Explore the Art of Hand Lettering

Explore the Art of Hand Lettering

Hannah O’Connor

By Jan Milliman

Hannah O’Connor found her art through giving to others. The Brockport, NY-based hand lettering and watercolor artist began to learn the art of hand lettering so she could create thank-you cards for the colleagues she worked with at a college internship.

But O’Connor’s giving didn’t stop there. Over the years, she’s grown her art and her Instagram following @betterlettering, by generously sharing her growth as an artist with her followers. She documents her progress through learning lettering and now branching out into watercolor painting. While she enjoys making pieces for her own home, she frequently gives pieces to friends and family, and helps with wedding invitation envelopes and décor. And she brightens up her followers’ feeds with finished pieces and works in progress.

Now married with three children under the age of three, O’Connor enjoys the creative outlet of her work. It’s a place for self-expression and a way to de-stress.

Learning by Doing

As a busy mother, O’Connor sees her work as a way to have something that’s her own. She encourages others to try to find something they enjoy doing. Whether you’re doing it for money or for pleasure, you can find a way to learn and grow with practice, she says. As for her work, she loves seeing how organically it’s 

morphed into an ongoing creative practice. “I can teach classes, give gifts, and do it for myself,” she says.

O’Connor enjoys sharing what she’s learned. Her lettering workshop, hosted at Lagom before the COVID-19 shut down, was a popular event. She hopes to offer another class in the future where she can share her techniques with beginning letterers.

 

For new learners, O’Connor still remembers the feeling of satisfaction when each time she finished a project. “When I started out, I was like ‘I did that!’” Now she sees the progression of putting in as little as five to ten minutes a day and getting better at her craft. And still “there’s more learn,” she says.

Gift Giving

O’Connor is a fan of small local shops, and she likes the unique things she can find at Lagom. “Anytime I need a gift I go to Lagom. I know the person won’t have the same thing from somewhere else. Every time I go in, I see something I haven’t seen.” Whether it’s for a baby shower, wedding shower, or birthday, Lagom is her go-to for unique gifts. And for someone as giving as O’Connor, that’s welcome compliment.

Recommendations

Art: O’Connor continues to learn and grow with her art and she enjoys following YouTube artists Jenna Rainey for watercolors and Amanda Arneill for hand lettering.

Inspiration: O’Connor recommends “The Lazy Genius Way” book and podcast by Kendra Adachi that explores ways to balance your life so you can focus on what matters to you.