ABOUT ME
I choose to follow my passion.
Bonjour! I’m Charlotte. I started my calligraphy journey in 2016. I’m excited to be called a calligrapher!
Love at first “write”…
In the past twenty years, I had no ideas what passion means. I spent most of my time on studying, and the only thing I cared was whether I could meet others’ expectations. I tried to follow the “formula” to be a successful person and I thought that’s the only way to live my life. I’m sure you can tell how mundane and boring my life was. But calligraphy changed my life, my imaginations of the future and my definition of success.
I’m a person who was fascinated by words since I was small. Not until the year I graduated from university, I realized that writing calligraphy could be a career. I still remember the day I encountered calligraphy, I fell in love with it. I just bought myself a cheap pointed pen, a Nikko G nib and a bottle of black ink. However, I felt so satisfied to write all day long, even my handwriting was pretty awful at that time. This is the first time I understand what “Passion” means.
I became a self-taught calligraphy enthusiast. I started with learning through books. That’s the way I built my foundation. I also followed a lot of calligraphers on social media. The calligraphy community provided me ample support that I needed as a self-taught calligrapher. I found peace and comfort in calligraphy, especially being part of the community.
Turing calligraphy into side business…
I am yet to be a full-time calligrapher. However, that’s my ultimate goal! In 2018, I decided to turn calligraphy into my side business. I reached out to different shops for calligraphy opportunities. I was lucky enough to connect with those who truly appreciated my work. Then, I took commission work occasionally and started to hold workshops.
At the end of 2018, I took a full time job and I realized that I did not have enough time and capacity for my side business. That’s the time when I knew what career I’m best suited to. I turned to be a “slasher”, working for several part-time/ freelance jobs. The flexibility provides me more time to explore new techniques in calligraphy and other art fields. The past two years were so far the most important time in my life. I’m grateful to find my passion, explore various possibilities and develop my own creative business. No one knows what the future holds. But running a sustainable creative business would always be the career path that I would like to take.
If you want to know more about me…
I was born in December and I am a Capricorn.
I would say I’m an extroverted introvert. I enjoy being alone most of the time.
My favorite nib is Hunt 101. The ink that I love the most is (it’s so hard to choose) the April Showers Ferris Wheel ink at the moment.
I work in different education institutions. I am a researcher and lecturer.
I'm learning Japanese, ceramics and floristry.
to be continued…