Oh, hello there! I didn’t see you come in – but I’m super glad you did.

I’m Kimberly Shrack, the Indianapolis-based calligrapher and illustrator behind Hoopla! Letters, formerly Manayunk Calligraphy. I specialize in modern brush and pointed pen calligraphy, and have had the opportunity to do some pretty cool things for some very cool folks, like Anthropologie, Crane & Co., Bachelorette Desiree Hartsock, Pure Barre and oh-so many more. But one of my favorite things to do is help other busy ladies rediscover and cultivate their own creativity through calligraphy and lettering.

My own calligraphy journey started in 2012 when I bought a broad pen kit and a book called Calligraphy for Dummies – yes, really. I wanted to address my wedding invitations and thought it would be a fun project. And it was. But (and I’m about to get woo woo here, so buckle in) it was also a whole lot more. It had been a while since I had the opportunity to do something creative and work with my hands – like most people, I thought I didn’t have time for a hobby. But it turns out, I just needed the right one – and I found that in calligraphy. 

Was I awesome right off the bat? Um, no. Did it come easy? Yeah, another big “nope” on that one. But it was meditative. It was absorbing. And being able to create something beautiful with my own two hands was wildly empowering. In short, I was hooked. Long after the wedding ended, the thank you notes were sent and the gifts returned for cash (just kidding… mostly), I was still spending many an evening scripting away at my now perpetually ink-stained IKEA table. Soon, friends and family were asking me to write their names “all pretty,” and I would get excited calls and texts when they opened their mailbox and saw a handwritten envelope. This newfound hobby was not only bringing joy to my life, but also to those around me – and it can be the same for you.

You can do calligraphy. Doesn’t matter if you’re a righty or a lefty, or if your handwriting is terrible, or if you don’t believe you’re artistic – you can do calligraphy. And I hope you do. Because it’s pretty great.