From the lyrics of Mental – Grand Corp Malade.

— Cree Proverb.

If you wish to have this illustration on your desktop click on this link to download it in a desktop friendly format.

I already have it on mine:

< Inspired by this photograph of Palestinian Refugees.

I made it as a desktop image on my Mac. Have it on your desktop too! Click on this LINK to download it with textured background, or on THIS one to download it with a white background.

20th of june is the World Refugee Day. and this is an illustrated calendar desktop for june 2011, that you can download by clicking on the picture above. after stating the obvious, comes some more interesting details what is this illustration exactly? and why now? this desktop illustration is part of  the social calendar project [...]]]>

20th of june is the World Refugee Day. and this is an illustrated calendar desktop for june 2011, that you can download by clicking on the picture above.
after stating the obvious, comes some more interesting details what is this illustration exactly? and why now?
this desktop illustration is part of  the social calendar project initiated by COSV. in october 2010 and in a previous collaboration with COSV Fouad and Rafic at the Lucca Comics & Games Festival, the people at COSV felt that the team we created was a great team with great talent. and they wanted to do a project that continue joining us together, even after going back to lebanon after the festival. so they initiated this project where each month an illustrator does a desktop image for a specific world social day in that month. the desktop images are then sent by email to many people over the world.

i always felt that drawing is a tool in my hands, even more like a gift, that i should be using for good causes. this project makes me somehow fulfill this sweet responsibility.

the following where my words when COSV asked me to explain about my drawing:
through this illustration i am trying to get an emotion across to you as a viewer. to make you put your shoes in the shoes of the refugees in the illustration. what if you were forced to leave your house your land and all your past behind?
hoping that this will leave you with a sense of empathy and a will to spread the word about this social injustice.

down there some details snapshots:

feedback is always appreciated. so tell me what you think about the illustration?
does it really get the feeling across?

also something that i would like to ask your opinion about:
for a second while drawing i thought that this illustration might be useless, thinking that it wouldn’t change the situation of any refugees in the world. but then it i realized that if i am not in a power of doing anything towards this social injustice the least i can do is acknowledging these people, telling them that we’re thinking about them, and that we know what it means to be in their position.
so, what do you think?  have you ever also had these thoughts?

i am turning off my lights from 8h30 to 9h30 this saturday and lighting up a candle instead. join me to make a Much bigger difference. and let’s imagine what we can do if we go beyond this hour!

i am taking [...]]]> “one person has the power to change… but if we come together we can change the world.”

i am turning off my lights from 8h30 to 9h30 this saturday and lighting up a candle instead.
join me to make a Much bigger difference. and let’s imagine what we can do if we go beyond this hour!

i am taking this small action because i care bout the earth and i am aware that climate change is the biggest threat to living beings, and that we should take action. and i am hoping for this action to become a daily habit and for more actions to come…
i am also very happy to have an evening without screens and internet and social networking and… and..  :)

let me know if you are gonna take this small action as well. and what are you gonna do during this hour

learn more about the Earth Hour

visit the Earth Hour website

mar7aba jami3an!!

i am back to blogging enjoy the new look and the new posts!

i read something for Ken Robinson about the educational system that touched me and intrigued me, so i decided to draw and talk about it.

i used to be very bad at school.. not a very long time ago i discovered that there is a thing in life that i am good at. a fact that surprised me [...]]]>

i read something for Ken Robinson about the educational system that touched me and intrigued me, so i decided to draw and talk about it.

i used to be very bad at school..
not a very long time ago i discovered that there is a thing in life that i am good at.
a fact that surprised me as i was not used to be “good” at anything :p

now i know for sure about what i love, what i am passionate about, and even addicted to.

but why did take me so long to discover this?
what was i doing during the past 19 years?
how did i improve this “thing” -that i believe- i was born to do, during school?

here are some excerpts from Ken Robinson’s speeches/books:

“an awful lot of people go through education & never discover anything they’re good at at all. we’re all born with tremendous creative confidence and abilities.

young children are full of great ideas and possibilities.

but that tends to be suppressed as we get older. we’ve been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers.

we are educating people out of their creativity…

and it happens in part through this culture of standardised testing that I think is now a blight on the whole of education.
human development is not linear and standardized, it is organic and diverse.
people, as opposed to products, have hopes and aspirations, feelings and purposes.
education is a personal process.

what and how young people are taught have to engage their energies, imaginations and their different ways of learning.”

click here to watch a TED talk by Ken Robinson

for those who are as well intrigued by this subject, William recommends that we read:
“The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything”  Sir Ken Robinson
“Linchpin. Are You Indispensable”  Seth Godin

i heard a lot about these books and read some excerpts. they for sure are some very insightful, inspiring, and even life changing books!

…something you will definitely enjoy! i will not talk more about it, [...]]]> i am one of the actors performing in this play.
as the poster is saying, this is not a play, it’s a series of scenes.
each one of us conceived his own scene, his own message, vision…
and this translated into dramatic, spiritual, romantic, dreamy, energetic and comic stands…

…something you will definitely enjoy!
i will not talk more about it, will leave you make your own impression after watching it

for those who are asking who we are:
we are a group of young people that have been attending a 7 month workshop at L’Atelier du JE. some of us decided to go on stage. “w stor ma shefet menna” is what came out
the play is supervised by Patricia Nammour and Câline Bernoty.

here’s the event on facebook.
here’s a beautiful article written by Rawad el Hoyek about the play

i did the designed the of the poster, as part of team .:there for design…
you can click on it to enlarge it

so much to share about this (experiences, videos, links, photos, photos, photos…).
i’ll share them after our last show.

P.S. reserve asap, because places are running out
call 01-363 328

don’t miss it!

if you already watched it, write your experiences in the comment.
i am sure you’ll explain about it much better then i do :p