ADVERSITY
POSTER 

IAdversity [ad-vur-si-tee]: a difficult situation or condition:misfortune or tragedy (based on Merriam-Webster, online dictionary)

 

I depict my journey of overcoming a challenge through the symbolic use of animals in nature. The poem is original and images are taken from the National Geographic Magazine as a project in a vector design class.  The poem is about my personal experience where I overcame the challenges of enduring a major surgery for a better quality of life from chronic illness. Visually, I wanted to integrate this journey in five particular themes; reflection, struggle, serenity, climax and change and success.

 

Upon designing my piece I chose the deer for my first theme as its glance made me think that it was pondering about a thought. As reflections are often thought to by hazy, I decided to create a blurred visions effect. For the second piece, I chose to use the bears fighting as it showcased my theme about enduring treatments while battling chronic disease progression. I personally wanted to convey the feeling of pain and agony off the second bear.  In the third sequence, I decided to use the lily pads as their flat shape and where they are grow are thought to be peaceful. As serenity was my theme I decided to add most of the lettering on this piece. Tranquility inspires reflection. Reflection being a time when people can hear themselves think and convey their thoughts as a means to release their stress.  I also, chose to place the lettering of the word “sit’ on this panel to foreshadow the next images place of change and climax like in most story books. In the forth segment, I chose to use the bird perched on the cliff as way to represent a turning point and period of drastic change. I coloured the birds feet orange because I wanted to draw emphasize to the piece as it being the main turning point in my journey.

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I purposefully chose to place the “t” in the negative space and have it placed in blue to contrast with the orange as a symbol of change. The blue representing the negative reflection of thought and the orange feet representing the essence of change. As majority of the lines of the animals’ bodies flow into each other, the viewers’ eye is drawn easily throughout the piece and is abruptly stopped by the orange feet signalling change. The fifth element of success is shown by the flying owl. In most quotes, success is often attributed metaphorically as a state of a certain height. The higher a person climbs, the more they are seen as being successful. Likewise, the aspect of soaring is reflected by the owl and the happy ending of poem is subtly written alongside, to complement the theme. The use of colour in the term “adversity” is changed in the end to reflect that the difficulty has been overcome. 

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Adversity Poem: 

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Glaring at a star in the night sky

Looking up at the big world above

Feeling the cold gust of wind against my cold cheeks

All the memories begin to race back 

like a movie rewinding and into my past.

The throbbing is vivid

tingling in each limb

as goosebumps run down my spine. 

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Drip, drip, and drip

like the pelts of snow falling in a cold storm in winter

the sound is so familiar to my ears, it lingers

Fading in the background like a soothing melody 

that I had become accustomed too.

Curled up in a ball,

all throughout the night,

aliened sounds from the IV dripping 

the dialysis machine whirling

the water solution draining

and the waste clearing. 

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The pain from the sting of the stitches

alternating in colour like a soldier lined up for war

bedridden and not relaxed

feeling constrained and trapped in a maze.

sharp scissoring aches run across my soft skin 

Running profusely away and nearing a corner in the labyrinth

I see another possible exit

After five wrong turns, another treatment emerges

The fear of taking a new path surfaces. 

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Will it lead to my successful outlet? 

Or will the journey continue to another agonizing destination..