Meet Eréndira Espinosa Velasco | Calligrapher and Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eréndira Espinosa Velasco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eréndira, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Several unrelated events led me to think about starting my calligraphy studio. After being a philosophy teacher for twenty years and practicing calligraphy as a lonely hobby for almost thirty, a college friend called me asking if I was interested in taking on a commission to restore an old diploma. At first, I was surprised and hesitant. I asked her: “why are you proposing this to me?” Then she told me the story of her venerable music teacher who looked for more than ten years for someone capable to clean several toner stains and retouching some letters on his sixty years old diploma without success. One day her teacher showed it to her. When she saw the damaged document, she instantly remembered that many years before (we were young college students) I had penned the acknowledgments for a conference organized by our student’s association with the names of the lecturers in Old English style letters. As a coincidence, her teacher’s diploma had been written in the same style on a beautiful piece of fine vellum. Long short story, I finally accepted the challenge, and the retired musician, happy with his restored diploma, seconded by my college friend, did convince me to offer calligraphy services. The second point of fact happened a few days later. By chance, I met the librarian of a new public community center, still under construction at that time. When I opened my Bullet Journal to write her phone number, the different lettering styles in it caught her attention, then she had the idea to offer calligraphy workshops in the Community Center and hired me. At the same time, looking for professional training online, I found the Skillshare platform. They had a banner announcement of scholarships available for emerging artists, I applied, and they accepted me! Then I began to discover a new world of calligraphy artists. Previously, I had no idea of the existence of such a big and lively calligraphy community. Before 2017, I wasn’t active on social media. My sources of learning and inspiration were old books because I had not met others with the same interest in lettering and calligraphy. All of these happened too fast and suddenly I found myself learning, teaching, posting on social media (not as often as I wish), and taking on commissioned work. To be honest, If my friend had not pushed me to take the first step, I probably had not begun. She believed in the potential of my hobby before I did, and I am grateful to her.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Calligraphy is a cultural treasure, somewhat underestimated because we have many technological options to communicate, but we are seeing the revival of this ancient art form. It’s an interesting phenomenon in many ways. Historically, it’s not the first time that technological development seems to condemn calligraphy to extinction: in the Sixteenth Century the Gutemberg printing machine allowed the mass production of books displacing the Scriptoria from the market but professional scribes did not disappear. Why? First, because versals could not be printed with the type printing press, they still were drawn and painted by hand. Second, teachers of letters were in demand by a population willing to read the more affordable printed books. Then, the old writing masters made use of the invention to print their workbooks and promote their services. It is fascinating to study those old manuals because they are more than technical books, their pages are full of words of wisdom, and life advice. Nowadays, computers and other digital devices offer calligraphic hand-crafted fonts. Each day, more designers are learning calligraphy to incorporate it into their design flow. In my opinion, the thing we are seeing is the fact that calligraphy is much more than a means to register data or to communicate beyond the limits of time and space. Registering, and communicating are functional ends of writing. But calligraphy is more than writing, it is a means of self-expression, aesthetic exploration, meditation, and spiritual growth. In my own creative journey, calligraphy practice and teaching is a means to investigate the cognitive, emotional, and personal growth process involved in the act of tracing meaningful marks. I think this is what makes different my approach to letterforms. I don’t pretend to be the first or the only one reflecting on these aspects of the art of calligraphy, but my education allows me to do it intentionally. On the other side, my purpose is to spread the word about the benefits of picking up a pen regularly to practice calligraphy and/or handwriting instead of only typing on the phone. My teaching experience has taught me that writing reinforces the apprehension of key concepts and increases the focus of students in the classroom. In my calligraphy workshops, I have had the opportunity to see how the practice of calligraphy relaxes people providing a creative outlet to stress. In some cases, I have witnessed the healing of childhood trauma caused by ruthless criticism against their handwriting because calligraphy is not handwriting. People with ugly handwriting can become proficient calligraphers because the practice of calligraphy is more close to drawing and painting, and regular calligraphy practice, eventually, helps to improve their writing skills. In my workshop and classes, I make my best to explain the historical context of letter styles. I teach them how to pay attention to themselves in order to make a conscious practice.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First, I would take my friend to visit the Cathedral church, which is an XVI Century building. The walls of the central nave constitute extraordinary documents because there are depicted the first Murals of Mexican history. The Cortés´ Palace is another historic building worth visiting. Later, Tepoztlán Valley is a magical place to visit with beautiful views and excellent gastronomy options. It’s not in Cuernavaca, but it’s very close only 15 minutes drive.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Great question! I want to honor the memory of my friend Rebeca Fragoso Malacara. I mentioned her in my previous answer. She passed away two months ago, and I treasure her encouraging words and support. I want to say Thanks to the Skillshare team because they have created an incredible virtual environment to learn and grow. On the other hand, at IAMPETH ( International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting) I have found amazing virtual friends, and their site is full of learning resources. In México, the SMCeI (Sociedad Mexicana de Calígrafos e Iluminadores) is the first calligraphy guild founded in 2001 by Dr. Antonio Anzures. He has been so kind to take me under his paternal wings. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to learn from him. Toño Anzures and Diana Flores are the only professional calligraphers I have met in person and I’m grateful to them for their wise advice and warm friendship. Calligraphy is all about connecting with others thru beautiful letters and therefore, the community is key to developing your potential, as I have experienced these last few years in which I have grown many much more than in decades of solo practice so, look for Guilds around you and keep writing as a mean to make this world a better place to live, share and love.

Nowadays, I’m joining forces with the team at La Cafecita and La Tienda de Nat to organize in-person Calligraphy workshops and Free lectures to spread the word about the benefits of practicing calligraphy, lettering, and handwriting. The concept behind the anti-coffee shops blends the energy of a coworking place with the social relaxation that characterizes a coffee shop. I’m thankful over the moon to Natalia Romero, owner of La Tienda de Nat for inviting me to launch this initiative. We recently had our first edition of a “Modern Calligraphy” workshop and our first free lab of non-conventional calligraphy tools. Both events were amazingly rewarding! We are planning a full schedule for 2023!

Website: https://www.letrascongracia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ere.evelasco/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eresvelasco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letrascongracia/