"Art and Wisdom" Series
Calligraphy and life
At the invitation of the Psychological Services Group (PSG), Mr Yu Fat-sum, a retired New Territories South Training and Staff Relations Officer, recounts his experience of learning Chinese calligraphy in the last 10 years. The following is Mr Yu's experience of how this art can affect the quality of life.
Joy of
engagement
I was first exposed to Chinese calligraphy in primary school. At that time it was just another school subject or homework for me, and it never impressed me at all. Until the last ten years, I started taking an interest in Chinese calligraphy and began studying it seriously in my spare time.
At first I learned the basic skills, such as using the writing brush and writing with ink on paper. Although in the beginning the lesson was quite similar to that I took in my Chinese calligraphy class in primary school, I had a totally different mentality. Calligraphy used to be just a routine, but now I try to devote myself to it. I realise that as long as I make an effort and engage myself in a job, I would start appreciating joy and contentment in the process. These will be the driving force for me to continue putting in more effort to improve my skills. I believe that if we are more engaged in the job we are doing, we would find pleasure from a seemingly mundane job.
Overcoming challenges
In
fact, life and learning calligraphy have a lot in common. Encountering
difficulties in the process of learning calligraphy is inevitable. The
most appropriate way to handle this situation is to take a break or try
to observe other works. Exchanging experience and ideas with
like-minded enthusiasts can also be a very good way to solve problems
and to enhance skills. Spiritual growth
Meanwhile, PSG is appealing for artworks from Force members, including photography, paintings or comics, (together with a photo of the artworks with a short description), that would demonstrate the theme of Engaged Life, Balanced Life, Mindful Life.
The deadline for submission is July 23. Submissions should be sent through PEN to pcp-5-psg@police.gov.hk or by mail to PSG office at 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay. PSG will present souvenirs to all selected artworks as a token of appreciation.
Total
concentration is essential for Mr Yu