One Hour of Learning

What could you do with one hour of learning everyday? What could you accomplish and what would it bring you, what accomplishments can you achieve through the span of days, weeks, months, or years of this practice? It's important to always continue to learn regardless of your age or what the topic pertains. I enjoyed industrial design because it forced me to learn more about the product or service that I was designing and developing. With one hour of learning each day you can accomplish so many things and learn to better yourself in a new scale. Try committing to learning something new - maybe its hand lettering, maybe it's drawing footwear, maybe it's learning code, or studying a new language. This learning will keep your brain active. Knowledge is powerful!

Where do I start? 

So you up for the challenge! You can continue to learn outside of the traditional schooling and education system and it's important to continue to network and research to know what's out there. Google is your friend! I'd start by making a list of what you're interested in learning or exploring. Then I'd make an hourly schedule. Similar to the excel sheet. Block in the hours so you know what you have available to play around with. Try to aim for a time that is consistent every day. When I first started my time block was 8-10 pm to practice hand lettering, Monday thru Friday. 

I have many interests and it would be really great if I could actually combine everything together  - however I am choosing to focus on one thing (hand lettering) and to practice this one thing for an hour at a time. This can help you decide if it's something that you should invest even more time exploring. 

What are you waiting for? Go block out an hour and start exploring! 

Saying Yes & What It Really Means

I enjoy helping other people and at times I forget that I like to go full force with things. I enjoy being hands on in the process and bouncing ideas off of other people. What I tend to forget is that I don't have all the time in the world to do any and everything. 

Matthew 5:37 says,"

But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one. " HCSB

How often do we really mean yes when we say yes? What about when we say no? And will we allow someone to convince us, to sway us, to change our answer. If we do, our primary answer wasn't solid one. 

This topic all ties in to this previous week's newsletter that didn't get written because I realize I didn't make the proper arrangements to have my newsletter on a list of priorities. I decided to skip out on last weeks post.

What I learned from this is to always have something on cue and to keep my readers in the loop so they aren't wondering whats going on and they aren't lost. If I know I will miss one and I don't have one on cue to let you know.

I need to get back into my practice rhythms and learn to make changes in my schedule when needed. I have two more weddings to attend this year - and this time I will be prepared! I also want to share with you what I did to the brides shoes! Since I don't have photos at the moment, I'll have to update this post. 

Always let your yes be yes and your no be no. If you are weary about saying yes, or you aren't sure what it fully entails, be sure to get all those details before making a decision because they matter. For this reason, when someone asks me for a favor I never say yes - before I know what it entails. 

I hope you forgive me for missing last weeks post. I also want to thank you for letting me into your inbox each week and continuing to follow me on this journey. 

I have some tips for you, some questions you can run through so that you can remember to stick to your word. 

Before you say yes here are some things you should consider: 

How long will it take? 

Do I have the funds for this project/engagement?

Am I fully committed? 

What are the requirements?

If you find that after you've said yes, there are things you didn't see be sure to take note of them this way when you encounter another situation of similarity you will know what to expect. 

Terminologies in Hand Lettering Part 1

When starting anything new its import to first learn the basics. I've shared with you many other experiences that I've learned since starting this blog, like what tools to use. While I am still in the learning stages of lettering, It's important to share with you some basic knowledge when it comes to hand lettering. 

Common Terms Used in Hand Lettering 

Often times we get terminologies mixed up. We interchangeably use Typography, Hand Lettering, Calligraphy, Font - however they are all different. 

Typography is a noun: it is 

1.  The style and appearance of printed matter.

2. The art or procedure of arranging type or processing data and printing from it.

Calligraphy is writing of letters - often in script. 

Hand Lettering - is drawn or to print by hand (or digitally). Can't get any simpler than that! 

Calligraphy - is written and often considered to be a form of penmanship. You use a nib and ink to write. 

