ANIMAL

WISDOM

CARDSCatalogue 2017

“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white.

Neither need you do anything but be yourself.” – Lao Tzu

ANIMAL WISDOM CARDSis a collection of greeting cards that pairs wisdom sayings withanthropomorphic animals. The sayings which inspired theillustrations in this collection come from a diverse range ofspiritual (and the occasional non-spiritual) sources fromdifferent cultures and time periods, covering themes from love, tocourage, to coping with grief, and are chosen for their ability toinspire, heal and challenge. The diversity is intentional; Wisdomand Truth, are not confined to any creed or denomination andthere is always beauty in every spiritual tradition.

About the artist

“But without doubt, the idea for this series…could not have arisen were it not

for the love of animals acting as a guiding force

for much of my life.”-- Joshua Chiang

About the artistJoshua Chiang is a self-taughtillustrator and writer from Singapore.He is the illustrator for several printbooks and ebooks such as Monsters onThe Wall, Javier’s Day, The Chroniclesof Oujo series and Haee: The Cat with aCrooked Tail. In 2003, he co-wrote andco-directed the digital feature film S11,which has been screened at variousinternational film festivals such as the9th Shanghai International FilmFestival. He has also written foranimated series such as Nanoboy,Master Raindrop and Zigby.

In addition, Joshua Chiang is thefounder and CEO of Cerealbox Studios,which has produced illustration andanimation works for Canon,Singapore Repertory Theatre,Singapore’s Ministry of Education,Operation ASHA, People in Need, andmany other organisations andindividuals.

One of the hardest things for us to doas adults is to completely forgetourselves and surrender to the moment.For this piece, I wanted to express thatfeeling of uninhibited exuberance andgenuine enjoyment, and at the sametime convey that child-like innocencefound in Lennon’s drawings. Theresult is one of my favouriteillustrations in this entire collection.

Product No: TPC0001Product Name: John Lennon

The dessert had always held a specialplace in the Abrahamic faiths. It is aninhospitable region of death, lonelinessand despair, but it is also a place oftrial and transformation…. And likeour brave Persian cat in thisillustration, if we have to unfold ourown myths, we will also have to leavethe security of our comfort zone andundergo a journey through themetaphorical desert.

Product No: TPC0002Product Name: Rumi

But even though the turtle is a symbolof longevity and wisdom, I didn’t wantmine to have the cliché “elderly wiseman” look. Instead, his wisdom shouldbe conveyed by virtue of him beingcompletely carefree, almost childlike.Chuang Tzu also said, “Happiness isthe absence of the striving forhappiness” and I wanted this spirit ofnon-striving to shine through in theillustration.

Product No: TPC0003Product Name: Chuang Tzu

For this illustration, I wanted to conveythe sense of an enlightened beingunladen by any emotional baggage,and so the elephant literally walks onair. The raccoon-dog pilgrim representsthe spiritual journeyman who tries tofaithfully follow the Buddha’s pathevery step of the way but is leftbewildered, for he fails to understandthat every person’s journey toEnlightenment is a different one.

Product No: TPC0004Product Name: Buddha

Here I have the Elder koala depicting aDreamtime story on a rock wall as hisyoung charge watches, and learns. Butit isn’t merely a drawing lesson; whenan aboriginal artist paints, it is atranscendental experience, a way toconnect oneself to the CreationAncestors. What is being transmittedis an entire thought-system and wayof life that had remained largelyunchanged for hundreds of thousandsof years.

Product No: TPC0005Product Name: Aborigine Proverb

This illustration is both an attempt toarticulate the joy and freedom that onefeels when one finally takes a leap offaith into the unknown, as well as topay tribute to the many contributionsthe Muslim World has made in thefield of science, especially duringEurope’s Dark Ages. One of the earlypioneers of flight was the Andalusianinventor Abbas Ibn Firnas whopurportedly made the first successfulglider flight in recorded history sixhundred years before Leonardo DaVinci was born.

