The typewriter is as much an instrument as the accordion.

 

I found this photograph inside of a 1968 issue of The New Yorker Magazine. It's an advertisement for Hermes typewriters. Their typewriters were made by Paillard, a Swiss watch and music box manufacturer. Even today, they're highly collectable.

Here's the advertising copy for the ad:

What instrument do you play?

How about the typewriter?

It's just as much an instrument as the accordion, guitar or piano. Where you can change, cut and compose a thought with fewer and better words whether you're writing a letter, a paper or catching up on your work.

Like any instrument, the greater the range of your typewriter, the freer you are to work with it and enjoy it. 

Today, I am giving you this photograph to inspire you to think about your instrument --whether it's a paint brush, a pencil, a guitar, a camera, your own body, your voice or even that enameled Le Creuset iron dutch oven.

Now, run through your scales (literally or metaphorically). Familiarize yourself with the full range of your instrument. Organize your materials. Clean your brushes. Tune your guitar. Warm up your body. Edit and revise your work. Tend to your herb garden. Rearrange your book collection. 

Creative friends--this is not busy work. This is a Zen meditation. And this is the way we take care of the tools of our trade.

This week, I would like you re-look at your instrument. Reacquaint yourself with its power. And its beauty. Cherish your instrument. Respect it. As creative people, this is how we begin to change the world for the better.

Love, 

Jamie