Back in the day I worked at a drugstore, and I did most of the little red-bordered "sale" signs that dangled off the shelves in calligraphy. One of the owners of a mom and pop sub shop was a regular at the drug store, and she noticed me doing up the sale signs one day. We were friendly, as I often went there for lunch, and she asked me to do up their store menu. I worked at a winery doing personalized wine labels for a year or so, and it was there that I perfected my "technique." You had to be fast at Christmastime -- we were pumping out 40+ labels an hour! At this point I can write something in calligraphy as fast as I can print.
Most of my friends know I do calligraphy, so there have always been little requests over the years. Like this project for my friend Tara's wedding:
I have met very few calligraphers over the years, but one day I searched Facebook and was pleasantly surprised that there was a calligrapher's group in my area. I've been kind of monitoring the site for a year or more, because things have changed a lot since I learned!
I'm glad the art form is still thriving, and I've picked up my pen recently with the hopes of broadening my calligraphic repertoire. As for the FB group, it is Edmonton Calligraphic Society.
