It happened in an art gallery. Of course. Amid the burble of opening night chatter, surrounded by inspiring artwork, an idea arrived surprisingly in my mind.
“I could start a business,” I thought. “I’ll call it Artful Words.”
So I did.
Deciding on a tagline for my business, however, wasn’t so intuitive. I had to go looking for one. I sifted through a variety of phrases. They were mostly awkward, lumpy things. Yet when the words “crafting your written expression” came to me, I knew that they were right.
I like the pleasant resonance between “artful” and “crafting”. I appreciate the way these two terms allude to a view of writing, editing and proofreading as activities involving both art and craft.
More than this, the phrase states what I will do for you and what I hope to help you do for yourself.
I’m not saying it’s easy, though.
Crafting your written expression requires time and attention. You need a clear understanding of your purpose and a willingness to keep reviewing and improving your writing. This includes cleverly selecting which terms to use, noting their rhythm and tone. It means meticulously reading each line and excising whatever is unnecessary, even if it stings a little to cut it out.
When you craft your written expression, you demonstrate respect for your reader and yourself as a writer. Through such crafting, you consciously cultivate your insight and skill, developing your technique through repetition and devotion. Your aim may be to make art. But ultimately, you craft your writing because it matters.
You do it because it can be better. Because it will be better. Because you make it better.
Perhaps not all your words need to be so finely wrought. However, any writing that aims to sway or persuade, that aspires to enchant or impress, that seeks meaningfully to tell a story or share an idea will always be more vibrant when both art and craft mingle in its composition.
At the core of my business is a desire to help you communicate your ideas more elegantly and effectively. In that way, “crafting your written expression” is more than just a tagline. It’s an articulation of the way I work with your words, using expertise, insight, precision and care.
That is what you can expect – and what you will get – from Artful Words.
It’s something I believe you can expect and achieve for yourself too.
What craft do you practice? What art do you make? How do you view the interplay between the two?
Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash