Most high school kids are notorious for illegible handwriting, but for senior Connor Lafferty, it’s because his handwriting is too fancy, not messy. Instead of print or cursive, Connor prefers to write in calligraphy.

Most teenagers these days are more likely to type something rather than even write it out, but not Connor! Even as a child, he was always intrigued by typography and the aesthetics of letters. He jokingly says, “I would judge a book by which font they were written in, not its cover!” This fascination with font grew when he got his first calligraphy pen less than a year ago. Within a few weeks, he had bought several other pens and a pad of special calligraphy paper.

Though he doesn’t really sit down and practice for a rigid set of time, Connor betters his calligraphy skills by constantly doodling snippets of conversations or song lyrics during his classes. It’s his way of relaxing and unwinding after a long day.

Calligraphy is obviously a beautiful way of writing, but is it considered art? When I asked Connor, he responded, “Yes! The letters can produce an emotion just as well as an abstract painting could. To me, this provocation of feeling is what defines art.” When considering the amount of time Connor spends perfecting a single letter, it’s pretty hard to disagree with him. Though he says he’s nowhere near fast or consistent enough to even write a letter in full calligraphy, he’s still way more skillful than most teenagers. Perhaps one day we’ll all learn to appreciate the beauty of font, if not perfect our calligraphy skills like Connor.

Pictures by Connor Lafferty