The Unpredictable Joy of IRL

About two weeks ago, I attended a lino print Christmas card workshop hosted by Little Hirundine (a letterpress poetry micropress based in York). 

Though it wasn’t my first time making lino prints, I hadn’t touched the craft in over a decade. When I saw the poster for the workshop, I just knew I wanted to have some fun and enjoy the process of making things with patience and time.

I was definitely out of practice and working quite spontaneously. I decided to illustrate my “half-Frenchie, half-don’t-know-what” furry child wearing sunglasses and holding a cocktail to wish everyone a happy holiday. 

It wasn't a simple image; carving tiny lines on a small piece of lino was challenging. It was impossible to be “efficient” or “perfect”—this definitely wasn’t a project focused on ROI! lol.

I was also amazed by the vintage printing press we used. It’s a 1950s Adana press, and what’s fascinating is that you can also load letter blocks to print text! Little Hirundine uses it to print their poetry books.

When you take the time to hand-craft something, it raises the question: “What are we trading efficiency and perfection for?” You have to find a reason why you're choosing these older methods over the commercial route.

This process reminded me of my university days learning Rudolf Koch’s woodblock typography style (my legendary typography teacher really taught me how to understand type, but that's a story for another time) and exploring lithography. 

Printmaking allows each print to come out differently, the process is a unique combination of creative vision and manual labor. The outcome is always unpredictable, which is exactly where the joy lies.

I used to love lettering and calligraphy, too, but I haven't practiced in a very long time. Picking up a pencil and a Sharpie to draft letters felt so nostalgic. 

I’m quite pleased with how the cards turned out. While I embrace AI as a new tool for creating work, I would also love to pick this up as a proper manual hobby in 2026.

What is a hobby or creative outlet you haven’t touched in a long time? Is it time to put it on your 2026 resolution list?