Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Hook.
Lindsey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Arts and crafts were an integral part of my childhood. My dad was an architectural illustrator in Seattle who painted large-scale watercolor renderings. My mom was a weaver and general craftsperson. My great-grandfather was an instructor of ornamental and business penmanship at Temple college at the beginning of the 20th century. I was always surrounded by art and creative people making stuff. I happily followed suit, spending all of my free time drawing stuff and learning the basics of painting and calligraphy.
As I got older, I began to focus more and more on oil painting. There was something about the process of hand-to-eye coordination combined with representation, and the smeared mark-making of oil paint that connected for me. Throughout my teens and twenties, I worked on developing an artistic practice built around large-scale, expressive, representational painting. Text made an occasional appearance, but more in the context of handwriting than calligraphy.
I moved from the Pacific Northwest to Chicago in 2007 to attend The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and earn my MFA in Painting and Drawing. I thought I was working toward a career as an independent artist and painter, but the art scene around the school and city never quite connected for me. By the time I graduated in 2010, I’d lost my direction. Art making had become a joyless, over-intellectualized task, stuck in the context of the art world, and my peers and professors. I couldn’t figure out how to get out of my head.
I spent a few years floundering around, unsuccessfully trying to reconnect with what I’d loved about painting until a friend asked me for a small logo. Something about designing the type clicked. I pulled out all my old calligraphy supplies and haven’t packed them up since. I now do a lot of wedding and event work for clients but have also begun to incorporate calligraphy back into my personal artwork. I’m most drawn to traditional pointed pen scripts commonly used from around the 17th to the early 19th century, but I also like to play with a wide range of broad edge pen and brush scripts. I love the constant challenge of exploring new styles.
A few years ago, I decided, on a bit of a whim, to make an ergonomic nib holder for myself. Other calligraphers saw my prototypes on social media, and before I really knew what was happening I had about a 7-month backlog of people waiting for holders from me. I decided to take the plunge into self-employment and since then I’ve been supporting myself through calligraphy and custom fit hand-carved nib holders.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Self-employment is definitely not a smooth road. Calligraphy work is often seasonal, which means I’m usually trying to balance slow months against frenetic ones. I work longer and harder hours than I ever did in any of the other jobs and careers I’ve had. Running a business by myself means I have to do everything. There’s no separate office manager, bookkeeper/accountant, photographer, shipping and receiving department, website developer, marketing guru, etc… it’s all just me, so it’s often a challenge to keep everything together while also finding the time to actually do the work for my clients and customers. They’re a big part of what makes it all worth it though.
Most people seek out a calligrapher for something that’s going to be part of a significant or meaningful moment in their life. I get to be a part of whatever that important thing is. The other half of my customer base is calligraphers like me. It’s incredibly rewarding to make someone a custom fit tool that they will then turn around and use to make their own art. I spend a lot of time working alone, but serving calligraphers keeps me tied into an incredibly inspiring global community that I can reach out to at any time. There’s nothing better than the feeling I get when I open an email from a customer or see them post something on social media gushing about how much they love their holder from me and how it’s helped them in their own work.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Lindsey Hook Calligraphy & Pen Arts – what should we know?
I essentially have a two-part business. I’m a professional calligrapher specializing in historical pointed pen style calligraphy. The quality of my work and my focus on traditional scripts set me apart within the calligraphy field. If you want something that looks like the latest trend on Etsy, I am not your calligrapher. My clients are looking for something truly unique, and I’ve spent my whole life developing the skills to do just that. In addition to my calligraphy work, I make hand carved custom fit ergonomic nib holders for calligraphers. A nib holder is essentially the pen a calligrapher uses to create their work. A well fitted and balanced one becomes an invisible extension of the artist’s hand. In the years since I started making holders, a number of new producers have popped up selling ergonomic models, but I believe that I’m the only person in the world offering custom fit ones that are designed around each customer’s unique hand and grip. I’m obviously biased, but I also firmly believe mine arethe best.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’d have to say both everyone and no one. I’ve always been pretty independent and haven’t had a single person who really fell into the role of mentor or advocate, BUT everything I do comes directly out of the experiences I’ve had and the influence of the people closest to me. My parents set me up with a strong creative foundation from the very beginning and have always supported me. The Chicago Calligraphy Collective is full of wonderful, supportive calligraphers who together form an incredible knowledge base. I love attending the Northside study group every month. The pen makers of the world are a pretty small but incredibly friendly group who have always had my back when I needed it (and who I’d do the same for in return). My clients and the broader global calligraphy community connected through social media always manage to give me a pick-me-up when I need one. My closest friends all have their own creative and interesting lives that they share with me. My man friend is always there for me for anything, good or bad, helping me figure out how to make things work, and reminding me to take a day off every once in a while. I am incredibly grateful that I can do what I do, and it’s because of all the specific people in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lindsey-hook.com/
- Email: lindsey@lindsey-hook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseyehook/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindseyHookCalligraphy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindseyehook
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HooksWorks
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
