Part 1: Tarot Cards
This is part of my Tarot Card Time Capsule project and goes over how I initially selected and created the first prototype of my card set.
What Would I Put In a Time Capsule
After receiving the time capsule assignment I started thinking about how 2020 made me see things differently. I started thinking about both where I am and where I have been and that made me realize a couple key points.
1.
Since late 2018 I’ve found that I tend to value experiences over stuff. I’ve learned that novelty tends to fade, and while I will regret something I purchased I never regret the chances I’ve taken or things I’ve done.
2.
As a result of the first point, I’ve been intentional with spending on anything that will take up physical space.
3.
A lot of what I’ve purchased or things that I am proud of are digital and there’s not necessarily a physical counterpoint in my life to put into a time capsule.
Divining a New Method of Storytelling
The structure of tarot cards has been around for a while, and they actually weren’t designed with mysticism and divination in mind.
They were meant to play a game similar to bridge. More than that, they were also used to catalog the world in which people lived through art and imagery. There are cards with Christian iconography, and expensive cards commissioned by Italian families.
Since each card has a different meaning and correspondence it made it the perfect vehicle to include a variety of artifacts.
In the Cards
Before I opened Adobe Illustrator, I started writing down associations. I had some keywords for each of the major arcana and the four suits (wands, pentacles, cups, and swords) and made lists of whatever came to mind: an event, an object, a song, a fictional character.
In addition to some personal photography and photographs. The cards fell into a mix of four categories:
Personal Artifact Cards
These were photos of items that I took specifically for the projects or photographs taken over the last few years that conveyed emotions and significance relevant to the cards.
Pop Culture Cards
Cards that included characters or other pop culture references relevant to me. Most of them were TV characters and included a relevant quote that evoked the energy of the card.
Song Cards
Cards with screenshots from iTunes with songs that meant a lot to me. Accompanies by a few lines of lyrics.
Digital Ephemera Cards
Screenshots of my work on various sites, emails, or drafts of things I’ve written. Could also include emails.
You’re Nothing But a Pack of Cards
My role and presence in the tarot deck had to be center stage. This is my story. This is my journey. And for that reason, I had to cast myself as The Fool.
This card is the first card in the Major Arcana, a series of cards that is sometimes interpreted as The Journey of the Fool. The idea is that a person on the path starts out innocent and naive and ends on the last card The World, which signifies completion. Since the narrative I was trying to convey was that of a person who had lost herself and was attempting to find herself.
From there, the cards could be just about anything as long as it tied into that journey.
Manifesting the Idea
When I had enough cards, I printed out a few pages on vellum card stock that I bought from Staples.
I went out into my garage on a cold morning and set up a piece of wood with plastic wrap, and proceeded to spray them with UV-Resistant Gloss Coating to set the printer ink.
Then I attempted to attach the printed cards to an 8.5″ by 11″ piece of seafoam cardstock.
After letting the cards sit overnight I started cutting them out with a pair of sharp scissors and found the rounded corners tricky, but overall, I have been very happy with the size and weight of my cards.
Improvements I Wish to Make
- The layout of the guidebook leaves something to be desired. I would like to spend more time creating a template and laying out the book. Concurrently, I also need better paper, and preferably a way of printing that doesn’t require glue.
- The font I chose for the small text on my tarot cards is very faint. Would probably pick a bold font next time, and I’m honestly thinking of changing the overall look of the cards to a white background with black text and more of a box model.
- I think I prefer art to photography on tarot cards, and I want to push the cards that I don’t feel I have a good match for photography wise with some art or digital collage to be a little more aspirational.