More Than Just Writing
One of the many things that I find especially enchanting about Chinese culture is their writing. To my unsophisticated eye , characters written using only a mechanical pencil or a cheap ballpoint pen are still beautiful. However, Chinese characters truly seem to push the line between art and writing when they are portrayed through Chinese calligraphy.
This past Saturday, I got to attend my first Chinese Art and Calligraphy Class at the Chinese Cultural School in Duluth! I was a bit nervous about going, because when I had visited the school to see about enrolling, I had noticed that the Calligraphy class was small, and that all the student's appeared to be a lot younger than me.
When I entered the classroom, there were only four of us as students, and I was by far the oldest. Furthermore, I had come with none of the necessary supplies (no brushes, paper, or ink). Not to mention, once we started to practice writing (me using some supplies borrowed from the teacher) it was obvious that my classmates' experience, and the quality of their writing far out-stripped mine.
I was off to a bumpy start, and feeling rather intimidated at this point! I felt like some sort of big, bumbling creature (as I am rather short, I have never felt that way before). If the circumstances had been any different, my embarrassment would have kept me from enjoying or learning during the class.
However, my excitement at getting to do something that would let me learn more about China drowned out almost all of my discomfort. Furthermore, there was nothing in the class room environment to encourage such shyness or embarrassment. The teacher was very helpful, and extremely welcoming, and my classmates quickly offered to share their watercolors with me during the painting part of class. The hour was over too quickly.
Besides getting to practice calligraphy, I got the chance to speak some Chinese, learned that three people together in a picture are viewed as a lot(in China), and that Chinese paintings are signed with the date and the artist's first name only (the last name is not included). I can honestly say I can't wait to go back so I can feel embarrassed and excited again!
This past Saturday, I got to attend my first Chinese Art and Calligraphy Class at the Chinese Cultural School in Duluth! I was a bit nervous about going, because when I had visited the school to see about enrolling, I had noticed that the Calligraphy class was small, and that all the student's appeared to be a lot younger than me.When I entered the classroom, there were only four of us as students, and I was by far the oldest. Furthermore, I had come with none of the necessary supplies (no brushes, paper, or ink). Not to mention, once we started to practice writing (me using some supplies borrowed from the teacher) it was obvious that my classmates' experience, and the quality of their writing far out-stripped mine.
I was off to a bumpy start, and feeling rather intimidated at this point! I felt like some sort of big, bumbling creature (as I am rather short, I have never felt that way before). If the circumstances had been any different, my embarrassment would have kept me from enjoying or learning during the class.
However, my excitement at getting to do something that would let me learn more about China drowned out almost all of my discomfort. Furthermore, there was nothing in the class room environment to encourage such shyness or embarrassment. The teacher was very helpful, and extremely welcoming, and my classmates quickly offered to share their watercolors with me during the painting part of class. The hour was over too quickly.
Besides getting to practice calligraphy, I got the chance to speak some Chinese, learned that three people together in a picture are viewed as a lot(in China), and that Chinese paintings are signed with the date and the artist's first name only (the last name is not included). I can honestly say I can't wait to go back so I can feel embarrassed and excited again!
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