Doing a project on henna helped expand my knowledge on Indian culture. Before starting this project, I had a general idea of what henna was. I thought of henna as pretty designs that held meaning. I've seen people walk the streets of Queens with henna, as well as students from my high school have it as well. I was unaware that henna was most importantly used during Indian weddings, as well as during other celebrations. I also learned the different designs of henna and what each design symbolized. The coolest part of this project was learning how henna is made. I chose to make a wordless diagram explaining the process of how henna is made. I had no idea that such simple items could produce such beautiful designs. I also learned that henna started as being used for hair dye and evolved into a way to make designs on skin.
Henna was a very intriguing topic and I'm really happy I continued with the idea. It was the first idea I thought of and it captured my attention all throughout the project. The most interesting part of henna is how a plant can be changed into a paste and then used to stain skin. I would love to try it for myself to get the full experience. I wonder how it smells and how it would feel on my skin. It's hard to imagine just from reading about it. I also love the fact that each design works together to create a beautiful piece of art. I had no idea that a henna tattoo was a combination of many different designs. Also, the fact that the designs hold such strong meanings eye opening. I'm not against tattoos without meaning and only for aesthetics, but I feel that displaying a message makes the tattoo even more powerful. Doing a project on henna made me realize that the tattoos symbolize much more than just being pretty. I hope that people realize that henna tattoos offer powerful messages. If you're going to get henna, you should really select the designs that hold meanings close to your heart and that are relevant to your life.
If I had more time and resources I would definitely have tried to include more information about the designs and their meanings. I did find out many details, but I had a very difficult time trying to include all of the facts in such a small space. I would have rearranged the brochure to include all of the symbolic meanings.
