Hand Lettering as Self-Care for Moms
Do you have a creative side or wish you had more time to be creative? Today, my friend Morgan from Morgan Manages Mommyhood shares with us how to use hand lettering as self-care for moms. She has some great ideas and tips for how you can use hand lettering for relaxation and self-care. Be sure to read all the way to end where she shares how you can learn the basics of hand lettering too.
Do you remember when you were a kid and you’d doodle your name over and over in different fonts while thinking about the day – the cute boy in math, how unfair your English teacher is, whether or not you should get highlights… (Oh, simpler times.) and by the time you filled up a page with hearts and flowers and snippets of that song you were obsessed with, everything seemed clearer and easier to manage?
That’s how I feel about hand lettering. The simple act of hand letting words and quotes calms me and allows me to reflect on my day and ways to please myself. As a mom of two boys under 3, self-care is incredibly important to me, and I find that using hand lettering as a form of self-care has really helped me to devote some ‘happy time’ to myself.
Today, I’m so excited that Rachel has allowed me to come chat with you all about my favorite hobby – hand lettering – and how moms can utilize it as a form of self-care!
Hand Lettering as Self-Care for Moms
Art is a form of self-expression
My grandmother is an artist and taught me a love for art in all of its mediums from a young age. But most importantly, she taught me to find the form that pleased my soul the most and go towards it, feeding and nurturing it. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved doodling quotes from songs and books so hand lettering seemed like the most reasonable progression for me. Hand lettering is a simple art form, part handwriting, and part calligraphy.You’re able to express yourself both by creating a font or style that represents you as well as in the words you choose to put to paper. Expressing yourself in this simple and unexpected form is soothing to the soul while also giving you the chance to write affirmations and reminders to yourself – be it to love yourself, trust the process, be brave.
Make your to-do lists prettier
Okay, so to-do lists aren’t necessarily the best self-care since they can be a reminder of all you have to do, but I do believe in add a little bit of prettiness to ordinary things to make your day brighter. I use hand lettering in my planner to add headers that are pretty – since I stare at it an obscene amount each day, seeing the small bit of sunshine in what is normally a stressful sight can really help to center me.
Forced removal from electronics
One of my favorite things to do is to leave my phone and computer in the other room and play around with hand lettering. By removing myself from electronics I am more able to commit myself to a predetermined set of time to just doodle.
A splash of girly
Here’s the deal – I live in a house with my husband, 2 boys under the age of 3, and a male dog. (Okay, so we have a female cat but she’s a loner.) There is a lot of testosterone and not many chances for me to embrace my inner girly girl. Setting aside a few minutes a day to doodle, writing pretty words and curly ques in feminine colors makes me feel like a woman in a house of boys and adds a splash of femininity to my day.
Calming videos
Watching videos of hand lettering are beyond calming to me – something about the sweep of ink on paper in a smooth, gorgeous form is oddly satisfying to me. I can spend 15 minutes watching these short clips on Instagram (check out #handlettered for some amazing work!) and come out of it calmer and recharged.
Create something you love
To be totally honest, one of my favorite parts of hand lettering is the excuse to create pretty things for your home. From simple quotes to fun additions to framed photos, my home is full of pretty words that I created myself. As someone who doesn’t really spend much on home decor (again, I live in a house of boys!) it’s nice to have a free way to adorn my walls that also makes me feel happy. I made these DIY nursery prints when my youngest was born and they were a simple way to adorn his little corner.
Hand Lettering Self-Care Challenge
So here’s my challenge to you to see if hand lettering could be a good form of self-care for you.
Find 15 minutes where no one will bother you. Maybe it’s naptime or after your kids go to bed or before they wake up. Just 15 short minutes that you can disconnect and work on you.
Grab a pen, some paper, grab a drink that makes you happy, put some music on, light a candle – whatever you normally do to calm yourself.
Letter something! I find lettering a favorite quote or song to be comforting and relaxing, but a bible verse or your thoughts work just as well! Avoid writing down your to-do list since that’s kind of the opposite of relaxing. Allow yourself to get lost in the simplicity and smooth curves of writing. Don’t overthink it – just let yourself go. The more your practice the more easily hand lettering will come – eventually, you’ll ‘create’ your own ‘font’ that becomes second nature to you.
If you’re interested in learning more about hand lettering, check out my step-by-step tutorial for how to teach yourself to hand letter, a tutorial written by a beginner for a beginner. I believe that anyone can learn the art of hand lettering!
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Your turn…
Okay, so tell me – have you ever tried hand lettering? Is it something that interests you? Does doodling calm you? Let me know in the comments!
This is great! I finally joined the adult coloring bandwagon, and now this is something I really want to try!
I’m going to try and hand letter something, I’ve always to try it and you’ve inspired me to,give it a try! I love your writing!