Putting Pen to Paper

My name is Sneha and I’m currently a CT3 in ACCS – Acute Medicine, having worked in Intensive care and Anaesthetics during the first wave of the pandemic last year. I studied in London and trained in Southampton before moving to Hertfordshire for my core training. Outside of medicine my passion has always been in the arts, ever since I was a young girl and learnt various art forms from my Grandmother. Ever since then, art has become my escape and my solace outside of my day job.

I started learning calligraphy 2 years ago as a way to unwind, I needed something to help me switch off after my day at work and I was struggling to sleep. I realised when I started ACCS that I had chosen a path where I would constantly be dealing with some of the sickest patients in the hospital, as a natural overthinker I also had the tendency of bringing work home with me. I tried a few ways to switch off including meditation, but often found myself unable to turn off that constant to-do list in my brain. 

My drive to learn calligraphy was for a friends wedding, I’d seen calligraphy tutorials on Instagram and always thought that it looked like something I would love to try. I would admire the end result and think to myself ‘what a great skill it would be to have!’

I went to my local craft store and picked up a basic kit, having no expectations and started teaching myself using free online videos. Every night before bed, I created a routine; I’d put on a calming playlist, light a candle, make a herbal tea and idly doodle some words on paper and try to emulate what other calligraphers were doing.

Soon, I found myself immersed in how meditative something as simple as putting pen to paper could be. I started sleeping better. I knew then that I’d found something that was my escape and it became my saving grace whenever I’ve gone through hard times.

The beauty of calligraphy and the arts is that it invokes the inner child in you. It forces you to stop being a perfectionist, to stop focusing on an end result but instead just enjoy the process of creating. It is akin to being mindful, that habitual process of training your brain to switch off and focus on the present. 

I started an Instagram page without telling anyone, I wanted to create a space of my own without any judgement. I had this huge fear it would be a failure or that I would get laughed at. Creating it in secret allowed me to have a sense of control over it, having complete creative direction over as aspect of my life that was entirely my own. 

Before I knew it I was contacted for my first paid commission, since then I have worked on-site with brands I adore like Jo Malone, Oliver Bonas and Astrid and Miyu. My biggest ‘pinch me’ moment will always be working on site as the calligrapher at the AmFAR gala at the Cannes Film festival. The memory of being flown out to write names like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Jones will never lose its magic.  

When I started @paintpotsandquills I always thought to myself ‘who would want to watch me write?’. Well, that page I started in secret 2 years ago now has over 10,000 followers, which to me is still so humbling. 

I continued to film and create calligraphy tutorials throughout the pandemic whilst working on an escalated emergency COVID rota. I filmed in my spare time as I found it continued to give me that escape I so badly needed. What I didn’t realise that it was also an escape so many others needed. I was featured in Harper’s Bazaar and GLAMOUR for my ongoing work at Paint Pots & Quills. I filmed and brought out a complete calligraphy kit + course that has helped hundreds of people find a mindful hobby whilst in isolation. 

With the year that we have had, especially as healthcare workers on the front line, I am immensely grateful to have this escape. It has helped stabilise me through some pretty difficult shifts along with helping me tackle burnout. I would recommend calligraphy to anyone that is looking for an outlet, it is an accessible and functional skill that is one of the best things that has happened to me.