When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone?
I don’t know about you, but this question got my gears turning.
I remember the last time I sent something in the mail a few months ago; I mailed several friends copies of my #onething poster print along with brief handwritten notes. The notes weren’t long enough to qualify as letters, though. For my money, a letter must be longer than a sentence or 2. I’ve also written business letters with my boss, which doesn’t count either because it’s part of my job description.
If memory serves me correctly, I haven’t written a personal letter in years. I presume I’m not alone in neglecting my penmanship. To test this theory, I posed the above query to my colleagues, who now think I’m insane. Here are their answers:
Source: http://www.jonathangazeley.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/dscf3546d1.jpg
Alex (Operations Manager) – “The last letter I wrote was asking for permission to come to the United States from Iran. Everyone has to write to an ambassador for approval. My letter worked because here I am!”
Nellie (Secretary) – “I never liked writing letters. I felt bad because my friends and family would send me these big long things, and I would write back only a couple of lines. I guess it was 25 years ago, when we first came to this country. I wrote letters to my cousins and classmates from school. Then I stopped because of Facebook and texting.”
Thelma (Accounting) – “Maybe 20 years ago, around 1988, I wrote to my family when I got to this country. “
Rita (Prepress/ Designer) – “About 2 years ago I wrote to a friend I met on a trip. He was an older, grandfatherly figure who lived in Minnesota. We became pen pals and he would write the most beautiful letters!”
Austin (Designer) – “2 weeks ago I wrote a letter to my friend who lives in Europe. “
Nick (CEO) – “I don’t know, 25 years ago probably? I wrote to my family and friends when I came to the US.”
Ana (Customer Service) – “About 5 years ago, I wrote a letter to my grandfather. I still have it to remember him by because he passed away.”
Armando (Pressman) – “Long time ago. Back in high school, I wrote letters to my girlfriends.”
Dan (Shipping Clerk) – “It was 1986. I was in Italy visiting my relatives and I wrote letters to my wife while I was overseas.”
Katherine (Marketing Director) – “My husband and I wrote letters to my sister in law while she was in prison. Letters mean a lot to prisoners, she told us how much our messages meant to her after she got out.”
Ed (Delivery Driver) -
Why letter writing matters
The answers above reveal the reason why letters hold powerful meaning in the digital age. Handwriting is deeply personal. Each member of the PrintFirm team shared a story about his or her past as well as the story behind the story. As you can see in their answers, the backstories are often more interesting than the original anecdotes.
Simply stated, there will never be an electronic equivalent to ink and paper.
Source http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/print/2007/3/australia_post_mum_hug.jpg
Sure, you can type your innermost feelings on a screen, print them out, and seal an envelope without ever touching a pen. This type of communication makes for perfect sentence structure and legible diction. And that’s the problem—everything we do with machines comes out a little too perfect, with the human element removed from the process. Who remembers the details of what prompted their last email? Most people can’t recall email messages or specific social media posts as they’re fleeting in nature.
Yet Ana’s comment about hanging onto a letter to remember a loved one really cuts to the heart of the matter. Handwriting puts a piece of the person on paper. Along the lines of preservation, letters establish records of private insights from history’s greatest minds. They capture the passion of love affairs, comfort the lonely, and drive political action (think Amnesty International).
Take the National Card and Letter Writing Month challenge
Print Goddess Christine Alexander issued the following challenge on her blog:
“In the spirit of National Card and Letter Writing Month, I would like to challenge all of you, dear readers. Whether you send a letter a day, one a week, or just have the time to send out a single note, let’s celebrate the beautiful art of letter writing at least once a month.” ~ Dreaming in CMYK
I’m with Christine! I’ve been practicing my hand lettering and drawing a lot lately, so this seems like a logical step. I’m not sure who I’ll write to…I’m sure I’ll find a couple of cyber friends to exchange letters with once a month.
What about you—are you ready to pick up a pen once a month? Do you remember the last time you even wrote a letter? Tell us your stationary tales in the comments below!
