Brush Lettering and Uppercase Magazine

Hello everyone!

Lately, as a creative practice, I've been doing a lot of brush lettering. 

Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters has been running online workshops called the Creative Retreat Live. It's been very informative, introducing me to different ways to create art. During one session taught by Alyssa of Lyssa's Letters, I painted along to make this piece...TADA! I learned some new techniques like the importance of planning, making a draft, and adding flourishes.

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Lent has also arrived. I practice my faith and one of the Catholic teachings is to abstain from meat every Friday and fast (eat only one full meal) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Doing so allows us to go through and appreciate Jesus's suffering. But man, fasting is difficult. Yo, I was hangry (a combination of hunger + angry, making me irritable as a result of hunger)!

Then I read my devotional and it said:

"Want to try something different this Lent? Instead of denying yourself sweets, deny your false self. The self apart from Christ. The self that still feels unworthy. Shameful. A failure. Ugly. Unwanted. Stupid. Undisciplined. Unloved. Put a rubber band on your wrist and snap it every time the "false self" starts to talk."

Then it prompted me to write this quote:

I used brush lettering and painted poppies (they symbolize eternal life). This is currently displayed on my desk and I read it every morning to remind me to deny my false self.

Even if you're not Catholic, I thought it was important to share because many of us carry this false self in the form of insecurity and impostor syndrome. 

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A brush lettering project I started last year appears in the latest issue of Uppercase Magazine:

Uppercase Magazine is independently published in Canada and it's for "the creative and curious." It's one of my favorite sources of inspiration and I am thrilled to find my work in its pages!

It's part of the article "Imagine Something Better" on page 72.

This is the brief: to illustrate a solution to a problem.

My work appears on page 79.

It's entitled "A Prayer Wrapped in Penmanship."

When I say, "I'll pray for you," I really do. And this artwork is proof -- every letter, line and stroke is offered in prayer and infused with positive thoughts.

It's a loving act of friendship and how I turn paper and paint from blah to TADA! 

I did the same for Ukraine. I think about the people who had to flee their country, the families that had to be separated, the young and old, sick and afraid who are still there and hide in basements, and the brave souls facing the Russian army. Let's pray for peace and give if we are able.  

Like you, I look forward to better days ahead.

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