the World's first Gluten Free Font

I am a celebrated Coeliac. I say celebrated because since being diagnosed officially as a coeliac 4 years ago and removing gluten from my diet, I have been free of stomach bloating, unwanted bowel movements and all sorts of other ailments.

More recently, actually February 2009, I discoverd that Cheezels (an Aussie snack with the mostest) have no ingredients containing gluten, although they can't officially say that because they are processed in the same factory as other gluten containing products, like other Aussie favourites, Samboy chips/crisps and CC's. I am definitely allergic to gluten but I dismiss the warnings on packets that say, 'this product MAY contain gluten' because it would be like cutting my right arm off and the operative word here is 'may'.

To re-introduce Cheezels into my diet with the deserved fan fare that should convey my excitement, I have produced the World's first GLUTEN FREE FONT.

So far I have only made the letters required to spell g-l-u-t-e-n.

I love the 'g'.

The next stage will be all the other letters and hopefully one day soon, the first gluten free exclamation mark, comma and full stop. This guy and I imagine many others are going to help me with their ways and means of creating a font with personality.

This is a good day.

Having a go...

I always feel so scared to create anything. I want it to be perfect, I want it to create colour in someone's life, I want to be able to wear it, hear it, show it off and feel good about it. I have only just realised that putting all this pressure on myself is steering me towards my couch, however comforting that may be, it is altogether a creative vacuum. See Keri Smith's picture of mutually exclusive creativity below. I can't believe I can't get to the stage to even have a go...so herein lies this week's personal creative challenge:

to make the first gluten free font.

It will be born before my birthday, which is this Sunday. Yeah I am putting it out there for all to see, judge, ridicule and/celebrate. I don't care what you think or if you like it, it is for me and my gluten free self.

This is a culture war between my head, my heart, my dismay of imperfection and my wanting to eat the materials instead of creating a font with them. It's not going to be perfect and that will be ok. Love to Keri Smith for her creative detail and everyday inspiration, remember Sark? It's nice to know that there are people on my side, pushing me into a new sphere of achievement, step by step.

dancing at Golden Plains March 2009