I once had a Japanese teacher tell me, “your penmanship is a reflection of yourself so you should take the time to write clearly.” Your writing skills, starting with your penmanship is a form of expression and a reflection of how you communicate with others. So it makes sense for me to keep writing out my ideas like I’m doing here (doesn’t help much with penmanship tho)

In Japan, until recently, resumes and college applications were expected to be hand written. This was part of the process in selecting their potential employees. Penmanship was part of the criteria in differentiating applicants. I equate it a step further to how you dress for the job interview. In the case of applications, the hand writing is THE first impression.

Handwriting can tell a lot about a person. When looking at the waivers from our dojo, military and law enforcement tend to use all caps, some people circle their “i,” (that’s ok if your 14 but 40? makes me look twice) people who weren’t raised in the USA have a uniquely different writing style, and well there’s the slop that’s just slop.

In any case, I think it’s important to treat your writing as an extension of yourself. Just as you might do your hair, shave, or wear makeup, give special attention the next time you put pen to paper.