A beautiful legacy
a 16x20 acrylic on panel, a personal commission of a beautiful life legacy
What is your word of the year? Has anyone asked you that?
I like the idea of a single word yet not the constraint. I like too many things to choose just one anyways. But I DO believe in the power of words. And I believe that power can be amplified with art, so a couple years ago I decided to offer custom illustrations of power word(s).
Nicole was the first to take me up on this. Nicole is a woman of influence, an executive, a mother, a wife and friend, among many other things. Being the superwoman she is, she not only had her word but her legacy figured out. We got to collaborate to make it a tangible reminder for her office wall.
Her words are few and carefully chosen:
“Strong business woman
who helps others
break down barriers”
I wrote the words like a thousand times to find just the right style that would convey their power . Then there was the exploration of layout and elements to visualize the message. Playing with words and layouts gave us these:
From the 4 rough designs Nicole picked and chose what to keep. She liked the stairs but one of the challenges was how to convey stairs that go up, yet make it read well going down.
The last step shows a transformation of what is yet to form, represented by the connect the dots and line pattern that suggest a scaffolding of sorts.
I wanted the message to be conveyed not only by the background, but the letters themselves to tell the story. ‘STRONG’ needed to look as the word says, but also needed to feel feminine and intentional. Nicole’s and my favorite version of ‘BREAK DOWN’ was the arrow shape. We also decided to incorporate the connect the dots idea as part of the design and she wanted to use the hands pulling up to represent the ‘HELPS’ part of her legacy.
So I came up with two compilation designs to choose from:
This is a front view of the stairs element. The first step also suggests an invitation in taking the first step to action.
The stairs are not fully formed, but invite you to continue up. And you see hands reaching down to hold and lift up the word ‘HELPS.’
At the top, the connect the dot pattern frames ‘STRONG BUSINESS WOMAN’ and the edges shoot out to suggest wings.
An alternative option uses a side view of the steps, leaving it simpler and more contained. The hands are holding/pulling the second step up.
In the final mockup the word ‘STRONG’ is linked to ‘HELPs’, aren’t the greatest leaders, magnificent servants?
We knew the stairs, hands, connecting dots and arrow shape letters were important elements to keep. We added a watch, a high heel, a purse, and a martini glass that have personal meaning to her. Can you find them?
So whether you want to pick 1 word, a group of words, a theme, or even your life’s legacy I think giving yourself a baseline from which to make decisions and take action makes anyone’s journey easier.
It doesn’t have to be perfect and of course it can change. Give yourself a little thinking time and see what your heart and head are pointing you to.
I chose two words this year: IMPLEMENTATION & PACING. Implementation because it feels right to put into practice all the business and art knowledge I have been collecting, and pacing because I need to make sure that I don’t bite more than I can chew. Four weeks into 2021 I can attest to how helpful they have been in helping me say NO to the many shiny objects and my tendency of piling too much onto my plate.
If you have a word, a thought, or phrase, I would love to hear what is guiding you this year.
And if you want to have a visual custom reminder, let’s work together!
Thanks Nicole for sharing this journey!