Angie: Please welcome my special guest, Sheila Lowe, as she shares some amazing information on how handwriting can help you become more confident...
Sheila: It seems ironic that in blogging about handwriting I’m actually typing at a keyboard. But in the twenty-first century, electronic conversations have become the norm. Does that mean handwriting is going the way of the typewriter? I certainly hope not, as this most personal way of communicating is unique and powerful. After all, would you rather get a love note in an impersonal email, or one that your lover took the time to handwrite? Would it touch your heart more to get a letter through the postal mail from your grandmother, or a typed note that has words, but says little about the personality and character of the writer?
Handwriting is an expressive behavior very much like your facial expressions and tone of voice. It says a great deal about who you are and how you have responded to all the experiences you’ve had through your lifetime—the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly. Your handwriting reflects the person you have become, and it continues to change over time as you draw new experiences and integrate them into your life. So, does that mean if you think your handwriting is unattractive you’re not a good, decent, beautiful person? Absolutely not.
The truth is, while good people certainly have nice handwriting, there are also many who have beautiful looking writing that are in prison! The reasons for this are interesting, but go beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say, the way the writing looks–the visual style (school model, printed, elaborate, simplified, etc.)–reveals much about the way you feel about yourself. For example, if you have a poor self-image, you’re likely to use small capital letters and a small personal pronoun I; your t-crossings will probably be low on the stem; your writing may slant downhill. These are just a few of many elements of handwriting, and none of them mean much outside the context of a given writing sample. But they are easy to look for and if you find these characteristics in your handwriting, there is a way to help you improve your self-image.
To express self-confidence, courage, and dignity, make sure your capital letters are about twice as tall as the small letters (but not much higher than that; otherwise, you’re moving into the area of arrogance). Visualize yourself standing tall like those capitals. Keep your t-crossings about halfway to two-thirds up the stem; it’s symbolic of throwing your shoulders back and raising your head. Make your personal pronoun I a straight, firm line—again, standing tall and courageous. You might want to put a firm underline under your signature for emphasis. It will take practice to make this a habit, but soon you’ll find your handwriting changing and you’ll feel different, too.
Because handwriting reflects your past experiences and behavior, making these small changes to the way you write can help you change future behavior. There are other, more global changes that can be made, called graphotherapy, but it’s recommended that you do these only with a trained professional. Feel free to contact me with questions:
Sheila@sheilalowe.com
www.sheilalowe.com
www.writinganalysis.com
www.claudiaroseseries.com
Guest Bio:
Sheila Lowe is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis, Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous, and the Forensic Handwriting Mystery series. She testifies in court cases involving handwriting and works with clients around the world. She’s currently working on her Master’s degree in Psychology. She is approved by the State of California to provide continuing education for marriage and family therapists (www.superceu.com).
9 comments:
Wow....wish I'd read this BEFORE I wrote out all those Christmas cards!
What would you have done differently? :)
Very interesting, Sheila. When I look back at something I wrote by hand, I can certainly tell what kind of mood I was in at the time and whether I was in a hurry.
I've always wondered how a whole generation of people was forced to use the Palmer method. I'm sure you would see small differences in individuals' writing, but to me it all looks just alike. It's kind of sad that all the personality was trained out of the handwriting.
Thank you so much, Sheila, for being with us today! Folks, I updated the post with Sheila's personal website if you missed it before :-)
Angie
My handwriting looks a lot like many others I went to school with--and my mom's too. We had to practice handwriting and were graded on it. Do they even do that anymore?
Like Sandra, my handwriting deteriorates when I'm tired or in a rush.
Great post, Sheila.
Marilyn
People who continue to write just the way they learned in school tend toward jobs in administration, secretaries, nurses, school teachers, librarians. They feel most comfortable when there are familiar parameters within which to work.
But even though they maintain the school model, there will be their own personal difference because we are all unique.
Good to know about the handwriting, because mine is not so pretty. Actually, it's 98% print rather than cursive. But I do write a lot and it tends to be large.
Diane, printing is writing! The same principles apply as to cursive.
This was SO interesting. One of the funny things I noticed when I was went back adn looked at things I'd written was that I could also tell what writers had influenced me at the time. My language was more illustrative when I was at the height of my Jane Austen phase. My words were short, crisp and clear without any capitals when I was over the moon for all things ee cummings and my words discriptive, easy to break apart and fun to say aloud and often very carefully and clearly printed when my kids were younger and we were reading copious amounts of picture books.
I now find that I have combined many of those handwriting and writing characterisic into my regular writing style so it tends to be as electic as my bookshelf.
It is fun to read possible reasons why. Thanks Angie and Sheila!
Hugs!
Ang
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