So I was doing a little research last week on some paper options for letterpress and started at my favorite letterpress studio’s (Studio on Fire) blog, Beast Pieces. While sifting through the beautiful work I came across one of their print jobs for Heads of State. When I saw it, I my jaw dropped. 32 individual business card designs for characters from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. All printed on one giant sheet, by the way, using 4 inks with some tight registration. This is impressive in and of itself, but the designs by Heads of State are spot on!
I remember reading the Great Gatsby in high school (and I not appreciating it until much later) and trying to keep up with the elite of East and West Egg…I’m sure this would have come in handy back then! All I can think of is all of my old literature teachers and how they would have appreciated and loved this. It actually makes me want to go back and read The Great Gatsby, but more than that, it makes me want to start over on some intense (re) self branding….lord knows I need it!
With this inspiration in hand, I am off to branding land! Letterpress could be an option, me thinks…
This post is going to seem a bit arbitrary in relation to previous posts but I simply must share.
Tonight I went to a screening of a documentary film called Sin by Silence hosted by our campus’s Women’s Center. I wasn’t sure what it was about or what to expect. I soon discovered that the topic was dealing with domestic violence. Before the film began, there were statistics and facts that detailing the extent to which domestic abuse effects our society. The film was then introduced by a university administrator who very honestly admitted to her personal struggle with abuse.
The film tells the stories of several different women currently imprisoned in a California Women’s Institution who have all been sentenced to 15 years to life for killing their abusers. More specifically, it shows the changes that are coming from an organization that was started from within the prison by one of its convicted inmates, Brenda Clubine. In 1989, Brenda started Convicted Women Against Abuse to help women like her speak out and realize they are not alone. Over the past two decades, the women of CWAA have changed laws for battered women and raised awareness for those on the outside. It also tells the personal and shocking stories of these strong women who are learning from their past and are changing their future and the futures of abused women in our country.
I’ll be honest, I am the emotional type and this really got to me but inspired me none the less. After the film had ended there was a panel discussion with law experts and, to my surprise, Brenda Clubine herself and the daughter of one of the women in the film. Brenda was released from prison after new laws were passed that brought her 42 filed police reports, hospital records, and protective orders to her defense and got her freedom after over 20 years in prison. She was a truly amazing individual and was very receptive. I had the opportunity to speak to her some after the panel about my own experiences and those of loved ones who have . What a lady!
People like Brenda Clubine and the other women of the CWAA have done so much to raise awareness and fight to give justice to those who need it. But more so than that, encouraging women (and men) to find their voice to speak out against domestic abuse so that fewer lives are lost and destroyed.
I encourage anyone to watch this documentary. It’s less than hour long, very engaging and inspiring. Check out the trailer below and the official site here.
Sometimes things just feel right. Whether it’s a shoe, a job, or a relationship. Certain things just work. Yet, for some reason it takes forever to figure some things out! For instance, my friend Lillie and I have known each other for nearly 4 years now and have been pretty much on the same page the whole time. Since we’ve become closer over the last year or so, things have become even more clear. Our design sensibilities are very similar, we have the same interests when it comes to fashion, delicious interiors, and pretty things in general. It has begun to manifest itself in our appearance. It is a near daily occurrence that there is some element of our outfit that is practically identical. And if it’s not on our physical person, it’s a thought or idea that comes out in near identical terms. So upon our discovery of these facts, we had an epiphany: Why have we not collaborated yet?
So, next step. Do that. Collaborate. What could our two distinctly similar brains create together? ……………blank.
Eventually we came up with a way to not only do a single project together but also sustain a continuous project even after graduation in May when neither of our fates are certain. What other place could be more perfect than on the web? Not much we gathered. We decided to create a blog that we could post responses to one another’s work and inspiration and create a visual and mental dialog within a public space that we can share not only with each other but with whomever chooses to peek in.
Check it out at helloreflection.com where you can see our progress so far. We are drawing content from Flickr Commons and from our own personal libraries.
I’m really excited to see where this little project goes and how how it evolves over time. We plan on changing the look once we are able to fund some hosting and and have more editable capabilities through WordPress.
