Brave New World Of Wall Art

My all time favorite novel is Brave New World by Auldous Huxley. I read it all the time and always seem to get something more from it each time.

However, this is not a book blog, this is not Voracious Lu. If you want to read my thoughts on the book, head there, or better yet, read it yourself, you won't be disappointed.

There is a passage in the book that I love so much that I have memorized it and now write it down on everything I own. Including the back of a broken dresser that was on its way to the dumpster.

This project is very easy but extremely time consuming, it took me about a week and a half to finish including two nights where I was up until 3 in the morning. Yep, just another wild weekend at Lu's house.

Let's get you started!

Choose your base. Start with any piece of scrap wood, canvas, or MDF board.

Choose your words. Carefully. I chose a very long and difficult passage to start with and am quite happy with the results but there were moments when I was overwhelmed and wanted to throw the whole thing back in the dumpster. Long words are also a problem when it comes to spacing, so keep that in mind.

Choose your paint. I used cheapo acrylic paint. I mixed several colors to create the shade that I wanted which seemed like a brilliant idea until it came time to mix more. If you know that the painting process will take place over a couple of days, I suggest using just one color so you don't have spend so much time recreating the exact match. Unless you want a bunch of different shades, that's your choice. I'm not here to judge.

You will need to have stencils for the letters. I chose 2 inch Gothic style.

Crafters be warned: measure twice, stencil once.

Take the extra time to figure out how much space you need and which words will be on which lines. I learned this the hard way (of course) and spent a lot of time erasing lines and air punching in frustration.

Once the letters were on, it was paint time. I used a quarter inch paintbrush which worked well with the 2 inch letters. This is the part that takes up so much time but just relax into it and enjoy the process. And above all, don't let anybody help you, especially friends that wander into your place after the bar at 2 am wanting to help out. Look at the last H is you need proof of this. You will feel a great satisfaction when your work is completed that you did it single-handedly.

In the end, it all fit. I was happy.

Not happy in a grand way.

But happy nonetheless.

Hit 'THE ROAD' Jack!

...and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more!

Ohhh that magical occurrence when the name of the book and the theme of the post and a song title collide! I love it so much that I swear I can hear angels singing.

Singing back up for Ray Charles that is.

I know exactly what you're thinking. 'A blog post about a book?!? What the hell?! Where am I, Voracious Lu?!?!? I'm freaking out!!!'

Take it easy.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy simply just didn't make the cut according to the Modern Library. But it did in my books.

The Road was lent to me by an ex-lover who shall remain nameless. Or actually, we can call him Baby Deer. Bambi for short.

In an attempt to secure his love and admiration, I motored through 256 pages of the most heart wrenching, poetic, brutal novel I have read so far in my life.

It is the story of a nameless father and son making their way down a long, freezing, dangerous road in a post-apocalyptic oddessy. After the mother commits suicide, the two have only each other to rely on as they seek out food and heat and safety in a world ravaged by cannibalism and destruction.

Not exactly the feel good novel of the year, but then again that wasn't the point. The point at the time had been to make Baby Deer fall in love with me based on my super quick reading abilities and comprehension skills.

Guys think that's dead sexy, right? Hmmm...

With the book about to leave my possession, as the returning of the things is about to go down, I realized that I should probably thumb through the book again and write down some favorite quotes. And of course this turns into my re-reading the entire thing.

Much easier to absorb on the second go around, and much more thought provoking.

Thoughts that are inappropriate to write about publicly regarding the irony of who gave me this wonderful book about the strongest, bravest man. Wishful thinking, Bambi?

My two favorite quotes of The Road are quite similar, here they are:

When you dream of bad things happening it shows

you are still fighting, you're still alive. It's when you start to dream
 about good things you should start to worry.

When all your dreams are of some world that

never was or of some world that never will be and you

are happy again then you will have given up. Do

you understand, you can't give up I won't let you.

These are also my Mom's favorites. I have to say that as not to be a quote thief.

I think I connect with those quotes because I do love a good fight, and it does make me feel alive. There is a security in the chaos of disappointment and struggle that lets you feel like you are growing, becoming someone better than you ever were. I think that a lot of people could benefit from being the 'good guy' and 'carrying the fire' regardless of the pain. Struggling , trying, failing, and never giving up will produce a life that is opposite of taking the easy route, playing safe, and being a follower. The easy way out will rarely help you find your true self and if you are not interested in seeking your true self, then you have given up the good fight.

Oh, Baby Deer, bless your heart.

Of course I'm sure the point of the novel goes much beyond my blink-of-an-eye romance and finding a tie between the two is very far reaching, but I wouldn't be the self-involved, drama queen you know and sometimes kinda maybe love without it.

There are two other quotes that I love that have completely NOTHING to do with any PARTICULAR man that I have dated in the past:

If you break little promises, you will break big ones.

This is a truth that has been taught to me at precisely the moment when I forget the last time I learned it.

You have my heart, you always did.

This is just too beautiful not to keep reading over and over. And too beautiful not to make into an Instagram.

So pick it up, not for any other reason that to be provoked. To receive more questions than answers. To take time to think about your own bravery.

Happy Valentines Day Baby Deer.

You can hit the road now.