Visual Journal Cover

Spaceship

In 1977, NASA launched two space probes: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. With no intention of ever retrieving the two spacecraft, engineers attached to each probe a meticulously designed golden record that carried the images and sounds of humanity. The records were on the probes in the hopes that the two spacecraft would drift far enough into space that one day they might be found by another advanced civilization.

Today, 44 years on and counting, both spacecraft drift on. Billions of miles away from Earth and unsure when and how they might reach their final goal, the Voyagers continue their journey into the depths of outer space.

While, indeed, we may never know if the two probes will achieve their final goal, they have undoubtedly provided us with troves of information that define our world today. Beyond the scientific finding that at the same time shattered and created theories, the probes took the first close-up pictures of planets from Jupiter to Neptune, enabling humanity, for the first time, to visualize the great planets that have for centuries been ingrained into our culture.

Among the first pictures of Saturn. Taken by Voyager 1 in 1980. NASA (Public Domain).

My visual journal cover is an attempt to capture the feeling of exploration, learning, and determination that surround the Voyager program. Answering the prompt “Your future self,” I was reluctant to focus on anything specific; I did not want to feel obliged or trapped into a future that I might very well come to hate.

Much like how the Voyager spacecraft are ultimately guided by the allusive goal of finding another civilization, I am guided by my morals and sense of purpose.

Ultimately, however, as it has been said many times, it is the journey that matters more than the destination. Like the Voyager probes, what I am sure of in my future is the continued process of exploration and learning. There will be setbacks and failures, but I will continue moving, no matter how daunting and vast what is in front of me might seem.

Progression of the “Spaceship”. Own work.

The disjointed parts of the spacecraft on the cover are a reminder of the power of time. Nothing is certain about the future except decay. As time passes, much like how I have tried to depict in my cover, things fall apart. It is my responsibility then to make a conscious effort to keep everything together before the spacecraft goes well off course.

Again, while I may not know what I want to achieve or how I want to achieve it, much like the Voyager spacecraft, each day and every moment, I drift on.