the big question.
a number of years ago, children worked long hours to refine their handwriting. filling hundreds of pages with letterforms until the teacher approve their handwriting. years later and after long hours of training, if lucky, some of this children will become graphic designers creating beautiful letterforms that will change the course of graphic design.
nowadays, not many children work long hours in their handwriting and as a consequence not many adults (graphic designers included) create beautiful letterforms.
when bauhaus typography master Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) pronounce a "mechanical art for mechanical times", he was asserting that the modern era was no longer dictated by the past and that all the aspects of art and design must be transformed to fit the new paradigms.
hands was no longer the tool of choice. typesetting is official; handlettering is informal.
it is true that the computer has made some of the procedures of creating letterforms easier, faster and more precise, yet it has also atrophied instincts needed to create beautiful and expressive handlettering.
typesetting is mechanical; handlettering is expresive.
the variations are infinite and the aesthetic unique. in both the possibilities are endless. creativity is the key.

speaking about creativity, i found a very interesting project conducted by craig oldham, an english graphic designer, "inviting fellow designers to tackle the issue of personality in a world of depersonalisation" {...} the project consists in summiting a hand written letter recording their visual reaction to the letter previously sent. the porject is named hand.written.letter.project. and is definitely worth looking at.