Stationery Benefit
I'm a wife, writer, and hobbyist born and raised in California, now living the expat life with my Australian husband in Sydney. I'm the youngest of three daughters born to Filipino immigrants who raised us in a bilingual home, learning Christian values. Growing up, my parents always opened up our home to serve others by hosting events, especially ones where children would benefit the most: birthdays, Christmas parties, etc. They've always been very generous with their time and talents, often volunteering to help everyone from relatives back in Manila to individuals in their community. I'm pretty sure it's because of them that I find so much joy in helping others in any way that I can.
What is your connection to DRC and why did you decide to take on this project?
One of my dearest friends Holly is a Board Member for Reeds of Hope. A few months ago, she contacted me after seeing a sketch I shared on social media of an Aboriginal woman with various words written in her hair, overlooking the local community. Holly mentioned a fundraising project she was working on which would support a new sewing center for young women in the DRC, teaching and providing them with the skill set to then hopefully secure jobs and be able to sustain themselves financially.
I was so blessed and humbled by the opportunity to be part of this fundraising project and give back by using a skill God had given me. For months, I'd been chewing on the idea of doing something more with my art and creating a stationery line which would generate profits for causes that are dear to my heart. So when Holly contacted me, I was totally blown away -- it was as if she'd been reading my mind! The timing was perfect. I was thrilled to know that this idea I'd had hidden in my heart was actually now coming to life.
Describe your process and what inspired you?
When Holly saw my sketch of the Aboriginal woman, she asked if I'd be interested to draw something similar, but instead use words based on Congolese proverbs. She had three different proverbs in mind, so I based my sketches around the themes of those specific ones. Since the fundraising project was to support a project geared towards up-skilling women, I knew that one of my designs would definitely be a woman's head or face. I started collecting a bunch of designs and images that I found inspiring online. I absolutely love Raul Guerra's artwork and paintings of African women.
The other idea that came to mind was the symbol of a raised fist as it communicates power, determination, strength, and ambition. The image of the fist seemed to fit well with one of the proverbs which said, "A single bracelet does not jingle." As for the proverb about the bananas, I felt that the design should be something which communicates the length of time, the slow cycle a banana plant must go through in order to finally blossom its fruit. Based on this idea of a cycle, I decided to use the words from the proverb "little by little" in a circular motion to show that every little step and season eventually leads to growing the bananas.
Since Holly and I live in different time zones, I decided to create a Pinterest board through which we could share ideas. Thank God for technology! This helped shape the creative process, and allowed her to be able to provide direction with the ideas I had, and from there, we were able to agree upon styles and set parameters since the designs needed to be monochromatic.
Where can people connect with you and your work?
I can be reached through my website at josephinedayco.com and am also happy to connect via LinkedIn as Josephine Lock (my married name).
You can find links to several different blogs Jos writes as well as her instagram feed and Facebook. Both she and her husband are gifted artists and lots of fun to follow!
Huge shout out to Jos for sharing your amazing talent with us! We are grateful for partners like you who believe in what we are doing and support women and children around the globe!