Asemic Writing is a Thing. And I’m Kind of Obsessed.

I’ve always loved language and writing, the look of words on a page, so when a fellow artist on Instagram said that my art reminded her of asemic writing, I was intrigued. Needless to say, I had to look it up right away. My search gave me amazing works of art made with only scribbles, lines, and/or shapes. I just love mark making. And these had me drooling. How had I never heard of this before?!

Asemic is a word that means “without meaning.” And writing is, well, writing. So asemic writing is writing/language without meaning. The marks are illegible, yet resemble writing in every sense of the word, and are even “written” onto the page. I’ve seen many variations of this type of calligraphy, from simple, repetitive lines, to swirling ink marks made with a brush, to symbols that might look Egyptian, or even, alien.

I’ve also heard it called wordless writing. It’s like serendipity.

But what do the words mean if they’re illegible? Well, that’s the best part. The idea is that whoever views the finished piece will have his/her own interpretation of what the writing means. Which I am all about, y’all. Learning what others “see” in what I’ve scribbled is just as exciting to me as the first mark.

So, needless to say, I’m hooked–and slightly obsessed–and I hope to make a ton of works with asemic writing. I might even make some huge works with nothing but large, asemic symbols. Ermergerd I’m so jazzed.

To get a look at some asemic writing, you can search it on Pinterest, or head right over to the board I’ve created for future inspiration. I’ll be growing it over time.

And I’ll also be adding my own asemic writing works to my Instagram and Twitter feeds, so feel free to follow me there! For a more behind-the-scenes look at what I’m working on (plus a live intuitive session every month) subscribe to my Patreon!

Until next time, may your scribbles be subconscious and your writing be extra asemic.