Handwritten

"Asemic" by Luis Colon

I write by hand quite often. Mostly I do so because I enjoy it. In fact, I love writing that is "Asemic" - which looks as if it's writing but actually is only similar to it, as this image depicts above.

I have numerous hand-written books. Often, the first thing I do when I get a cool little blank book is to put in page numbers, leaving a few pages at the front for a "table of contents." Then as I add (random fashion, usually) to the contents of the book, I notate in the front what page and what the subject I wrote about is - so I can find it easily later on.

I have books about interesting finds and links (yes, I do really hand-write the links along with explanations about what they are so if they become obsolete I can find them later on - sometimes I paste in pictures and other relevant information in case the links get taken away.)

I have books of lists and processes done after learning Edward de Bono thinking skills and suggestions from Barbara Sher. Some of these are about my own individuation - such as how I come across to strangers at first impression so I can choose how to use common misunderstandings that strangers assume about me. I have made various sorts of "Bucket Lists" for various reasons and purposes, (such as movies and books I might want t to check out - or books I get from the library that I might want to check out again.) Some of these hand-written books of mine are written out in multi-colored pens, so the ideas are classified with color coding. I make lists of people I met incidentally and why I connected with them. I have lists of people I met online and how we came to mean something to each other. I have lists of people I ran into on Periscope.tv and what I enjoyed about them, with their user names and how to get in touch later through other platforms.

I made lists of figures of speech, lists of interesting scrabble words and what they mean, collections of strange facts about plants or fruit or places. I made lists about where to find things I might want to locate that I've "hidden in a good spot" from myself; I even have a hard copy of my passwords that I keep updated so I don't repeat the old ones.

Since I was a teenager, I have volumes of pretty much all of my "major decisions." These mostly contain the questions I asked myself when I was thinking about what to do next with my life. Strange how these questions are often cyclical or perennial. How often these questions get exactly the same answers (after consulting the I Ching) is even more of a coincidence, especially when these questions are duplicated DECADES apart! So over time, I have evolved what I could call a "Decision Journal." 

I read fast, so often I'll read a book at my "regular fast" speed, then go back and annotate and study it the second or third time through it, reading it a few times. I have outlines of books that I thought had information for me that was so important that they deserved to be studied. I wanted to be able to use the book's contents for a tool in the course of my life - books on dialogue skills, on negotiation skills, on communication skills. For that purpose, certain titles I bought needed outlining, practice and revisiting. Other handwritten books of collected study notes I've been inspired to write sometimes came from library books or books I borrowed from other people that I had to return. I found studying books by writing notes by hand was a way to put into practice tips another other good ideas that I wanted to really LEARN that was embedded within the contents of books. 

I have made handwritten books of song lyrics; books that annotate what's inside of long sound files when I recorded practice sessions where song lyrics first happened, accidentally from complete inspiration. I have notes about how to make clay ocarinas by hand from scratch that an old roommate used to do who was able to...step-by-step telling me exactly how to do it.

I have books of my own poetry, (which doesn't happen that often! But some I even illustrated.) 

I have books of dreams that lingered after waking, (but those are pretty sloppy in appearance.) 

I wrote out in various collected little books project outlines I thought I might want to do but haven't gotten around to doing yet -just in case I do want to do them sometimes in the future. 

I have lists of items I might want to make out of clay that I put thought into designing in original ways if I ever get the access to a kiln...the same involving the use of a 3D printer! (mostly replacement pieces of plastic that I can't get any other way.) 

I have lists of things to buy if I ever get enough money for them; (currently on that list is an electric fold-up bike.) 

I have lists of places I'd like to donate to if I ever have so much money that I might wonder what to do with it.

I have hand-written books like screen-writing for a video series presentation(s) about concepts related to Alexander Technique. (just am finishing one up on "Judgment.") 

 Perhaps I might get around to typing these promising handwritten words into the computer later and correct for "time of arrival" as I do the other editing challenges that make them easier to understand - since people cannot read my mind. Using the computer, I complete these ideas I wrote out by hand; but I often use handwriting to extend their ideas in situations where I don't have a computer or keyboard at the moment I get new related ideas.

I have books handwritten notes in many books about things I'm learning, such as expressions in Spanish and juicy words to learn to beat my friends who enjoy playing Scrabble. 

I have hand written books with notes from counseling sessions, random classes, (such as the one on the differences between wills & "living trusts, (even though I don't have enough to "fund" a trust. But my friend does, and now I can speak intelligently with her about that.) 

I collect strange health facts perhaps related to someone I know who needs help on their subject. 

I have hand-written notes from lectures I attended on odd subjects such as Neuroscience experiments or countries I've never heard of previously, just in case I might want to go there and revisit the information someday.

Sometimes it's just faster to use a pen or pencil to illustrate what you're designing rather than trying to use words to describe shapes, relationships, colors, relative volumes, what seemed funny or ironic to me... In fact, my favorite pen to use is one that can be erased like a pencil - but makes a great line that can be easily copied on a photocopier.

Plus, I have drawing books of things, images that I just wanted to hang out and draw because they happened to be there in front of me. Many of those are performers on stage, (because performers don't object to being looked at long enough to draw them. Being stared at by an artist tends to make strangers feel uncomfortable, because most people don't put together that I'm looking at them because I'm an artist and are actively drawing them.)

Yes, I write by hand quite often. If writing by hand makes you smarter...I'M A GENIUS by now!!

But who will care when I kick the bucket?

(All these handwritten books will undoubtedly end up in the trash...)