As romantic as the idea of working on a typewriter now seems, in reality they're rather clunky and temperamental things. Writing with one would probably take us an age - and if we made a mistake? Well, forget it.
So imagine trying to draw with one.
London based artist Keira Rathbone, originally from Dorset, does exactly that; clustering together marks made by letters, numbers and symbols, to make brilliant, one-off images.
“I began experimenting with typewriter art around 2003,” Rathbone told HuffPost UK, “I was in my room, typewriter in front of me, with nothing to write; but a desire to see those distinctive marks made me start tapping. Suddenly I felt really excited about where I could push it.”
“It was only when I started typing out and about in London and Bristol, that I realised what I was doing was in fact very unusual. I regularly have people from all corners of the world getting in touch, telling me they are inspired or to enquiring about buying work or hiring me to type at their events.”
“I'm currently doing a project around musicians who have inspired me throughout this year, with plans to exhibit the work in 2013. Typing live from the side of the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury last year sparked off my interest in typing moving subjects, in particular musicians, to capture that live essence.”
Rathbone will be exhibiting her work and typing live at The Other Art Fair in London 10-13 May.
View some of her latest typewriter art in the gallery below
Rathbone's isn't the only creative way of using typwriters we've seen this week - check out Jeremy Mayer's remarkable typewriter sculptures, too.