Limitless creativity
To artist Beatrix Joyo, the art of hand-lettering is organic, raw and pretty. It is also therapeutic and gives her a lot of happiness.
SHE kept winning drawing competitions at school and her artworks were often featured on the school bulletin board.
When she was 16, her high school headmistress asked her to write all the students’ names in calligraphy on the Graduation Certificates.
“It was such an honour for me back then to be entrusted with such a formal assignment,” recalled Beatrix Joyo, a calligraphy and hand-lettering artist, when we met recently.
Joyo was 11 when she was first introduced to calligraphy by her older brother. From then on, her love for the art form continued to blossom.
“I wrote my name on all my school books in calligraphy and started getting asked by my school friends to write their names on their school books too. That sort of went on until I graduated from university, but I never took it seriously as I was doing it as a hobby,” said Joyo, 38, a mother of three.
A marketing management graduate from Maranatha Christian University in Bandung, Indonesia, Joyo worked in telesales after graduating, eventually managing a team of staff.
She rediscovered her passion in 2016 when she gave up her job to stay at home with her twin girls, now aged three.
“I made birthday milestones chalkboards for their second birthday. From then on, I started picking up my pens and chalks to create hand-lettering pieces during their naptime. It felt so good to be back and I knew this time I meant business,” shared Joyo, who was born in Jakarta but grew up in Bandung.
“The best part about hand-lettering is the feeling of authenticity and the limitless creativity. There are only 26 letters in the alphabet but the more we create, the more styles we get to invent.
“This art is never boring. It looks organic and raw, yet pretty, and it’s really therapeutic. When I do it, it gives me happiness and it’s my ‘me’ time,” shared Joyo, who draws cartoon characters as well.
Joyo, whose 10-year-old son is also into drawing and creating comic strips of superheroes, considers herself a “story artist”.
“Aside from drawing and writing, I love storytelling too. In a story, there are elements involved, like the cast, the highlights, setting, details and message.
“I like to display all these ideas through my artwork. Taking an example from a milestone chalkboard, I get to incorporate my calligraphy, drawing and storytelling skills to tell about the person’s character, and highlights in his or her life, in a fun way.
“The design I produce will rhyme with the theme my client wants and it’s my passion to represent the theme through colours, letters, drawings of objects, and the words I choose,” explained Joyo, who has been residing in Malaysia since 2007.
Her motto is, “If you can’t talk it out, let’s chalk it out!
“I consider myself an introvert. Sometimes I find it difficult to speak in front of people. I can express myself better in writing and drawing.
“I think there are many people like me, so the idea is to inspire people that if you can’t talk it out, then chalk it out,” said Joyo.
Calligraphy and hand-lettering are becoming very popular these days, believes Joyo.
“It is actually a rising trend nowadays. If we look around today, we see plenty of products that come with handwritten letter forms displayed on the shelves or even online marketplace. Many cafes are using chalkboards for their menus and wall decor. There are also a lot of people who actually sign up for workshops and pay to learn basic modern calligraphy – and the demand is rapidly increasing,” she said.
Using her skill and passion, Joyo hopes to play a role in continuing the art form.
“I am hoping this art will not just be a trend but always part of living art. I observe that people from any age, background or interest can instantly appreciate the beauty of real handwriting the moment they see it. It’s an art full of personality. I think it’s timeless and, from time to time, I want to be part of the community to keep this art interesting,” said Joyo, who hopes to one day have her own studio and shop selling materials related to the art.