(artofmanliness)
Do you remember the last time you wrote someone a letter? No, not an email or a text message or homework assignment, a real, handwritten with pen and paper letter and mailed in a stamped envelope….. EXACTLY.
In the age of emails and texting, the art of letter writing seems to be dying. We have become so obsessed with the “faster the better” instant communication that the idea of letter writing seems ancient. And whether you realize it or not, there is an immense setback within the loss of the letter. From snail mail to email, it seems our world has lost touch with the art that is infused in such tangible communication. From the loss of the letter, we have lost the genuine art and creativity that comes with letter writing. We have lost the basic need to design and to mentally challenge our imaginations for aesthetic appeal.
Email has destroyed creativity that touches the senses. You cannot smell an email like you can smell the floral scent on a beautifully, hand written letter. You cannot appreciate the aesthetic appeal of the words written down. Emails take away the senses, touch, taste, smell, and hear, and only gives you the sight of those sans sarif text boxes electronically sent to your inbox. Email takes communication that used to be so personalized, so creative in thought and structure, and stabs the art right through the computer.
What happened to the importance of time and distance? How the feelings of waiting for the mail could spark up an idea or ignite the imagination to run wild with the thoughts of what would be in the letter to come. What happened to the lasting, ephemoral art of touch and for keepsake memory? The magic and power of the pen writer has decreased its importance in today’s email world. But art shouldn’t be rushed. It is an unfinished process. Just like designing a pen pal letter, it is an ongoing continuous process and the novel language is constantly mended and revised.
A letter is a personal thing, whether its for that special someone or for the sake of communicating your feelings. They matter so much in such an increasingly impersonal world, and also because they take time and effort to produce. Letters are a design, an art form above the rest. It is the original forms of design, as in the latin origin, “signare” design is “mark making.” Letters are truly the origin of design as we know it today.
Where would society be without letters? Our writers never would have transformed into narratives and poetry. Letters stemed the art of novels and recorded information. And in contemporary thought, looking to popular songs, and music artists, were directly influenced by the love “letter.” "Please, Mr. Postman," "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," "P.S. I Love You"). Creativity is immersed and inspiration is found in all types of these writings from letters to music to art because they all connect to aesthetic novelty. Creativity is usually about new ideas. But there is a great deal of value locked up in old ideas and older ways of communicating, like the “letter.” It is part of creativity to find and use that value. But how can you visually possess the magic and beauty that a letter portrays in an email?
So next time you are going to write your friend an email, think about all the artistic and elusive qualities you will lose. Save your inbox, write a real letter!
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