do you ever feel guilty about the paper?

[treehugger9]

I don't know if there is already a topic about this!

When I have to practice and to write the same letter many times over I feel kind of guilty about using so much paper, like I was wasting it.. do you ever feel this way?

[Moya]

I only feel guilty if it was expensive paper

(I used to feel quite guilty.  But at my work we used to go through a LOT A LOT A LOT of paper, and I've been part of moving them towards electronic records ... so I feel like my few sheets of calligraphy a day aren't such a big deal any more )

[treehugger9]

Thank you for answering Moya

Not to act like a victim, but in this moment of my life I don't have my money, since I'm a student and I live with my parents, I don't work (here it's quite impossible to find a work actually) and so I need to ask money to my parents everytime I have to buy something, so I think I can't really do the distinction between cheap and expensive paper. Even if the paper I use is not expensive, it's anyway a cost. I don't know if you can understand what I mean

[Roseann]

No, I love practicing too much!

[Moya]

I think you make sense, treehugger!  Calligraphy is not a cheap hobby, and it is more difficult if you have to ask someone else to pay.  But, maybe think of it this way (and tell your parents) ... if you wanted to play rugby, you'd need boots and a uniform and money for bus fares or petrol to get to classes.  If you wanted to do taekwondo, you need to pay for classes, and for a dobok, and for each grading, and for membership, and so on ...

If you wanted to do cocaine, that could get really expensive!!!

On the scale of hobbies, calligraphy is really not so bad   See if you can find the cheapest possible paper to practice on, and make your parents lots of beautiful lettering gifts to thank them

[joi]

oh i feel totally guilty about the paper, but mostly that i'm wasting it because of mistakes or ink blobs.  i always put the paper in the recycle bin and hope it gets made into something else

[Nickkih]

I love paper and I keep all practice sheets ideas. I just hate how expensive some of it is. So I guess the only guilt I feel is when I pay for it and explaining the expense to my husband. Lol
But I make use of all the paper just to show my hubby it's worth every penny. I love Moya's idea - just keep making your parents beautiful letters drawing etc so they get excited about your addiction and keep supporting it. 😍

[inkcatcher]

I feel you. Im also a student and most of the money I use is from my dad. Ive been hoarding papers, believe or not. Yes, not nibs, not holders, but different kinds of papers. I feel guilty sometimes but I just try to use every inch of it for drafts and drills. I also keep all my scratches. I keep them in a folder to avoid the mess. Maybe someday I can do something with them.

Just make the most out of it! Put it this way, for every paper, you get better! Hah 

[treehugger9]

I think you make sense, treehugger!  Calligraphy is not a cheap hobby, and it is more difficult if you have to ask someone else to pay.  But, maybe think of it this way (and tell your parents) ... if you wanted to play rugby, you'd need boots and a uniform and money for bus fares or petrol to get to classes.  If you wanted to do taekwondo, you need to pay for classes, and for a dobok, and for each grading, and for membership, and so on ...

If you wanted to do cocaine, that could get really expensive!!!

On the scale of hobbies, calligraphy is really not so bad   See if you can find the cheapest possible paper to practice on, and make your parents lots of beautiful lettering gifts to thank them

ahaha, they should be happy I don't want to do cocaine!

oh i feel totally guilty about the paper, but mostly that i'm wasting it because of mistakes or ink blobs.  i always put the paper in the recycle bin and hope it gets made into something else

i totally understand you since i waste a lot of paper because of mistakes and ink blobs
but i don't worry a lot about the environment: luckly paper is recyclable!

I love paper and I keep all practice sheets ideas. I just hate how expensive some of it is. So I guess the only guilt I feel is when I pay for it and explaining the expense to my husband. Lol
But I make use of all the paper just to show my hubby it's worth every penny. I love Moya's idea - just keep making your parents beautiful letters drawing etc so they get excited about your addiction and keep supporting it. 😍

I keep them too and I have a sort of addiction to paper and stationery, i REALLY LOVE these things.

I feel you. Im also a student and most of the money I use is from my dad. Ive been hoarding papers, believe or not. Yes, not nibs, not holders, but different kinds of papers. I feel guilty sometimes but I just try to use every inch of it for drafts and drills. I also keep all my scratches. I keep them in a folder to avoid the mess. Maybe someday I can do something with them.

Just make the most out of it! Put it this way, for every paper, you get better! Hah 

I totally understand when you say "I try to use every inch of it", I always do that in order of not wasting!


thank you all for replying!

[schin]

Oh man, I feel like this as well! It's a catch 22, if I don't practice on good paper, I will not learn well, but I have to waste so much paper because I like to practice big letters or experiment with styles. Worse still, I use Rhodia/Clairefontaine, they're not cheap at $9.00 a pad. And sometimes when I write a letter, if there is a thing or curl or splotch I don't like about it even on the first line, I will start over with a new sheet. All this adds up!

What I do is buy Rhodia or Clairefontaine on closeout, sometimes Gouletpens.com has them, some old damaged stock or whatever. I also keep ALL my practice or bad sheets, and use every little space for practice, and continue keeping them in a separate bin. This way I won't feel like I'm throwing out everything...

Joe Vitolo was talking about these papers that he says are very good: http://www.thepapermillstore.com/conqueror-brilliant-white-paper-8-1-2-x-11-in-24-lb-writing-wove-watermarked-2500-per-carton.html
It is a little costly at $130 but you get 2500 sheets, $0.05 per sheet.. enough to last a while I think?

[treehugger9]

Oh, I no longer feel alone!

[ultraQuiche]

Joe Vitolo was talking about these papers that he says are very good: http://www.thepapermillstore.com/conqueror-brilliant-white-paper-8-1-2-x-11-in-24-lb-writing-wove-watermarked-2500-per-carton.html
It is a little costly at $130 but you get 2500 sheets, $0.05 per sheet.. enough to last a while I think?

Great deal! Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

I usually practice on cheaper paper, and I make a point of recycling all of it too. That way the cost is not so much of an issue, and I don't feel wholly wasteful. I am also a student, and naturally, I go through a LOT of paper, too...

[Moya]

I thought I went through a lot of paper when I was a student, but since joining the masses of poor corporate drones, I've discovered that what I previously thought was "a lot" really, really wasn't.  Think printing 500-page documents, eight copies at a time, and then discovering they're wrong and need to be reprinted ... and then having seven more copies made for the other party ... and I'm only one of hundreds of peons doing the same thing, every day, every hour.

I am a lot more relaxed about paper use at home these days.  There is no possible way even the most wasteful calligrapher could burn through a fraction of the paper big corporations use - the environment would barely notice if I was doubling my use.

(But I hoard scraps of Arches 300gsm and Canson Mi-Teintes because I'm determined to get all possible use out of them.  Those are expensive, and so nice to write on, and I can always make calligraphic bookmarks and gift tags with cutoffs!)

[patweecia]

I thought I went through a lot of paper when I was a student, but since joining the masses of poor corporate drones, I've discovered that what I previously thought was "a lot" really, really wasn't.  Think printing 500-page documents, eight copies at a time, and then discovering they're wrong and need to be reprinted ... and then having seven more copies made for the other party ... and I'm only one of hundreds of peons doing the same thing, every day, every hour.

i hear you! the company i work for now does not mind printing 500-600 page draft manuals!  it's crazy. 

paper is indeed costly.  i use a combination of rhodia and the cheapo sketchbooks in a local bookstore.  that way, i'll have options and won't be using rhodia only...which is actually expensive per pad.  also, i use the  back page of the printouts from work for practice or sketching. 

[tintenfuchs]

All. The. Time.