Product No: TPC0006Product Name: Fariduddin Attar

The loss of a loved one, especially if it’scompletely unexpected can be extremelydevastating, and I felt compelled tooffer a message of not just comfort, buthope. I settled on this beautiful Eskimoquote eventually. The choice of a father-and-son pair instead of a singleindividual looking up to the heavens isto illustrate that we can move from ourcollective loss by finding strength inthose left behind. I also depicted themother spirit not as a single star, but aface made up of many, many stars tosuggest that not only do our dearlydeparted live on, but their presence iseverywhere watching over us.

Product No: TPC0007Product Name: Eskimo Proverb

I portrayed the wolf and sheep aschildren – a reminder that non-discriminatory love is the natural statethat we are born into, but have largelyforgotten as we grow into adulthood.Hate is something that is taught, butwe can all unlearn that byremembering what we are created for.

Product No: TPC0008Product Name: Mother Teresa

The traditional Yoruba religion, whichoriginated from West Africa, has astrong emphasis on collectivism as wellas the interdependence between humanbeings and other living things,including Earth itself. Our modernsociety, with it’s celebration ofindividual achievement could do with adose of the Yoruba ethos. We are oftenlike the little ape preening on theshoulder of the adult gorilla; so caughtup with the belief that we alone areresponsible for 0ur success, and forgetthat many people, past and present,have indirectly contributed it.

Product No: TPC0009Product Name: Yoruba Proverb

The saying “poor as a church mouse”immediately comes to mind when Ipondered over what animal bestillustrates that saying. After all,Saint Francis of Assisi was known forliving a life of poverty and simplicity.The five loaves of bread and two fishesthe church mouse is giving away ismeant to recount The Gospels’ accountof Jesus feeding the multitude.

Product No: TPC0010Product Name: Saint Francis of Assisi

Best known as the author of the belovednovella The Little Prince, Antoine deSaint-Exupéry was also a pioneeringaviator (his ordeal after this planecrash in the Sahara Desert formed thebasic plot line of the novella). Thealbatrosses in the illustrationsymbolise not only Saint-Exupéry’slove of flying, but also fidelity, asalbatrosses bond for life.

Product No: TPC0011Product Name: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Norman Rockwell is a huge influenceon this illustration. I wanted to avoidthe cliché of the pious individualkneeling in prayer, and so I decided tocreate a humorous scene where everyonein the scene is doing different things(which Rockwell does so well), and yetconvey the meaning of Eckhart’swords.

Product No: TPC0012Product Name: Meister Eckhart

Product No: TPB0001Product Name: Trackless Paths Book

Trackless Paths, The BookThis coffee table book is a compilation of 36 illustrations by Joshua Chiang. It is a work of love, where the artist shares his artistic approach and inspiration for each of the sayings. All of these 36 illustrations have the potential to be adapted into greeting cards, thus extending Trackless Paths’ current collection of Animal Wisdom Cards.

Other sayings from the book which is not featured in this catalogue: Jesus, Zen proverb, Baal Shem Tov, Carlos Castaneda, Chinese proverb, Roger Miller, Albert Camus, Anthony de Mello, Guru Nanak, Lao Tzu, Hafez of Shiraz, African proverb, Thich Nhat Hanh, Tibetan proverb, Roger Williams, Paulo Coelho, Burmese proverb and Ikkyu.

LET’S TALK

Liwen TanCommunications & Development DirectorTel: +855 12 92 6850Email: liwen@cerealboxstudios.comSkype: liwen.tan

Joshua ChiangFounder & CEOTel: +855 95 424 565Tel: +65 9367 3791Email: joshua@cerealboxstudios.comSkype: joshuachiangsl

We are looking for retail partners globally to bring this timeless collection to those seeking inspiration. Please contact us if you will like to hear more about our work.

www.cerealboxstudios.com

Copyright © 2013 Joshua Chiang