Adventures in Writing

One kind of communication does not exclude the other.

You may notice that in order to extend my message of writing handwritten notes, I make use of the Internet. And Instagram. And Facebook.

On this website, however, I hope to encourage and inspire people to make time for previous, more tangible forms of communication.

The kind that existed before cell phones and computers formed the centerpiece of communication across distances as nearby as the person in the room using AirDrop or people around the world surfing the Net.

Just how amazing is the technology that lets us virtually connect to someone, somewhere, anytime.

Sometimes we need a break from fast.

To breathe. To rest. To personally connect.

To make words appear on a note to send to someone real.

Parallels between digital images and words

It took me years as a professional photographer to realize that too many images spoiled the keepsake.

In the beginning, when digital cameras first appeared, I could not force myself to edit from the hundreds, even thousands of shots I took at a wedding.

Soon I was awash in images, struggling to let go of a file I might need to improve another similar image.

Photoshop to the rescue. Someone with closed eyes, swap heads.

Before I knew it, back up drives stored files galore whose value diminished by sheer volume.

Today, I still take pictures. My cell phone stores thousands of images and no matter what storage systems make these available, finding a particular image gets harder to locate.

In the Ethernet, these image files join the database eternal. Part of our permanent record.

So how many of images from even a couple of years ago are never seen again? Much less shared with anyone?

And finding the time while searching for a single image to also delete unwanted images, well that’s a horse of different breed.

Maybe it’s just me.

Still I wonder, where are the prints from these many splendored digital images? Where are the photo albums that once consolidated the memories? Where is the tangible record of life as we live it?

“More isn’t always better, Linus. Sometimes it’s just more.”

from the movie Sabrina

Stretch beyond the everyday, overworked forms of communicating. Reach out and exceed self-imposed limits. Rediscover the art of writing handwritten notes.

Take a leave of absence from email.

Start writing handwritten notes to let people know you care.

Instead of setting impossible goals, try writing an actual note to someone different one day a week for a month.

Put a handwritten note in a lunchbox. Stick a handwritten note in a book someone is reading, like a bookmark. Leave a handwritten note for the postman.

Stretch your imagination muscles

Intentional motion and meaning come together when you write a note to send. What you think becomes more meaningful when you care enough to sign your name.