What's getting in the way? Fear of failure? Pride? Uncertainty?
The reason I bring this up today is because I took part of a project that really challenged me. It hasn't even gone live and I'm already nervous about it. Last week Promise Tangeman called for 20 volunteers (artists with Etsy shops) to collaborate on a project that would use our gifts to help others -- specifically Haiti.
The challenge?
"You will create and submit a small piece of digital art following the instructions and guidelines of the challenge. At the end of the challenge I will collect all submissions and create a collaborative collage containing all submitted pieces. Every artist will receive a link to download a digital version of the final collage to professionally print, (OR slice up, recreate, etc) and sell in their Etsy shop as A Beautiful Idea project. All the proceeds will go to the Haiti relief fund." -Promise
Using these colors
... we had to follow these guidelines:
INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES:
1. You must have an active etsy shop with products for sale.
2. Create a simple design that depicts any of these words or phrases: Art for the greater good, Haiti, helping, serving, creativity, love wins, people, compassion, humble, humility.
3. Design can be a photograph, vector art, type treatment logo, decorated letter design, photo of shop item, drawing, illustration, etc.
4. The design you create must ONLY contain the colors displayed in the color story above.
5. The design must be a simple unite with a light/white background with no bleeds or edges (see below)
6. Submit your design at 8×8in 300 dpi.
Hmmm. I love the phrase "love wins" but how can I capture this without spelling it out literally?
Let me interrupt. Yes, I do graphic design. Yes, I am familiar with photoshop. But you know what I am NOT? AN ILLUSTRATOR. Meaning, I work off of ALREADY made images to create posters, websites, logos, and designs. I can't DRAW! Well, at least not really intricate stuff. Maybe when I finally get a drawing pad (digital) so I don't rely on a stupid mouse to draw paths!
I knew I had to work off of my gift: photography. And of course, little things I could draw. All I could think about were kids. I couldn't shake that image off and I thought "uggh, what can I do??" I had SO many ideas but I knew that I was limited by what I could draw. I started thinking about balloons and thought "Okay, I want to incorporate floating balloons... and I can definitely draw those" haha.
I told y'all I went to Alabama 2 weekends ago and in the car with Jasmine and Jose (brainstorming ideas) it hit me: I'm picturing tons of balloons and a little kid just hanging off of one, floating up to the sky! BUT, I want the balloons to create a heart and he is off alone floating.
Predicament: I can't draw a kid.
Solution: PHOTOGRAPH ONE! Hmm.. No kids were around. *Looks at options* There's Jose. That will work!
Here is his photo:
And I went ahead and had Jose take one of me too just in case:
After TONS of drafts, I came up with THIS!
(I'm displaying it small for protective purposes)
I really loved the final product, but I didn't feel that it reflected the theme right off hand. Granted, I thought it was a sell-able piece (could picture it printed and framed as art in someone's house :), but it did not tell you what it actually meant without vague ideas.
Back to the drawing board.
I wanted the balloons to be weighed down by something -- a problem. And then suddenly I got an idea of having a book. I ran with the idea and then thought about Jose and I being characters of this book... flying out of the story. Why? Well... if your story is called "Impossible" -- then you'd want to fly out of it.
And this is when I created the final piece:
And without the texture so that Promise can create a collage with everybody else's, it looks like this:
And this is the description I submitted:
"For some reason, when I kept thinking about art for the greater good, I couldn't stop thinking about a child's playfulness. I don't know if it's the optimism of a child, but I basically ended up creating this book that originally was called "Impossible" -- a story of fear many of us share internally and one that faces everyone across the world during catastrophe. As you can see, these characters in the book (which I created from a photo of my fiance and I), are rising as a community above what may be deemed "impossible" and pull away the "im" to make it possible. Surviving after a quake buried you alive for a week, reconstructing a country, and change for Haiti. Impossible? No, absolutely possible."
What do you think?!
I looked at some of the Etsy shops of the other volunteers and they are SO talented! I can't wait to see what the amazing Promise will do when she gets her hands on them. I hope you check back on the final product (which I will most certainly update you on) because the artwork is going to take on SO much meaning by being a community collaboration for Haiti. I'm so honored to be a part of this and boy that pushed my creativity. Thank you Promise!
Now it's your turn! Challenge yourself this week. Even if it's a little annoying a little scary, and a little risk taking. It's worth it :)
Back to the drawing board.
I wanted the balloons to be weighed down by something -- a problem. And then suddenly I got an idea of having a book. I ran with the idea and then thought about Jose and I being characters of this book... flying out of the story. Why? Well... if your story is called "Impossible" -- then you'd want to fly out of it.
And this is when I created the final piece:
"For some reason, when I kept thinking about art for the greater good, I couldn't stop thinking about a child's playfulness. I don't know if it's the optimism of a child, but I basically ended up creating this book that originally was called "Impossible" -- a story of fear many of us share internally and one that faces everyone across the world during catastrophe. As you can see, these characters in the book (which I created from a photo of my fiance and I), are rising as a community above what may be deemed "impossible" and pull away the "im" to make it possible. Surviving after a quake buried you alive for a week, reconstructing a country, and change for Haiti. