talented artists all around

I’m in awe of all the talented lettering artists out there in the world today. I just recently figured out that I might actually make a living doing what I loved doing in elementary school… now I kind of feel like I’ve discovered a secret playground, but I can’t play because there are so many kids on the swings, all over the monkey bars, on the jungle gym and what not.
Please let me play, oh playground God!

It’s mind-boggling to me how the Internet connects us all. Everyone seems to freely share their lives with each other. And that’s great. But I was raised to be very conscious and skeptical of sharing information (surviving the Third Reich – like my grandparents did – will do that to you, I guess). So, because of that, you should know that if I use someone’s name, I’m doing it in the highest praise – and I’m not doing it lightly. Those people, to me, are the cool kids on the playground.

You know, I’m not that great at socializing, even though you could say I’m an outgoing person. Now, living in a small city in (what some might call) an insignificant country, I sometimes feel like I’m out of the loop. Like what I create won’t matter in the bigger picture. Yet here I am, reading – and, as a result, writing – about people that actually exist. In the world outside my living room-slash-office. And I even know things about them, like where they’re from, where they went to school, what they’re working on, etc.

recommendation

So here’s my “official” recommendation: If you want to get a taste of this yearning feeling of desire and frustration these artists cause, along with simultaneous gratitude for their existence and their work, check out Alex Fowkes’ book Drawing Type. It features a great overview of some of the most influential lettering artists today, plus interviews and some of their work, including some of my personal favorites.

The only big lettering artist the book is missing (as far as I can tell, anyway) is Sean McCabe, my personal lettering hero (I would say soul mate, but I’ve never met the guy). After having taken his tutorial class “Learn Lettering” and immersed myself in his teachings on lettering and how to freelance professionally, I can now say that I absolutely believe you can make a career out of drawing letters.

While you check them out and get inspired, I’ll go back to practicing my lettering. And because I’m lazy at home, I’m treating myself to a four-day typography workshop with the Typejockeys in Vienna, Love Letters. Because I love letters.