misfortune teller
The end of 2024 saw the creation of a rather special greetings card.
If you know me, you won't be surprised to read that sending my best wishes every New Year is a ritual that's very close to my heart.
Thinking about the design and the message I want to convey; taking the time to put my words on paper; repeating the process for each person who has - consciously or not - marked my year and with whom I wish to continue a piece of my story... it's a very therapeutic act for me. Refocusing on the positive always brings me great comfort.
For 2025, I wanted to go for something quite personal, materializing the turning point I'm making here - and to be honest, I didn't expect it to have such an effect on me!
By taking the form of a "(mis)fortune teller" (paper casserole, in French), it enabled me to mourn the loss of what I had built with Allons-y Alonso, and to symbolize the metamorphosis I'm undergoing.
After several months of being blocked and frustrated, I finally managed to say goodbye to who I was and hello to who I'd like to be. Tinged with a certain positive nostalgia, it became a sort of announcement of my transition to a new life.
I wonder why we don't do this more often? Because as sad as change can be (a break-up, a departure, an ending), acknowledging a transformation can allow us to let go and become liberated. It's an opportunity to celebrate - in the past, but also in the future, no?
But I digress.
After this long introduction, let me introduce you to this deadly cool card: with its playful form, it teases the spirits and counterbalances the sad aspect of the theme I'm tackling.
Behind each panel you'll find a quotation - but rather than looking to the great thinkers (Montaigne, Spinoza, etc.), I wanted to highlight books, poems, films or even songs that may have left their mark on my history, and that can be found in everyday life.
"Death is not so sad with its eternal body. I'm a taxidermist and I look after it."
Sans ma souris by Jeanne Cheral (Album: Souris Calle)
"Wake up wake up, and let the cloak of life cling to your bones."
The Long Song - Doctor Who (Series 07 Episode 07)
"I wouldn't want to die before tasting the taste of death..."
Je voudrais pas crever - poem by Boris Vian
"How did it get so late so soon?"
How did it get so late so soon - poem by Dr. Seuss
"Tintin!... Are you dead?... Tell me yes or no, but answer me!"
Snowy in Tintin in the Land of the Soviets - Hergé
"Now, why would you want to go up there, when people are dying to get down here?"
Elder Gutknecht in the Corpse Bride - Tim Burton
"May I remain with you, on your shoulders and in your lap. May I be, since we must exist, the cat of the Café des Artistes."
Le Chat du Café des Artistes - Charlotte Gainsbourg '(Album : IRM)
"Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit. Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."
The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake - Neil Gaiman.
The idea here is not, of course, to announce a terrible end (as the name "misfortune teller" might suggest), but on the contrary toarouse curiosity, ask questions and remind us that "every one is a little bit sad all the time".every one is a little bit sad all the time" Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.
And isn't that what being alive is all about?
So let's continue to celebrate our moments of joy, of course, but why not our moments of sorrow too? Wouldn't it also be possible to share our bereavements and turning points - however small?
That's one of the questions I'm asking with this little personal Memento Mori, and I'd be curious to know what you think.
Linocut printing on two different papers:
- Crush Corn from Favini (125g)
- Keaykolour Snow Particles from Arjowiggins (170g).