Epigraphs for Shorthand Calligraphy

Epigraphs for Shorthand Calligraphy


By Natalia Martínez and Martín Córdoba


“The sign drawn with soul does not repeat sounds: it translates silences.”

“In every variation of the sign, a moment stays to live.”

“When shorthand breathes, it does not record speeches: it keeps heartbeats.”

“The pencil does not run; it walks as if praying the outline of a voice.”

“Those who observe the signs without seeking meaning discover a music that needs no reading.”

“Each sign is a thread of silence that learned to draw itself.”

“Here shorthand does not memorize: it remembers the soul that dictates it.”

“When the pencil listens, the stroke becomes presence.”

“A well-drawn sign does not ask for interpretation: it offers companionship.”

“What seems code is sometimes a prayer.”

“Shorthand, if written slowly, sings.”

“Just as there is writing that shouts, there is writing that prays.”

“Beauty is not in speed, but in the care of each line.”

“There are signs that listen better than many words.”

“To write shorthand without urgency is to write from within.”

“Each handwritten line is a pause that became form.”

“To write with an ear: let the pencil listen before moving.”

“The signs, if looked at with time, reveal their prayers.”

“Sometimes the system needs someone to return its soul.”

“There are strokes that do not record words: they keep moments.”

“What is not understood can also be contemplated.”

“Some codes are not deciphered: they are felt.”

“The well-trained pencil does not write: it honors.”

“When the sign stops obeying, it begins to sing.”

“Not everything written must be read; some lines only need to be seen.”

“Silence also has calligraphy.”

“Where the system ends, art begins.”

“Contemplative shorthand does not chase the voice: it walks alongside it.”

“Between sign and sign, a pause writes what no one said.”

“When the eye reads like an ear, the sign becomes melody.”


“Shorthand signs are alive, they have soul. Even if their words are not understood, their writing can move beyond meaning” (Martín Córdoba).


Popular posts from this blog

Shorthand Calligraphy: The Art of Writing Signs That Breathe

Shorthand Calligraphy: The Art of Writing Signs That Breathe By Martín Córdoba Shorthand has historically been regarded as a technique in service of speed, synthesis, and precision. For years, I practiced it as a parliamentary and sacred oratory stenographer; I used it in shorthand speed competitions, taught it to new generations of students, and valued it as an indispensable tool for faithfully recording the spoken word. However, over time, I discovered that shorthand signs, far from being mere functional strokes, possess their own aesthetic strength: a silent beauty that reveals itself when observed with different eyes, the eyes of someone who contemplates; not someone who races. Thus was born, almost as an artistic intuition, shorthand calligraphy . Not as a rejection of the system’s original purpose, but as an expansion of its meaning. This practice involves the handcrafted creation of shorthand signs for visual and expressive purposes, not for speed or utility. It’s a way of w...
Read more

Shorthand Calligraphy Sheets

Image
We also recommend visiting the section titled  “Láminas escritas en taquigrafía para práctica de lectura y apreciación visual” on the blog  La Taquigrafía  ( www.lataquigrafia.blogspot.com ), where the sheets, created between February and August of 2010, can be viewed and/or downloaded freely. They are accompanied by poetic epigraphs written by Lic. Natalia Martínez. “Each sign drawn slowly holds the breath of a word not yet spoken.  To honor its form is to listen to its silence” (Martín Córdoba). “The visual journey ends here, but the signs continue breathing beyond the page. You may close this window, or stay a moment longer where writing becomes silence” (Martín Córdoba).
Read more