A font - is a part of a set of type. It is a set of printable or displayable text characters in a specific style and size. The type design for a set of fonts is the typeface and variations of this design form the typeface family. Example: Helvetica is a typeface family, Helvetica italic is a typeface, and Helvetica italic 10-point is a font.
 

Text (Noun): is the main body of a book or other piece of writing, as distinct from other material such as notes, appendices, and illustrations.

Additional terms:

Majuscules also known as capitals are large lettering, either capital or uncial, in which all the letters are usually the same height.

• a large letter.

Miniscule also known as lowercase are: 

1. extremely small; tiny.

2. of or in lowercase letters, as distinct from capitals or uncials.
    

For the past few months I've dedicated time working on deliberately practicing Roman capitals in the style of Garamond. Here's a mini history on the letter garamond: 

Claude Garamond cut types for Parisian scholar-printer Robert Estienne. 

• He died in 1561. 

• His work mistaken with Jean Jannon (1580–1635)
• His work disappeared for nearly two hundred years!
• With many changes it has distinctive representations of French Renaissance style.
• Garamond - though many variations - is easily recognizable by their elegance and readability.

You can learn more about Garamond and see the evolution of it by visiting this site.

I am working on a post for the anatomy of type. You'll learn even more terminologies and have illustrations to go with them. Stay Tuned! 

"Hand Lettering is a form of drawing.
You can't get any simpler than that! "

Getting Hand Lettering Practice In, Even When Things Go Wrong

 

It's been a rough week so far for me, but I choose to be happy daily.

You ever have a day where things just don't work out as planned? For me it has been this entire week. I am in the process of helping out with my good friends surprise wedding shower. I've had everything planned - what to get and where to go. All this has stopped because my car wouldn't start. 
 
I've been seeking joy and contentment this week despite not having my car to get additional things that I had planned out executed. Everything seems to be coming to a halt and I can assume that it’s a bad week overall, but let’s take a moment of pause and truly reflect:
 
I am still alive,
I can still make it to work,
Though I feel like I am a burden to my friends and family, they have made their way to help me get to and from work. They’ve allowed me to use their vehicle to run my errands. Other than gas money, I haven't had to spend much on my car - yet. The best thing, I haven't let my emotions run me to the ground. I've kept a logical thinking on this - I need to get to work, my other plans such as going to the gym and other errands – I know there are other ways around that like working out from home or adding a walk during lunch.
 
With all this going on - or not going on - I've managed to find other ways to get my hand lettering practice in. I've used my lunch break to read on and practice vectoring my hand lettered sketches. I continue to practice my deliberate practice from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, my writing typically happens at or around 5:00 am – 5:30 am. Prepping in advance on what style, word choice and/or phrase helps in the decision making factor of what to practice. I can pick up my tools and get to it. As a backup I always have my handy sketchbook and a pencil I don’t care for with me. (I’d hate to lose a $15 dollar lead holder).
 
Showing up everyday requires a relentless kind of dedication. It surely isn't easy and when things don't go as planned it can cause us to think irrationally or get caught up in our emotions of frustration. It would be simple to ditch everything and sulk in pity – thinking,”Woe is me”. 
 
It was 7:10 am. I called two people already and my car wouldn't budge. I relentlessly called my brother; this is how our conversation went:
Bro- "yes"
Keshna - “my car won't start.”
Bro – “what time do you have to be at work?”
Keshna – “8:00 am”
Bro – “how long does it take you to get there?” 
Keshna – “About 45 minutes, depending on traffic.”
Bro – “oh man! Give me five minutes.” 

I made it to work exactly on time. I thought I was going to be a little late so I sent a text message to my supervisor and asked that he excuse me for thirty minutes. I was so happy that there was not traffic. Today is day four with not having a car and I still have a major task list with errands and supplies that I need. 
 
I am choosing not to sweat it. I will continue to let the days roll on and do what I can. The things that are important to me I will get them done – regardless of what is going on at the moment.

