There is something incredibly soothing and therapeutic about the daily ritual of keeping a personal diary. Reflecting on your own thoughts about the life that surrounds you, and the emotions that come about as consequence of living in this world, can help you decipher the hows and whys of your feelings, ideas and values. My own literary hero, Anais Nin, once wrote, “This diary is my kief, hashish and opium pipe. This is my drug and my vice.”

Alex Proba’s ‘A Poster a Day’ project can be understood as an interpretation of the personal diary. The designer, illustrator and art director has undertaken the task of creating a poster every day for the past 291 days, within the constraining time limit of 30 minutes. We are all pretty amazed at her remarkable discipline. What impresses me the most about Proba’s work is her ability to find the inspiration to create something new every day.

“Most of days I don’t even realize that I’ve been inspired with so many different influences. Normally I try not to think about the poster until the evening when I come home after work and sit down in front of my computer—that’s when I start reliving my day, remembering moments and drawing inspiration from it.”

Proba has a strong personal style, evident in the way all of her posters can be tied together. Juxtaposition of natural imagery with geometric shapes constantly occurs. Imagery of different foods, plants and animal parts are often the central subject matter. She also employs photographs of materials such as marble and wood in her work. Her colour palette is mostly a range of simple and fresh pastels. Proba’s posters are abstract, surreal and wonderfully personal.

“I think, for me, the greatest benefit of this project happens on the mental level, as each and every poster helps me to remember my life. Like with a diary, when I look back at my posters, I can exactly recall what happened the day I created it. It also helps me to de-stress and it is a routine that makes me feel accomplished at the end of each day. The posters restores my past, and that’s magical and beautiful.”

http://alexproba.com

Words / Ana Gomdies