How do people present you when people talk about you in your profession?
people started introducing me as “the calligrapher”. that of the parade invitations first of all, for which I have despite myself become a sort of obligatory passage and calligraphed like other people referents for lighting or sitting… I have been offering another type of calligraphy from the start, I bring it back to life each time by proposing new writings. this process of defining others through calligraphy led me to the creation of identities for brands.

What is something said about you as a calligrapher that particularly touches you?
you must first understand that I do a job in which I express feelings and my perception of the definition of a person or a brand… I invent and interpret a theme for them, I want to open a new field . what touches me therefore comes more through a look that I see changing than through words. then there are those who tell me they feel different or those who feel a before/after feeling of the proposed calligraphy, a bit like after a trip.

What matters most on a daily basis in your job?
the people around me. because trying to bring out what is inside you is the most difficult thing: you must neither get lost nor betray yourself and always do it with humility. To do this, you need to surround yourself with people who are benchmarks and inspirations.

what is the iconic object of your profession, the one that symbolizes you?
it's definitely the paper and not the pen (which is everywhere). I'm a real paper addict, I touch it, I roll it, I tear up the notes in my pockets. because it is the paper which creates the echo, which gives sound to the pen… a pen alone has no sound.

how do you carry the gram?
the gram has this ancestral, heritage, timeless side, like a sign of belonging that we see in the tribes, or the bracelet that accompanies us at birth. it is not at all a bracelet but an experience that must be worn to perceive all its delicacy and potential. the gram is an essential piece of jewelry whose personality ultimately depends on the wearer. you can't wear it without having personality because it requires success without artifice. this simplicity hides immense strength, and a lot of weight. I have seven bracelets per gram, it may seem like a lot but it's actually barely enough because I have fun putting things together. I wear them all the time, so I had to get used to working with them, the gram sometimes writes at the same time as me, as if endowed with an independent life.

if the gram were a writing what would it be?
it would be cold writing if not touched, but definitely warm to the touch. fine and sharp writing, very signed. something ugly pretty. and if it were a letter, it would of course be the g, precisely shaped.

What is the gift you would like to receive soon?
I've just been given a nephew, it's a bit like the ideal gift, the kind of happiness that you don't put on a list for Santa Claus, for whom I often calligraph lists or thank you letters. but receiving a gift is already wonderful, just for the pleasure of unwrapping it... and since I prefer experiences to objects, let's say a ticket to see Marie-Agnès Gillot at the Paris Opera.

what gift do you give to someone you love?
I offer the gram, in fact I give my bracelets and then I have to buy more. I also offer calligraphic portraits or letters.

what is your favorite object? how much does he weigh ?
It's an old Snoopy given to me by my father when I was born. he has obviously become very ugly, looking a little stupid and wearing his little red sweater, he lost his shorts and a little weight over the years to reach 500 grams.

what is important in your life?
the people I love: my parents and my family, my friends, my lover.

a favorite place to find you?
I am easy to find unlike calligraphy… I am most often found in my studio which I find very beautiful because it is a living, stained, painted place… and even if I am not there, I am there a little ultimately, thanks to the people who work there and who are an extension of me. and perhaps soon in Africa, to see the Dogons.

photographer: ©benoit linero