Designing the 2015 Solstice Card

I have been making my own Christmas cards for almost forty years. For the past fifteen years or so, they have evolved so easily and organically. I had come to take that level of comfort and creativity for granted. Not this year.

As the time to work on the card came, I felt empty and depleted. Personally it has been a rough year with a lot of emotion and time spent moving my mother-in-law from her home in Boston (an hour from here) to an senior independent living facility nearby and then four months later out to Seattle to be with my sister-in-law. I know that they were momentous and difficult moves for her but I have to say she did not make it easy. We have always had more of a friend relationship than that of mother- and daughter-in-law. The transition to my taking on more of a care taking and organizing role was not smooth.

Beyond myself, I found that I was unsettled by the abnormally warm fall and disturbed by everything that is happening in the news. I was not ready to celebrate. I decided that I would do a quote and let someone else speak for me. I love this quote by Albert Einstein and although it is far from festive, it seemed to provide the right words for this season.

I wrote the quote out (Speedball C-4 nib and Higgins Eternal ink) about 25 times, going from a vertical to a horizontal layout on a larger paper, then horizontal on US letter size (easier to scan).

When I found myself switching to all caps at the end of the passage 

 and then trying a version with all caps, I knew it was time to stop and choose from the ones I had done.

The lettering experience did provide some uplift. While the letters are far from perfect, when I look at the whole I am pleased by the movement and energy. That is what I want to bring into this season and the new year. I wish the same for you.