It’s a weird thing to be done with my lettering project. Every day this past year I’ve done a quick lettering and posted it to my Instagram. Nothing too extravagant, nor fabulous beyond anything ever created, but just a quick exercise in getting something done. Half of me wants to cry from all the emotions of being done, while the other half keeps asking in the voice of an excited five year old, “What’s next? What now?” It’s just odd to finally be done with a habit. I’m not done with lettering and will continue to create as 2016 goes on, but it’s no longer a daily habit.
I started this project with two intentions in mind. The first being improvement of lettering, something that has interested me for quite awhile. Looking back, it’s strange to see improvement splattered across the internet in small boxes. The point in which I spent a couple hours redoing the lettering and threw out so much paper, and the point where I am comfortable and clearly a hint of laziness has crept into the pieces. I like having the “ah-ha” moment, or the “click” in using the medium documented. It’s a way of understanding myself better, the amount of times it takes for me to grasp new mediums at my fingertips. I found 30 days is enough to get to know the medium, develop some skills, but not so long that I would get bored of it. Just long enough to get a taste.
The second reason this project exists is that it’s an emotional journal. The end of 2014 was really difficult. I remember last year really thinking about how I needed something to get me back on track, or at least ground me. This was it. A journey through lettering, something to keep me sane. It did, especially during my last semester in senior year of college. Busy schedule and crazy projects that really stressed me out, and the best thing was coming back after work to create something just for me. Some days lettering was the only thing that made my day okay. The only thing that made my day good. This was mine. My project to breathe deeply and meditate in.
It was a marker of my mood for the day. It was my journal every day this year.
This year I had fun educating myself. I know more about volcanoes and holidays than I thought I would. I learned the program After Effects more in depth, and got to know markers. There’s words that have gone extinct from our English language and are still fun to learn about, and quotes from people weren’t expressed prior to this projects. There’s favorite book quotes, short poems, and movie quotes to illustrate, book covers that I had fun designing, and onomatopoeias that I can scream.
And this wouldn’t be complete without thanking anyone for all their support. I wouldn’t have passed day 30 without you. I didn’t make massive impact to thousands of people, but you made a massive impact on me. Thank you friends who told me to keep going when I would groan about having to do more “work” on top of all the other projects. Thank you to those who contributed their ideas for quotes, book cover ideas, and any other portion of the project that I needed help on. It was always fun to see the familiar usernames liking my pieces, and encouraging comments. I’m really happy that I decided to do this project, and I’m so happy that everyone supported me along the way. Lastly, thank you to my family for putting up with me delaying films, skipping out on a bit of family time, and me insisting on bringing art supplies everywhere just for this project. I really appreciate everyone that helped and rolled their eyes when I told them I needed an extra 20 minutes before dinner.
Now I have 365 pieces of 2015 to remember the year.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
