Calligramme

 

Artist Statement

This calligramme represents a message to myself. I chose the image of a girl on a swing to symbolize youth and growth. The words that form the image come from a letter written to both my past and future self. In the letter, I reflected on past experiences and stayed optimistic about my future, hoping that it is filled with love and happiness. Combining the letter with the picture to create a calligramme not only physically shapes the artwork, but allows me to convey my emotions and memories. 

I first sketched my idea on paper and then realized I should make it more simplified. I used the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator to make the outlines and shapes of the tree and the girl on the swing, and then used the area type tool to fill in those shapes with words from my letter. I chose the font "Superclarendon" because I thought it was pretty and easy to read. I changed the colors of the fonts to correspond with the shapes. For instance green for the tree, brown for the swing, and pink for the girl's shirt. 

Letter

Dear me 10 years ago,

I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You’re stronger than you realize. There will be days you feel low and think that things will be like that forever, but you need to remind yourself it's temporary and everything happens for a reason. These hardships, there will be a lot of them, will teach you lessons that shape you into who you really are. It's okay to make mistakes, fail, or change your mind. If things feel embarrassing right now, I promise you in a couple years they will be meaningless and maybe even laughable. Please be nicer to yourself!!! It’s your first time doing life. Give yourself grace. You don’t need to have everything figured out yet. Trust that your heart knows more than you think, and don’t be afraid to walk away from people or situations that dim your light. You deserve love that feels reciprocated, supportive, and genuine…starting with the love you give yourself! And whenever you feel alone, know you will always, always, always have mom. Lean on her because she is the only constant person in your life who will be there for you no matter what. Squeeze her extra and don't take her for granted.

I know you’re excited to grow up and have more independence and freedom. I just want to say don’t wish away your childhood. Take your time and cherish everything, even the things that feel ordinary. The carefree laughter, the innocence, the way happiness comes so easily. One day, you’ll realize how special it was to be young and naive, to believe everything would just fall into place. So please, take your time. Be present. Have fun. Laugh loudly, play freely, and don’t worry so much about growing up. Adulthood comes faster than you think, and it’s heavier than you can imagine. Enjoy the simplicity while you have it, because one day you’ll wish you could go back and live in these moments just one more time.

Dear me in 10 years,

I hope you are proud of how far you have come.I hope you remember the girl you once were and are proud of her too. I hope you are truly satisfied, not just busy or successful, but happy. I hope you’re healthy, both physically and mentally. I hope you found the love that you deserve and you feel fireworks and passion and you never stop laughing. I hope you feel supported and respected. I hope you have a job you’re proud of and enjoy, but doesn’t consume you, and allows you to live a life outside of work. 

Wherever you are in life, I hope you’re surrounded by people who truly see you and value you for who you are, not just what you can give. Don’t forget your dreams, even the ones that feel unrealistic or scary. I hope you took chances, even when it meant risking failure. And if things didn’t turn out the way you planned, I hope you were resilient and continued to see the bright side of things.