I started this build with a simple request from my mom. Build me an inspirational poster with the following saying, “An upward movement initiated in time can counteract fate”. At first, I didn’t know the direction for this poster, so I simply asked, what does that saying mean to you.

After she explained to me what it meant to her, I asked a couple follow-up questions so I could imagine the perfect image to fit the meaning. Like so many projects, I started in Photoshop. I would rather have used my mom as the subject in a photoshoot, but unfortunately, I am in another state and the COVID’s are limiting travel and ability to visit. However, I wanted this poster to have pieces of her in it and with what I got from her explanation I had an idea how.

I visualized how the word “movement” could be observed as a cycle of seasons. So, I asked my mom what her favorite activities were for each season to represent the different seasons. Hiking for Spring, Camping for Summer, Bird Watching for Fall and Reading for Winter. Once I had those activities, I put images to match them them to illustrate the cycling of movement through the seasons.

After I had the image designed, I needed to make the frame and cut out the glass. I believed this image needed a glass front instead of plastic. The feel of glass has an authenticity value that plastic just can’t pull off. I used Oak for the frame because of its quality and it’s a one of favorite woods, it accepts edges easily, and can withstand the wear of time and needed to last the trials of shipping.

The glass front was a different story for me, I had not worked with cutting glass before. I was lucky enough to find some nice large pieces in the local GoodWill’s framing department for a good price. I almost cleared them out with multiple visits because I turned some once-great pieces into completely unusable shards of nothingness. It took about 4 pieces to get the size and shape I wanted. I sanded the edges and it went together perfectly.

I shipped it to her without her not knowing the image, and I was very happy when she loved it and took a picture of it hanging in her room. This is the first motivational poster I created.

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