The art of letter writing has been around for centuries. A simple form of communication in the days of old, and an effective one that has remained through many ages.
These days, digital communications are at the forefront of our daily lives, both in business and in our personal life. Yes, it’s quick and easy, doesn’t take too much thought, hit send and away it goes into cyber space heading for the other person’s inbox.
Job done right? Right?
Err, not always.
In the Beginning
My letter writing origin story began when I was a child. In junior school we had a brief penpal exchange programme with another school. In class we would write letters to our assigned penpal, and the teacher would then post the letters to the other school.
Letters of reply would arrive with us and I remember how different everyone’s letters were. Some were just written on plain paper; some were decorated with fancy drawings and we even had a ‘invisible letter’ which was written in wax and you had to shade over it with a pencil to reveal the hidden message.
From that day on, I started collecting various letter paper that caught my eye. So many different designs! An autumn set with yellow, brown and orange leaves and a snoozing bear will always be my favourite.
Letters of Surprise
Receiving letters through the post are always a surprise as you have no idea what’s written inside, but you know it might be something good. Letter stationery has its own unique style, especially the envelopes, so you know they’re not going to be bills in the usual brown or white window envelopes.
Letter-writing paper can be plain or lined and come in different sizes such as A4, A5 or A6. The type of paper and gsm (grams per square metre) weight can also be different. Envelopes that come with writing paper sets also come in different styles. They can be different colours and sizes, have different types of flaps and the paper can be smooth, textured or even lined inside, giving extra protection to the precious letter inside. There are so many possibilities! If you’re artistic, you can decorate your envelopes and letters with illustrations, stickers and colourful decorative stamps and washi tape. Your personalisation creates a beautiful presentation.
The quality of letter-writing stationery can vary. There are cheap and cheerful stationery that uses thinner paper meaning your pen ink ghosts through, or the letter paper has a mediocre design. On the other end of the spectrum, there are luxury letter-writing sets on premium paper, making them nicer to write on and to feel when you touch the paper. The designs are also usually artistically better.
Mindful Letter Writing
When you write by hand, you want to be mindful of what it is you are writing. With every stroke of the pen, you want it to be correct. There is no delete button. You either have to use correction fluid or scribble the mistake out which is unsightly. It forces you to slow your pace as you gather your thoughts. In a way, the slowness is rather therapeutic. It also makes you think about your words and their spelling. Maybe because handwritten letters are more formal than emails, you’re in a mindset to write correctly.
Digital Communication
Digital communication has come a long way since its invention. It’s fast and can save time, but the quality in the way the communication is presented has fallen.
Short form ‘text speak’ became the norm due to the character limits on the first mobile phones. Over time, this has carried over into social media comments and even emails.
When typing out emails for work, I found that I frequently made more typos because I was typing so fast and even used ‘text speak’ (which I got used to when typing on my phone) which is obviously very unprofessional! I am constantly going back to correct my text when I realise my errors (tip: always re-read your emails once you’re done writing; trust me, better to proofread before you send than after).
When typing, I seem to be less mindful, my fingers just flying over the keys trying to get the message out as quickly as possible so I can move onto the next thing. When I have finally composed my message and hit send, I just pray that it ends up in the recipient’s inbox and not the dreaded spam box, or worse, get buried in their inbox under everyone else’s emails.
Conclusion
While digital communication is the main way we write to each other these days, there is still a place for handwritten notes and letters and that is here to stay. The thrill of receiving letters through the post, especially in fancy envelopes can bring joy and excitement. In a way, it gives us a short break from our busy lives to appreciate something nice and it perks up our day. Letters can also be read multiple times because we like picking things up to read that we deem ‘special’. We get that little dopamine hit each time.
Discover beautiful letter writing sets for your collection here.