The Art of Manliness

I would love to create more ecards that appeal to men. I was therefore thrilled to find a blog dedicated the Art of Manliness with an entry dedicated to nothing less than the Art of Letter writing. Yeah! What a great find and follow up to my blog entry on The (Lost) Art of Letter Writing.

Great tips for you guys out there who might sometimes wrestle with getting pen to paper – or words to keyboard 🙂 And as woman I can honestly say there is almost nothing more manly than a man who can express himself.  And with Father’s Day coming up, son’s everywhere might need a little inspiration for celebrating their father.

 The Art of Manliness
from The Art of Manliness blog

The (Lost) Art of Letter Writing

“In a generation or two letters will be obsolete. 
Everyone will talk to absent friends the world over by radio.
It will be nice; but something will be lost with letters. 
The world can’t eat its cake and have it, too. 
And none of these things really “save time.” 
They only fill it more breathlessly full.“ 
[Saturday December 16, 1922 — Volume 3, L.M. Montgomery Selected Journals]

Shortly before Christmas a dear friend wrote to ask me about my new mailing address. When I received an actual Christmas card in the mail several weeks later, my heart skipped a little beat with joy. Of course I showed my gratitude by forgetting to write a note of thanks amidst a more than usually stressful holiday season (the holidays are ALWAYS busy at Ojolie, but this year was crazier than usual as we relocated for the second time in a year). Well past the holidays, I found this little memento and finally sat down to pen a short email. Okay, my better half will laugh and point out that I never write short emails.

It is because I used to write long hand written letters as a child. I don’t feel old, but I realize that probably makes me sound rather old to my own children. My parents were expats and I lived in several different parts of the world growing up. So to keep in touch with friends, this was the only option available. I kept a metal trunk under my bed with all the letters from friends neatly stashed away long after I had lost touch with friends, who likewise moved around a bit. Shortly before I left for college in the US, the letters were tossed in favor of what I could carry in the two suitcases.

If only I had know then that the art of letter writing would quickly become a thing of the past, maybe I would have held on to at least a few of them. I did re-read some before tossing them and there were so many fun details in these letters I had forgotten. I don’t tend to be a collector or hold on to things, but in this case it is not the actual letters I miss, as much as this way of communicating with friends half a world away. Storytelling that is meant to allow us to partake in their life from far away, sentiments committed to paper, dreams and hopes shared.

Even though the format of human communication may have changed with email, facebook and other instant messages, human sentiment and the need to connect transcends time and progress.

I have noticed that perhaps because of this there is a revival of interest in the art of letter writing. To return to a more personal way of connecting. More than ever, it doesn’t matter what medium we use to communicate our sentiment. The sheer act of sitting down and taking the time to pen a personalized message will be appreciated more than ever. It doesn’t mean rushing out and buying special stationary or a fountain pen (although by all means do if that inspires you to write). Although some will hold a more dogmatic view than me, the art of letter writing is not about form or a beautifully handwritten letter. As the word ‘art’ implies, it is really open to interpretation. An art form is something you practice and perfect, find inspiration and joy in – a medium for sharing human expression. What that means to you personally is not for me to say. But I would love to hear what you think.

Mail man in Corsica 1952, photo credit: Prof. emeritus Hans Schneider

Follow Frederikke Tu’s board c o n n e c t on Pinterest.

Inspirations from Nature | Making ‘My Wish For You’

Often people are curious about where I draw my inspiration for my cards from.  There are so many sources of inspiration, but because nature has a very strong effect on me, probably that is the main inspiration in my work.

As an artist I experience the world visually, filing away things I notice for future use.  When creating a card with a specific sentiment in mind, I try to see what that could translate into.  In my newest e-card “My Wish For You” I tried to think of what I would wish for the many amazing mothers I know and love.  And what I would appreciate my children wishing for me.  And more than anything I realized it was about the little things in life that actually are the big things – the amazing mundane things that make life worth living.

So one morning while sipping my morning coffee and going through my art journal, I noticed I had jotted down a few things I felt grateful for a few weeks prior – bird song, the sunrise that morning, the hug my husband gave me and the company I had that day.  And from there the words to this card just came to me and from there the artistic vision started taking place.  Or rather it took flight as my little feathered friends take center stage in this card.

Here is an inspiration board I keep adding to all the time – where I file away things from nature that inspire my work or that just fascinate me.  

Find the Perfect DIY Gift Idea

“The manner of giving is worth more than the gift”

This sentiment might be interpreted to mean that it is the thought that counts. And so every year on mother’s day children present little handmade presents to show their appreciation for mom. These little keepsakes are lovingly stored away as a token of their children’s gratitude, because let’s be honest – that pasta necklace or picture frame made out of popsicle sticks is mostly going to be appreciated as a memento. 

For the rest of us, gift giving has to rise to a higher level to convey what mom means to us. But herein lies the challenge; the DIY gift, while heartfelt often looks just that – DIY. The store bought gift sometimes seems too impersonal and not creative.

 

These family luminaries at bestbites.com make the perfect gift for Mom

I have collected a few ideas that might inspire you to make some gifts that are both personal and convey what the recipient means to you. These ideas work for many other occasions as well – especially the holidays, but also Father’s Day and Birthdays. Never too early to start collecting ideas and planning some fun diy projects that will make amazing gifts all year long!

And if all else fails, remember a huge bouquet of flowers will never fail to send the right message to a woman, mother and wife. Mother’s Day is May 11th in the US and many other countries.