on words

sometimes i struggle with using words in my mixed media projects.  for the most part, i love it.  i like creating reminders of positivity.  i also really like printing and cursive and drawing letters, and using words creates that opportunity.

what i want is for the words i choose to always feel authentic and meaningful.  i usually think of someone i know (or something i'm feeling) and use a phrase based on that.  sometimes phrases just pop into my head in the middle of the work day, and i need to jot them down really quickly and save for the next time i can paint something.  sometimes i really just don't want to use words at all, and that's okay, too.

what i don't want is to use words that feel inauthentic or derivative.  you know how you can go to any store with a small home decor section and find a plaque that says "live laugh love"?  those are awesome words, but together, what do they really mean?  if they truly inspire someone, how is it inspiring?  i guess i want to avoid clichés, even when i agree with them (i totally agree that people should "dream big", but that sentiment doesn't feel right to me when i am thinking of words to use in my own work - it's a sentiment that feels incomplete to me at times).  i guess i want my worded pieces to serve as calm reminders rather than imperatives.  i have so much more to say about this, and i'm still figuring it all out.

so, words. i really like words. 

i have never chosen a "word of the year",  but last week i read a blog post by meg duerksen, and i was inspired to use other people's words in a project.  these are words that people have chosen as inspiration for an entire year of their lives, and most of them are not anything you can find in the home decor aisle at target.  if you were a "word of the year" chooser, wouldn't it be helpful to be calmly reminded of those words?

last night during my carved-out creative time for the week (week two of making this a priority), i made a list of the words from the comment section, and chose five to craftify (can i coin that word? no, i can't) on chipboard.  each of these pieces are one inch tall.  

this project was fast and fun, and without too much time or supply commitment, so i could freely experiment with no worries.  i want to make more!!!  

(i want to make these with people's NAMES!  you know how there are personalized name plaques and magnets and keychains and things?  that would be fun!)

i also want to write another post about this project.  this post is already too long.  

have a lovely week!