If you’d rather watch her story than read it you can catch it on our you tube channel… Complete with photos and seeing her hand at work.
But just in case you’re in a public place or you’d rather read than listen we have you covered too!
Meet Holly.
She is an artist, a calligrapher, a wedding stationer, and a teacher. I will also tell you she is a wife, a momma, and a lover of Jesus. She invests her whole heart into all she does. She has a heart for people walking through seasons of grief and has learned to process grief in her own life through her art. This story is filled with some good heartfelt stuff. There were so many sentiments in her heart that resonated with me. Thankful to share it with you today!
We first met through some mutual friends and got connected through an event we call Revive. It’s a retreat for foster and adoptive mommas. Then as work would have it… we continue to come across all of her beautiful art as we get to capture her work at weddings often.
She started investing in her art about 4 years ago as she became a mom and was struggling with that new role. She was looking for an outlet and a place to process life.
She has a heart to slow people down. Slowing down is an incredible thing to notice the details of life more. With calligraphy it is so different than other writing methods. Because of the tools you use in the dip pen method you can’t help but take it slower. You have to slow down. The reason she got into it in her own life was because she needed some encouragement in her life. She saw a beautiful quote and thought if I could look at that quote it would bring some daily encouragement.
Because calligraphy has brought so much encouragement to her she had a heart to share that with other people. So now she has a both a studio and online classes. Her studio is the cutest and she invites people to come unplug… put down their cell phones… look up and pay attention to the details of the art. She hears from people that those in person classes are so therapeutic. When you don’t have all of the demands of life it is amazing what creating with your hands can do for your soul and your mental space.
I laughed and confided in Holly as she shared. While I need to spend some more time practicing the art of calligraphy… I can totally understand how creating something artful with your hands is good for the mind and heart. It reminds me a lot of the way I feel when I scrapbook. It slows you down. Connects you to whats important. She is doing just that!
Holly shares that the same year she decided to teach herself calligraphy they also made the decision to become foster parents. They recognized the great need in their county. Their first placement was a little boy who was with them for 10 months. During those 10 months they were all in with reunification, they understood the price that that meant, but when you get into it you have emotions you have no idea of how to process. There are so many kids that don’t have loving parents. There are so many emotions like anger, frustration, hurt, and “God why?” that come up. And so calligraphy she says really saved her at the kitchen table, in the middle of the night, when all of the kids were down, when her husband was asleep and no one was demanding anything of her anymore. She was able to process all of her emotions scratching it out on paper in ink. She needed those moments to dig deep into those emotions. A lot of times it can be easy to blow passed and continue on and with calligraphy it made her think and realize what she was experiencing and it really was a therapeutic moment of art and communion with the Lord in a different way than she had ever experienced.
Holly shared that when their foster kiddo left after 10 months she went into a deep despair and grief. She described it as a cloud that just won’t let go. So to continue to process and continue to pour out all of those thoughts and emotions to be able to combat those those.
It wasn’t a quick process. It was a fast solution. But it was an opportunity to tune in to the heart of what matters most.
Holly has a heart to share that same ability to tune in and share the method of slowing down through calligraphy with other people. She said “the smile on your face, doesn’t always show the condition of your heart,” so she knows that people come in with all sorts of emotion. Life is hard. No one escapes the trials of life. Her goal is that when people come in that she makes it easy for people to enter into the magic of it all. She knows what it was like to start out and has ways to help you on your way.
She has workshops both in person and online. And she also has some fun freebies that you can start with even a piece of paper and crayon.
You can find the complete details for her workshops on her website:
https://hollyannacalligraphy.com/
Holly is sharing an incredible giveaway with us! She is giving one of her online courses with a supply kit. Cue the party poppers!
To enter:
1- make sure you follow both Holly Anna Calligraphy + Koriandjared on Instagram
Giveaway starts on Monday, June 10th and will end on Wednesday, June 12. We will announce the winner on our instagram. Holly is going on an trip to Israel and she wanted to get the giveaway out before she leaves. (I can’t wait to follow along on her IG for her trip photos!)
We hope you were inspired by Holly’s story to slow down and artfully unplug for a bit! We would love you to leave her some comment love either here or on our IG cheering Holly on!
If you are someone who finds yourself working through grief and you don’t have a support system. Please reach out to us. We would be honored to connect you over a cup of coffee or connect you with way more qualified resources to help! Life is hard. And we were not meant to do it alone!
Thanks for reading friends! It means a lot that you would take the time!
— Kori
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