on passion & other things inspired by lettering
Some thoughts written, prompted by some thoughts heard.
Passion is a beautiful word.
Just the term can be intense, inspiring, invigorating. Passion itself can be all that and much more. But the term is also overused, abused, so often almost banal, especially in the work-social sphere, lost in glib bios & resumes & bland interviews.
I have found myself over the years hesitating in its use, for fear of reducing its meaning just by deploying it. So I was given pleasant pause when I heard it being used in the most normal of ways, but in such a refreshingly specific (and to some, obtuse) context, that it has to have been used meaningfully.
“I slowly started to understand that what is my passion is, is the curse, is the body of the glyphs, is the shape, and is the energy that actually moves the glyphs forward.”
This was from Petra Dočekalová, a letterer, typographer, sign painter, lover of typefaces from Prague, on the ‘Creative Characters’ podcast by the folks at Monotype. And she is talking about the curves, shapes, energies and idiosyncrasies of letters, marks & symbols in type (glyphs) that many reading this spend no more than the most passing moment on.
Yet, what struck me was not the passion points themselves, but the fact that here is such a precise understanding of the heart of what this individual loves, how this love affair took wing. Passion points are often described in wider, more sweeping terms or actions (sports, or tennis; food, or baking; music, or playing the banjo; mathematics, or solving puzzles); I found a particular delight in this description of passion that is at once both minute and immense.
The first third of the pod can be quite opaque for someone not very much into lettering. But there are some great bits once Petra talks more about herself and her view on what she does, nuggets that travel beyond her field.
This, so relevant for type, but much more so generally, in a time of weekly Generative AI wonders.
“you always make a mistake, which makes it human looking.”
“It feels human. It feels like it was made intentionally by someone who understands the very fragile balance.”
And this for students, reiterating an approach I love and genuinely believe to be both useful and important in many spheres, but especially so in all things culture, creativity and planet. Something for all of us to integrate in whatever little or big ways we can:
“if you are a student, I would really suggest let your doors open because you don't know if you're gonna go into Tuscan, Egyptians, Grotusco, Antiquas, and there is plenty of other categories and book sources that you can do. Open your doors as wide as possible because typography is such a unique field where you can discover undiscovered stuff.”
Open your doors wide.
· the podcast. · Petra’s IG (”I’m terrible at social media”) · Petra’s website (to be imminently rebranded) ·