Engrained in my memory is a night I felt tremendous stress and turmoil. I was seven or eight years old, restless due to the weight of the world on my shoulders, facing an existential question. My mom came up to check in and realized the demons I was battling. She sat down and asked what was wrong. With tears in my eyes, I was able to explain that I was torn between playing in the NFL or Professional Kickball League (which has never existed) when I grew up. How my mother did not burst out laughing is beyond me, but with grace and understanding she simply said, “you’ll figure it out in time, keep practicing and work on your signature for autographs.”
Shortly thereafter, I traveled from Syracuse to Providence to visit to the Patriots training camp. At the end of the day, fan-favorite, Willie McGinest came by and signed a ball… but then asked me for my signature! Luckily I had followed my mom’s advice and had been perfecting my 8-year-old’s “John Hancock” to be ready for this very moment.
While I have not made it to the big leagues (at least not yet), I have found myself in a signature-heavy line of business. I spent some of my earliest days at US Wealth Management processing paperwork, riddled with client signatures, taking great interest and appreciation in the beautiful and unique styles. I believe you can learn a lot about a person based on their penmanship and signature, and nothing beats the authenticity behind a hand-written message. However, times are changing! Our eSign technologies have been a godsend with our processes, but we are short-changed of an ink-based mark, truly unique to each of you.
Technology and methods will continue to evolve, and it looks like biometrics (fingerprints, facial recognition, etc.) is the next frontier, though nothing will ever replace my appreciation of a real signature. In a world where everything can be done digitally, may you find a few minutes to handwrite a note or refresh your own signatures.
A few of my favorites:
Favorite signature: Shauna Marzella (God rest her soul) – mother of a good friend and elementary school assistant. The most beautiful penmanship and flowing signature, particularly with the ‘S’ and ‘M’ flourishes. Impossible to forget.
Favorite Napier signature: Ms. Yoyo Chen. I will be organizing a handwriting challenge between she and Jenn Kovalski in the future. They are both extremely talented with a pen in hand.
Send me your favorite thoughts and stories around signatures, I would love to hear them!
