Monday, April 21, 2008

Keep Calm and Carry On

I recently purchased the above poster from artist SFGirlByBay.

It is a reprint of a British WWII propaganda poster created in 1939 by the Ministry of Defense when it was decided that the war with Germany was unavoidable and imminent. The poster was to be distributed throughout England with the purpose of informing King George VI's subjects that all capable measures were being taken to defend the country. However, the poster was never officially used and went unseen by most citizens.

The print now hangs on my bedroom door where I can see it both as the first and last thing as I rest my eyes. And although my chaotic life is nothing compared to that of Londoners living in constant fear of being blown to shit during WWII, I think the poster serves to give me some perspective. I'm a bit stressed that the semester is winding down (a few more quizzes, final exam and group presentations are on the immediate horizon) and I'm in the middle of planning/organizing a big conference for work taking place the week after finals. And because of this, I'm a bit freaked and not sleeping well.

So at least now I have something to stare at as I lay in bed. Not sleeping...

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know, Cherry. Group presentations? You might give those Londoners a run for their money in the stress department.

Ben said...

Wow, what a cool find.

Hex said...

I saw this on a T-Shirt recently -- I'm sorta hoping I see it in more places soon, because the ideology and the history behind it are both inspiring and fascinating.

Mr. Shain said...

this post does nothing to explain why you purchased (and presumably plan to wear) a porkpie hat.

Michael5000 said...

You can pretend you have kids that you've sent out to live with strangers in some dink village in the Cotswolds until the danger has passed. Oh, and you should sleep in the subway; that's a big part of the Blitz experience.

Chin up, [Cherry], it's your Finest Hour!

Jake Titus said...

It should read, "Keep calm, carry on, order another round!"

ReckenRoll said...

Yer mom likes to keep calm and carry on.


That's all I've got.

5 of 9er said...

You could of just purchased some drugs.

Unknown said...

if i was about to get bombed, I'd like to think that this sign would help soothe my thoughts.

ridiculous said...

when faced with a choice between keeping calm and flailing about, guess which one i pick?

minijonb said...

i might need a poster like that... even just an underground logo would do for me...

Big Daddy said...

I want that crown as a tattoo.

House of Jules said...

I would like add adhesive to the top back of that poster and slap it on the foreheads of every one of my clients--like a giant post-it note) as they're handing over their design jobs to me that they needed yesterday.
While I like the poster (both the simplicity of the design/message & the story behind it!), in moments of panic I usually just go for the Jack Daniels. But that's just me.
Jules
House of Jules

ADW said...

If you want something to stare out while you're in bed, I'll be in Chicago next month!!!

I know, I know. A girl's gotta try.

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