Calligram Project

 

My letter: 

Dear Bella, 


I hope all is going well with everything now that it’s been a whole twenty years. I hope that you are enjoying your career, no matter what field it is in because I know you are struggling with that decision as of right now. I really just hope that no matter where you are and what you are doing, you are just happy with your life. Live it up because you will never be this young again (even though this is twenty years from now and you are only 18 as you are typing this letter at the Starbucks on campus). Life is too short and you never know when your last day is, so treat every single day when you wake up as if it is your last. 

As of right now, life is really good for you. You get to go to college in Florida, just like you always dreamed of doing, and it really is everything that you dreamed of and more. I’m not sure how life could really get any better than this, but for your sake, I hope it does of course. There’s no need to check the weather forecast because you just know that it is going to be sunny every single day. There truly is nothing like going to college in Florida. I’m surrounded by some really great friends that I’m so lucky to have met, and I have met some of the best people. Life in Florida is much better than Pennsylvania, I can tell you that for sure. I hope that you stay here, or go somewhere that is equally as beautiful, and if not equally, then more beautiful. 

I am genuinely happy right now, definitely more happy than I was in high school back home. Congratulations for even making it to 38 because I know it’s been hard enough making it to 18. At this current moment, it is still my goal to have a career in medical research, despite the fact that I have been slowly thinking about changing this. Did you end up with a career in research? I might switch to being a business or marketing major just because I feel like there might be more that I can do with that without having to go through more schooling. If you did end up in business, I hope you are the best business woman out there. Keep going and don’t ever stop chasing your goals or what you are trying to accomplish. 

Keep fighting for what you want. Never stop having that burning passion to make a change in the world and do good whenever you can. It’s always within you; never lose that motivation to be the absolute best version of yourself. Keep appreciating the people that you have in your life. Help other people when you can, but don’t run yourself dry. Go after what you want and do not stop until you get it. Be happy, don’t dwell on the past, and lastly enjoy your life because you only get one. 


Love, 

Bella




Artist statement:
    
   I decided to make my calligram a butterfly. I decided to present my letter as a butterfly because ever since I was a little girl there has just been something about butterflies that has always drawn me to them. Butterflies are always moving and changing where they live, and they also start out as caterpillars before they transform into beautiful butterflies. This really relates to my life because it reminds me that change is good, as you grow up. Sometimes you need to break out of your shell and go out of your comfort zone, to become a beautiful butterfly. A butterfly was just perfect for my calligram.
    A couple of techniques that I had to use were getting my text to follow the path of my shape, so that I could outline my butterfly, and also filling my shapes with text. I decided not to use the fill with text tool on the wings of the butterfly because I did not want it to be too cluttered. If I am being completely honest, this project really took a toll on me because sometimes it is hard to figure out how to use the different tools in a program that you are brand new to. I enjoyed forming my butterfly and making my font different colors because I feel like my insect really pops. I strongly do believe that constant change in one’s life can be a good thing, and my butterfly calligram represents this exact idea.


Time to complete: 4 hours











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