CALLIGRAM

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Lo and behold, my most tedious project yet. This project took me days and days to complete and perfect to a point of satisfaction. I realized I created a more difficult challenge for myself once I picked a picture where my head is tilted sideways. This would mean that the words wouldn't fall down in the same direction of my face. So when I first started, I considered changing my image after seeing this first trial:




But then I realized it looked kinda cool, and I committed to it. And I'm so glad I did. I think the final product turned out better than I had anticipated. And honestly, I could see myself doing this again with a different image. 

I was hoping to create this project in all Arabic at first, but I quickly learned that Illustrator does not properly support Arabic alphabet, which would have made this project near impossible to create as I had to type my words into a different program that reshaped my words in order for me to paste it into Illustrator so it could look right. This also meant I couldn't edit my text directly into Illustrator, which is a nightmare. So I decided against it. 

I wish I had taken screenshots during the process but here are some images I snapped through my phone:









Finally, here's the letter I wrote to myself:

Everything will be okay. Growth is coming. These are the good old days but don't let that hold you down. Don't allow it to overwhelm you. The good old days are when you decide they are. There is no deadline. Progress is not easy so please appreciate your effort. Things will fall into place, I promise. Everything that happens, happens because it is meant for you. You don't have to believe it, but it is true. Do your best, and leave the rest up to fate. Worrying about the future won't make it happen any differently. Appreciate what you have now, and stop thinking about what could have been, because there is no such thing. Keep your head up. Have Faith.

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