like helping you find time to practice calligraphy!
First, if you want to get more serious about your calligraphy practice, check out this blog post. It’s about five bulletproof steps to make time to practice calligraphy.
I can tell you the steps I mentioned in the blog post work because I’ve applied them many times when I was serious about learning calligraphy. You can use this method to learn any new hobby or create a new habit.
Now, let’s get to the ideas that can help you start practicing calligraphy DAILY…
10 WAYS TO FIND TIME TO PRACTICE CALLIGRAPHY DAILY
1. Wake up earlier or good to sleep a little later than usual.
Depending on when you need to get up to start your day, I’d recommend waking up 20 minutes earlier than usual. Twenty minutes is not enough, but it can be beneficial if you smartly use this time. What I mean by that is to use those 20 minutes ONLY to practice calligraphy. No phone, checking emails, Instagram, or anything else. These 20 minutes are just for you, your paper, and your brush pen (or even pencil).
If you’re not a morning person, do the same I recommend, but 20 minutes before your usual bedtime.
Pro tip: leave everything ready the night before. Whatever you want to improve on, prepare beforehand so that you can start practicing right away when you wake up.
I love practicing with worksheets, and I always recommend them. You can get my Modern Calligraphy Workbook for Beginners. In it, I explain everything you need to know to learn calligraphy.
2. Practice in your everyday writing.
We all have lots of things to write regularly. Instead of doing regular handwriting, take this time to practice your calligraphy. Whether it is writing your grocery list, to-do list, or anything in your planner or journal, this is the perfect time to sneak in some calligraphy practice daily! You can see how I incorporate my lettering into my bullet journal here.
3. While listening to church sermons or any other type of commitment where you’re taking notes.
Writing the things you hear makes it easier for you to remember! So, while listening to a podcast or at church, take your notebook and start practicing your lettering by jotting down the phrases that most get your attention.
Here is an example of it from the fantastic Amanda Arneill.
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4. Have social media free time.
Usually, we mindlessly scroll through social media and spend SO much time on it without realizing it! Start paying attention to how much time you spend on social media. I can tell you it’s way more than 30 minutes a day. Once you realize all the time you spend on social media, replace 20-30 mins practicing calligraphy. The important thing here is to start being mindful of how you use your time on things that are not beneficial for you.
5. Skip watching TV for 30 mins
I’m not a TV person. But now and then comes a show on Netflix that requires binge-watching! I have to know what’s gonna happen next. When this happens, I try to take a step back and sneak in some calligraphy practice BEFORE I start binge-watching. My husband is my partner in crime when we watch these shows, so I informed him that I have to practice calligraphy or work on my blog before we start watching. He helps me keep that promise to myself.
So my suggestion here is to use TV time as a reward for having done your practice for the day. And let your family, friends, and partner into your intentions of daily practice! You’ll be surprised by how encouraging they can be when they see you want to improve at something you love doing.
6. Practice while watching TV
I think that focused practice is better. But some practice is better than no practice at all. If there is no option, bring your practicing tools to the TV room and practice while having your show in the background or while the TV commercials are going on.
7. Be a little extra with your next reunion.
This is one of my favorite ways to sneak in calligraphy practice! Wanting to address my wedding envelopes was what got me into learning calligraphy in the first place. Every time I get to send invitations, I make sure I use my calligraphy to address the envelopes.
When I’m planning my babies’ birthdays, you’ll see my calligraphy within the party’s decor, like in the welcome and food signs, favors, and anywhere I can put my lettering on!
8. Practice during your lunch break.
When I used to work at a corporate office, lunchtime consisted of me mindlessly scrolling through my phone. Or sometimes, I’d keep working through lunch.
With time, I’ve learned that to be more productive, it’s better to take breaks from what you’re doing. So, using your lunch to take a break might help you improve your productivity at work.
Use your lunchtime to practice calligraphy while you enjoy your delicious meal!
Now that I’m a stay-at-home mom, my lunch break is their nap time! So, while my babies sleep, I usually take that opportunity to practice for at least 20 minutes.
9. Start saying no!
When you say yes to everything, you are saying no to yourself.
Some time ago, I heard that if it’s not a definite yes, it’s a NO. When you get invited to an event, get asked for a favor, or start a new project, if you’re not 100% excited about it from the beginning, then you should say no.
Now, this is something that I’m still working on. I tend to say yes to every favor I get asked because I love helping people. Especially if it’s something craft or lettering related they ask me to do. But I’m often left overwhelmed and tired when I’m not super excited about it from the beginning.
Plus, the time I’m used to other things I don’t love, it’s time taking away from my calligraphy practice.
Make your calligraphy practice an appointment with yourself you can’t cancel. Start saying no to others and yes to yourself!
10. Have your notebook and favorite pens with you at all times!
This one might be obvious, but I can’t tell you how often I wish I had my notebook and brush pen while waiting at the doctor’s office.
What I don’t get with appointments is that you must be there on time, but the doctor can take forever to see you. But you can’t be there more than 15 mins late, because you lose your appointment and get a fee for not attending. Okay, rant over! lol
Make sure you have a separate notebook and pen or brush pen for practicing on the go!
Lastly, if you’d like to know where to start learning, check out this blog post, where I will show you how to learn calligraphy using a regular pen. Or review the list of books and resources I recommend to start learning and improving your calligraphy.
FREE WORKSHEET
Get my Basic Calligraphy Drills Worksheet and start learning calligraphy right away!
I hope some of these ideas are helpful for you in finding time to practice your calligraphy.
Maybe you won’t be able to use all 10 of these ways to practice your calligraphy daily. But I’m sure you’ll have a couple of options here. Whichever one you choose, before you start practicing, make sure you are putting into practice these 7 calligraphy practice tips. These tips are going to help you improve your calligraphy even faster!
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I am 67 yrs old Diabetic with arthritis. I took Calligraphy as part of my Art class in High school (40 yrs ago.) I have a difficult time keeping my lines straight. I wanted to learn Calligraphy again so I coould use in in the cards I make. Please help.
Hi Jennifer, I’d love to help you learn calligraphy! I have several workbooks where I cover step-by-step how to learn calligraphy. The first I’d recommend is my workbook for beginners using small brush pens, you can find it here:https://shopvialdesigns.com/products/modern-calligraphy-workbook-for-beginners
If you’d like to learn calligraphy using a regular pen, you can try this one instead: https://shopvialdesigns.com/products/calligraphy-with-a-regular-pen