Today I attended a party that took place four years ago. Everyone told me lots about him/herself without saying a word. It was quite an unusual experience, even for one in my line of work.

My business as that of a calligrapher: that its, an alphabet artist. I get hired to do a surprising array of tasks, but this is the first time in my nearly thirty years in the profession that I have been asked to trace over the fading signatures on a wedding certificate. I had created the manuscript four years ago and had given explicit instructions about the use of a fade-proof, permanent marker.

Somehow that information got neglected excepting for the one person who had signed with his own pen, which happened to be fade-proof. So it was that his signature began to stand out as the others began turning to a light brownish color. And so it was that I received the call, asking if I would be willing to redo the signatures.

The thought ran through my mind that perhaps this was illegal, but we have decided that there is scant chance of anyone's objecting. It is certainly true that one's signature holds a kind of legal place in the world. Think about it: How would you like it if someone started copying yours, for whatever reason? Feels invasive, doesn't it? Well, it is. In fact, you could say that you own your signature as much as you own your voice, and even as much as you own your finger prints. It is an intimate part of who you are, for no one else in the world has your exact signature or handwriting. It is a bio-print: a graphic indication of a compilation of your mind imagery, your nervous system, and your kinesthetic sense.

To fully appreciate how much information about yourself you put into your signature and handwriting, behold the forensic scientists who testify in court about the nature of a particular person's writing and whether this or that is authentic or not, or whether this person is capable of a specific behavior.

Over the decades I have paid attention to how people write, how writing is taught, and how handwriting is connected with the brain, personality and even character. I know, for instance, that when you work on changing your signature or handwriting, you change yourself as well. There is even something called "graphotherapy," which is a method of working with someone for the sake of self improvement, using handwriting as the vehicle. There are whole books on these subjects! I have read many of them, but I believe most of my understanding is intuitive. It comes from my years of teaching calligraphy, practicing calligraphy, and studying people's handwriting. And it comes from practicing analyzing people I s signatures in a good natured, entertaining way at parties and other social gatherings. I love it.

When this first-in-a-lifetime job came along, however daunting it was to be handling a valuable (irreplaceable) manuscript, it was a delicious challenge that I knew would take me on a ride I would want to share. What I discovered about the individuals who signed was that each person took the signing of the manuscript seriously and made an effort to place his signature carefully. I met a crowd of people who were intelligent, well educated, often talented. Some were quite conservative, a few were self controlled to a remarkable extent. The group had fewer "egotists" than I often encounter in similar situations, albeit face to face. And out of all the signatures, only a couple of them were illegible. It would be hard to generalize about this and what it means, as so many factors must be weighed into account. Respecting their privacy, I will not go into detail.

When I analyze signatures at parties I make it clear before I start that I will not be invasive or rude. The fun is to get as specific as possible. I recall once telling a woman that I could see that she loved to sew. I was correct. How could I tell?! Well, I traveled her strokes with my eyes, feeling her signing, and I felt someone sewing!

It's about energy. Every way we express ourselves involves the use of energy. When you hear the intonations of someone's voice, which indicates a particular use of energy, you can sense feelings that the words may not be telling you. It is similar with handwriting. The way someone writes tells stories about his mind/idea imagery, nervous energy, muscular coordination, intensity, fearfulness or the lack of it. A signature is like a subconscious self portrait.

As we change over the years, maturing mentally and developing in character, our signatures and handwriting change accordingly. Take a look at something you wrote several years ago and compare it to your writing now. Notice everything: slanting of letters, connections, t crossing (which can indicate ambition) and i dotting (which can indicate concentration,) pressure, spacing, changes in sizes of letters, even the placement of the writing as it sits on the page. All these things and myriad more must be considered by the pros before conclusions are made.

The point is that conclusions CAN be made. Your signature does indeed tell about you and who you are. Mind well your writing, then, and remember that it's not just what you write, but how you write it.

©2003, Pamela La Regina