penmanship

It’s funny how the things that stick with us from childhood shape who we are. For me, I’m still stuck in my youth and upbringing — but in a good way. Growing up, I was inspired by all the cartoons I watched. I wanted to be an artist, a cartoonist even. Turns out, that wasn’t my gift (lol), but the creative spark never left. One thing I did pick up early on was that penmanship mattered. It’s wild to think back on the days when we had to handwrite 3-5 page papers, and now everything’s digital. Still, something about putting pen to paper always felt right to me. Right before 3rd grade, a show called Ghostwriter came out. Each kid on the show had their own notebook and pen to write down every clue and solve mysteries. That stuck with me. All I wanted to do was write. Then, in 2000, Finding Forrester came out and instantly became my favorite movie. It’s about an eccentric author who ends up mentoring a scholar-athlete after discovering his writing is just as powerful as his own. He helps him find his path. I tried to explain it without giving too much away — if you haven’t seen it, you really should.

Fast forward to now: I’m still that kid with a notebook. I collect them — journaling, future business plans, daily schedules, bad drawings… you name it. I keep it all, pure and unfiltered, because it feels more authentic that way. I’m the type of person who chooses not to do everything on my phone. There’s something special about writing it down, like it makes the ideas more real. Some habits from childhood are worth holding onto. This one’s mine.