listen T-Shirt

to listen… This typographic art piece comes from my fascination with the Chinese pictographic style of typography and the art of communication. The Chinese verb ‘to listen’ is interestingly made up from five different Chinese characters – Ear, You, Eyes, Undivided attention and Heart. The fact that it is made up of these different aspects tell us something significant about this multifaceted component of the communication process. Listening is active process that is the vital component of communication. A Chinese symbol for ‘To Listen’ is wise beyond the art. The left side of the symbol represents an ear. The right side represents the individual - you. The eyes and undivided attention are next and finally there is the heart. This symbol tells us that to listen we must use both ears, watch and maintain eye contact, give undivided attention, and finally be empathetic.