Leadership

A fulfilling past, now it’s time to lead.
You have to consider what others need.
Worldly pleasures have their day,
But confidence should always stay.
Share your joy for one or for all,
For one day you might hit the loneliness wall.

I tried to make a cold-war era feel to the text. Maybe the verse has no focus, but does involve accepting the situation.

Rules

I had a tall photo of fruit and needed to fill the left side. While I was trying to smudge the photo with the background, I tried to add a chalkboard effect. It’s orange season, except where the last hurricane ruined the crop.

Yesterday’s rules
as taught you in schools
are still useful to know.
The garden’s great fruits
came up from deep roots
and continue to grow.
All ways you can see
the future to be
is part of life’s flow.

Don’t Rebuild

The photo is from an old fort. The verse added to it now reminds me of the first line of “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost. I tried to get the letters to match the harsher shadows of a hot day.

All your current labours may fall.
If you want it to last,
don’t build it tall.
Once you’re pushed out of your cave,
no matter what glory you crave,
don’t rebuild your wall.
For now keep ambitions small.
Accept your tiny reward,
because there’s nothing in life to hoard.

Toil Soil

I tried to blend font colours. In the end it’s just light and dark but visible.

You were once loud and proud
with your head in a cloud.
But you may end up cowed
and afraid of the crowd.
You must find your own worth
on this measly dumb Earth.
Take pride in your toil,
produce goods from the soil.

Wheel of Fortune

This was one of my early attempts at adding lettering to images. I now see that the text does not stand out. I liked the verse but had no casino roulette wheel photos as would have been my first association with the words. This wheel shaped overpass is in downtown Houston.

The wheel may spin so justice you win.
It may not seem fair so escape if you dare.
With no one to talk to and only darkness to walk to.
The wheel may spin so justice you win.
It may not seem fair so escape if you dare.
With no one to talk to and only darkness to walk to.

Explore

I was trying to get different text effects and got stuck. I at first picked the picture to represent the kingdom (A hotel built by a railway company to promote tourism), and the colour to be for girls (my daughter likes pink).

After sitting on wisdom,
you must go on a quest.
You might give up your kingdom but that is the test.
Your confidence can win the day
or leave you in doubt and disarray.
Trust yourself to see your way,
and go explore for work or play.