Self Initiated Project Production
THE CHALLENGE
This week I was to make and produce my self initiated project idea per the following.
Imagine and make one design response to your self initiated project brief, as outlined on your mood boards. Demonstrate your development. Upload initial ideas and sketches to the Ideas Wall and reflect on them in your blog.
Make prototypes and experiment with design and production techniques to ensure you engage with your target audience. Do not forget to record all tests, even if they fail, and add them to the Ideas Wall.
Design and deliver your final outcome, in line with your original aim and objectives
Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom
SYMBOLISM
In order to arrive at a visually compelling and meaningful design, I looked to symbols of female strength, wisdom, creativity, and unity. I wanted to be able to tell a story that aligns with the values of this campaign: women for women and the virtues of joining together to create greater empowerment, collaboration, and community for women in the workplace.
ATHENA
My search for appropriate and meaningful symbolism lead me to Athena, the greek goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
She is known most specifically for her strategic skill in warfare and is often portrayed as companion of heroes and is the patron goddess of heroic endeavor.
Athena and her owl
What a better place to start exploring symbols and creative expressions for my enamel pin.
ATHENA’S OWL
Athena kept an owl on her shoulder that revealed truths to her and represented wisdom and knowledge. In some versions of the mythology, the owl was said to illuminate Athena's "blind side," allowing her to see the entire truth. Owls were widely associated with Athena's blessing, and Greek soldiers viewed the sight of owls before a battle as a symbol that the goddess was on their side.
The owl was a symbol for Athena before the Greeks gave their pantheon human forms. In Ancient Greece, the owl was a symbol of a higher wisdom, and it was also a guardian of the Acropolis.
The best-known image of Athene’s owl, the Little Owl, is seen on ancient Athenian coins dating from the fifth century BCE.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
In looking at numerous images of owls and their storied meanings, I began to see some connections. In looking at their anatomy, I could see the letter “w” for Women. Further, the symbolism of the owl — and Athena — also connect to the community and connection aspect of my project.
The term mentor, originated from Homer's story of a king, who entrusted his son's development to Mentor, before he left for war. Athena disguised herself as Mentor to guide the boy. By traditional definition, mentoring is described as an older (and presumed wiser) person who assists a younger one to grow, to take someone "under their wing" to help them to develop personally and professionally. With wings in place, the owl seemed an apt symbol for my project.
INITIAL SKETCHES
I began sketching different approaches to my owl. By self-imposed boundary in my attempt at greatest connection, and compelling story, each iteration needed to leverage the letter “w” in some way. I began with two ancient references and the photos of the owls as my guide.
While I was pleased that I could easily identify ways to incorporate the letter “w” into the owl sketches, I felt that these initial versions were not strong enough to carry the symbolism I’d wanted them to evoke: empowerment, protection, community, and wisdom. I moved the sketches in a more geometric direction to emphasize the strength missing in the previous versions. The line work was to be clean and clear.
I chose the owl on the right as the version to move ahead into final design. It evoked an energy and dynamism for me that aligned to the tone of my project: Inspirational, strong/confident, warm, inviting. I continued to work on the illustration to add in detail that continued to connect the symbol to the project via the letter “w.”
I brought my final sketch into Adobe Illustrator to clean up the line work and add color. I chose a color palette that evokes femininity, warmth, strength, and the various colors of skin that women embody — and was inspired by the ancient Athena owl painted clay sculpture shown previously in the blog.
Each section of the illustration includes a hidden or not-so hidden “w”. Look closely… can you see them?
The final piece will be a soft enamel pin with copper or rose gold inlay to further express femininity and strength. I see this piece as a true conversation starter and look forward to having it made. I am excited to see where this self-initiated project will take me next.
REFERENCE
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/athena.html.
Eason, C. (2008). Fabulous creatures, mythical monsters, and animal power symbols: a handbook. Westport: London.
Falmouth University (2018). Development | Podcast Videos. Application and Interactions GDE740 19/20 Part-Time Study Block S1 (Falmouth, UK: Falmouth University)
Rolfe, A. (2014). Taking mentoring to the next level in organisations. Training & Development (1839-8561), 41(2), 26–2
Walsh, N. (2015). Greek mythology: gods of ancient Greece and the heroic myths ; discovering Greek history and mythology. San Bernardino, CA.: Moonrun Publishing.