Be fearlessly curious and never stop learning.
Letterboons is a project that focuses on an individual being and their self-growth.
It aims to create a growth mindset, self awareness and bring people closer to craft methods.
It all began with a spark of curiosity for the unknown.
In my Masters I spent researching about the beautiful world of sign painting. Interviewing sign painters and attending workshops just to find out what it takes to be a modern sign painter. This research was an eye-opener for me - not only it introduced me to a culture of an old craft that I have been unconsciously longing for, but because it showed me the important values that play a crucial role in self-development and can be used in overcoming a creative block coming from our core beliefs and the desire to fit in.
Since then the topic of self-development and self-worth has become the main focus of my practice and gave rise to Letterboons project where I use craftsmanship as a way for healing (a rewiring to the physical world), slowing down, and creating a space for self-awareness to happen.
LETTER + BOON
Letter [ let-er ] (noun)
written, typed, or printed communication, especially one sent in an envelope by mail or messenger.
a symbol or character that is conventionally used in writing and printing to represent a speech sound and that is part of an alphabet.
Boon [ boon ] (noun)
a thing that is helpful or beneficial.
a favor or request.
Be fearlessly curious
Letterboons aim to inspire, empower, and support you go do what you love and always dreamt of while offering a sense of companionship, comfort, and motivation to do so.
Using a positive attitude they encourage growth-mindset, diverse realness, and creative crafting.
The overall vision of the project is to be an eye opener, a conversation starter and supporter of the idea of being driven by inner passion rather than by expectations or fear.
The boxes
The basis of the project is a collection of crafty boxes that serve as easy-to-use toolkits to interact with and offer a space to slow down.
All boxes work on craftsmanship principles (such as physicality, slowness, repetition, continuity, etc.), psychological conversation techniques, and physical interaction/crafting. The interaction with the box enables you to reconnect with your true self and therefore start the inner conversation and the self-awareness process that helps to find your internal balance.
As a result, you not only learn about yourself but also learn the beneficial values of craftsmanship which you can then apply to common activities in your daily life.
There are 5 boxes in total each on a different topic within craftsmanship - time, skill, physical creation, passion, and community. With each box, you will learn something different but valuable.
For example, the box about community, helps you realize the importance of finding your community, why being kind even to your competition is important, or why you should share your skill and be open to criticism.
A collection
So…how does it work?
Let me give you an example of the box about community.
Each box has its contents - a workbook, a wooden sign with properties for painting, and pocket reminders. Each has its role in guiding you through the topic and teaching you the values.
As you go through the box you paint a wooden sign while fulfilling various exercises in the workbook that are centered around the topic and work with methods often seen in craftsmanship (such as patience, slowness, repetition, continuity, repetition, etc.).
The workbook
The workbook is divided into 2 parts - a painting section and a reading section.
The painting section guides you through different kinds of exercises centered around the topic while you are painting the wood sign.
The reading section introduces you to different ideas around the topic to think about and gives you more understanding of the exercises you just did in the painting section.
Both sections provide you with enough space for taking notes and reflecting, therefore the workbook transforms into a logbook which becomes an important part of starting the self-awareness process.
The wooden sign
The sign is a physical wooden piece with a word or short phrase connected to the topic of the box (with the box of community the word is together). It is ready for painting, the only thing you need to do is prepare the space and the paint. When you finish the painting, you end up with a nice authentic sign that you can hang on a wall which as a result can serve as a constant reminder and a companion to create motivation.
The pocket reminders
The pocket reminders is a zine book that creates a poster when unfolded (A3 size). It serves as a little reminder, you can literally carry it in your pocket at all times, or on your wall to remind you of all the exercises you just did and what you've learned.
Work in progress
Work in progress
This project is still in development. I am working on developing the boxes to be the most beneficial for you. And that requires some more testing.
In the meantime, you are more than welcome to follow Letterboons on Instagram or feel free to contact me at habova.anna@gmail.com or catch me making stuff at @anniehabova.