By Seojin Ha

As a child in South Korea, Jisook Kim discovered her lifelong passion for calligraphy, a handwriting style that expresses art through characters and symbols. She continued to pursue this passion in college, where she majored in graphic design and took classes on fonts in handwriting. However, this passion slowly faded away as she took in more responsibilities as a mother and a wife—until the pandemic. When the world was put on lockdown, she used her free time to take online calligraphy classes. Sharing her passion on social media, she started to gain traction from online friends. One of them even mentioned that she should start her Korean calligraphy classes here in Cedar Mill, which is how Twinkle Little Star’s Brush got its start. (Instagram @twinklelittlestars_brush)

In her classes, individuals use various types of materials to produce different projects in each class. As a final project, the class combines their best artworks to create a collaborative calendar. Although the point of the class is to construct beautiful calligraphy pieces, many of her students are actually people who want to connect with others. She says, “A mother and daughter attended the class feeling hesitant to share their personal opinions at first. However, after a thought-provoking prompt encouraged deeper collaboration, the mother shared that they had never felt so close in their lives.” Calligraphy became a method for people to talk about each other on a deeper level.

Jisook chose calligraphy because her growth over time was noticeable. “With calligraphy, I can clearly see my growth. Each day’s best soon becomes the next day’s starting point, showing endless room to improve. I always see evidence of my progress, and that motivates me to keep going.”

Although her calligraphy classes focus on the Korean language, she hopes to expand to English as well. Her message to anyone interested in calligraphy? “This art form is more than just pen and paper. It is a reminder that growth and connection are always within reach.”