“You’ll get more done the quicker you get over the problem and begin to search for a solution. ”

— Keshna Donia

The takeaway: 

Always have a backup plan. Things don’t always go right. Having people you can trust and rely on also help a great deal.
Do your most important work first. It will eliminate the stress and anxiety of wondering if you will have time to do it later. Do it now and pretend later doesn’t exist.
 
Learn to be flexible. Just because things don't always go as planned doesn't mean it has to ruin your day. Choose to be happy because life goes on, and it will not wait for you. I grew up with tough love - and I don't mean I didn't get love and affection. My mom never let me settle without trying first. Her best advice to me has always been, “figure it out," though now I realize my mother just didn't know the answer. 
 
Sometimes perspective is all it really takes to making things work. What have you been trying to get done through a bad day? What was your end result?

Basic Pro Tip To Learn Hand Lettering

Today I am going to share with you the number one tip to getting started to hand lettering. The number one thing you need to know before you start to practice hand lettering is that practice makes perfect.

Just as you wouldn't show up the day of a 5k race to win without a day of practice, hand lettering also takes time and practice before you can get good. Don't expect your very first piece to be a product that you can sell. If you share and post your practice pieces to Facebook or Instagram, don't expect to have fifty likes. Rather, be ready to practice, be open to criticism, and be willing to receive feedback on the ways in which you can improve. Remember not to take suggestions personally and learn how to sift what you should keep and let the rest fall off your shoulders. Everyone has a different way of learning, a different technique and a different approach. It doesn't mean that one way is right and the other is wrong. Know that it takes time to see the improvements.

Some people will learn by copying, some people will learn by tracing, others will learn from books, videos and other materials - at the end of the day, you have to put pen and paper together and practice. Simply watching a video doesn’t mean you learned how to draw a straight line. Often times you may feel that you accomplished much by scrolling through other people's work. Don't let that deter you from getting your practice sessions in. 

Here’s my suggestion as you start, learn the anatomy of type - the bare bones that make up the structure of the alphabets. All typefaces have a commonality and hand lettering is derived from that. You can choose a font that you are interested in learning to hand letter. As you practice I would recommend studying that type style in its entirety. Some questions to ask yourself, "Is it a Roman Letter? A Serif? Sans Serif? Does it look better bold? Thin? Condensed?” These will all help you to be more knowledgeable in the study of hand lettering. 

I am working on a guide to get you started on hand lettering. My newsletter will be launching in July. You can sign up below to stay informed on the journey and to receive free resources to get you started. 

27 Things I've Learned That Can Be Applied To Hand Lettering.

In honor of my birthday (this past Monday, June 15), I decided to make and share a list of valuable things I've learned this year that can also be applied to hand lettering. 

27. Choose happiness and joy. Though things may not go well or as planned each and everyday choose to be happy and choose joy over sadness. Life's too short.

26. Get organized. Being organized is a skill, one that many people don't have. When you learn to be organized you can create systems that will help you get through your activities. 

25. Surround yourself around the people you want to influence you. Want to get in shape? Find some fitness friends. Want to be a better hand letterer? Subscribe to those artists and connect with them, find someone in your local area. You are influenced by your top five friends. 

24. Make genuine connections. The term "network" has been over used and beaten to the ground, and with social media like Linkedin saying, " Please add me to your network" it just screams I'm looking to connect so I can get something in return - though I may not really know you. Genuine connections will take you farther and you'll build lasting relationships with people around the world. 

23. Get out the house. Find some local meetups and see what people are doing. Go to a conference and listen to a speaker, in the same or different field. It will influence you, and you'll learn something new.  

22. Read more. When I was younger I used to compete with a classmate to see how many books we could read in a week. We were in fifth or sixth grade, and each week we would check in to see how many books the other person read. Some how she managed to increase her reading speed. When I think about it now she probably learned how to skim/scan the pages of a book really quickly at a young age, it now comes in handy and I can skim pages and articles quicker.

21. Find an accountability partner or group. I have a few of them. One for financial, one for fitness and one for getting up early to write. It's so much easier to disappoint ourselves but when you have someone else in your corner cheering you on and motivating you to keep going, you'll more than likely try even harder not to disappoint them.

20. Write, Everyday. One of the accountability groups is based on EWDW. #6amclub (really the #5amclub on the east coast) but we've created a group to get everyone on board and everyone just messages in - feet on the floor. Which means, " I've gotten out of bed, I am ready to write". I use my writings for blog posts, reflection and relief.

“How to apply this to hand lettering: choose your quotes, messages or phrase you wish to hand letter in advance. Maybe seven for the week, and practice one each day.
”

— Donia

19. Reserve time for the things you enjoy. Family, fitness, fun, your passion! Everyone has 24 hours in a day and we all choose how to spend them differently. Set aside time to practice your hand lettering put it in the calendar so that you don't derail from it.

18. Be a professional and learn more about professionalism. Everything from the way you talk, walk present and the way you write - choose to be a professional. It will give you greater return in so many ways.

17. Get focused. Remove the distractions, put your phone on airplane mode, turn your wifi off and take some time for yourself. Thinking, reading, gaining knowledge, understanding your purpose or the reason you are choosing to do something - like lettering, will help you get focused on the steps to reaching your goals. Besides, unless you have stock in Facebook or work for them, why are you spending so much time on there?

16. Rest. overworking yourself will only increase your stress and anxiety. Work hard and rest harder.  

15. Research. I've been learning so much about marketing, ways to improve my writing, communication and simply putting myself out there. I am sure there is another artist of African American descent that can relate to me and my struggles. Perhaps I can learn from someone else or someone can learn from me. 

14. Learn the rules. Rules aren't everything and many people don't like them. Some people like to break them and others are ignorant of them. Rules exist and you need to know them - especially to avoid trouble. 

13. Listen to your intuition. Anytime I've had a gut feeling and not listen to it, I always regret it later. I sometimes say to myself, '" if you listened to that feeling in your gut you wouldn't be here," or " you know you saw that one coming". That inner voice we have can save us from so many problems. I am so happy when I do listen to that intuition. You might be surprised what you'll gain if you listen to that inner voice sometime. 

12. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Humility is a great character to have and asking for help can be a very humbling experience. Though at times we can do it all on our own, we can save time, money and resources by simply asking for help. 

11. Know Why. "Because I felt like it," is such a cowardly answer to give. Dig deeper and know the reasons you believe in something. Learn to form your own opinions and be sure you are confident, firm, in your beliefs. Though your reasons, and or theory might change - at least have something more than, "because I felt like it," to back it up. 

10. Be Confident. I know you don't just wake up and decide to be confident, but I do believe there are steps you can take to get you to that place of being confident. 

9. Curiosity is one of the best ways to learn. You have a keen interest in learning something and you'll better retain the information. Stay curious and you'll learn more outside the classroom. 

8. Gratitude. Showing others how thankful you are, that you appreciate them can make their day. Be grateful and show gratitude. 

7. Learn how to Learn. This is deep. When learning something new we are excited and want to jump through the steps. But when learning to learn, we should take our time to absorb the information. 

6. Critics exist. They're either saying good things about you or they are saying ba thing about you. Either way, they exist. 

5. Sharing is caring. (Just not germs). When sharing your work, you put yourself up for criticism. Learn to not take things personally, learn to be objective, sharing your experiences will help someone else in the long run.

4. Practice. Practice, practice. Practice makes perfect. Though we still try to achieve perfection, practice will build any and every skill and can surpass talent if one is willing. 

3. Curate. Choose one thing and focus on that. Get really good at it, then you can find other ways to be creative. Just be sure to curate, then branch out from there. 

2. Knowledge is powerful. Share what you know, and people will thank you for it.

1. Start before you're ready. Even though when you start things may - and more likely not be perfect, you will still have some place to look back at how far you've come. 

What are some things you've learned?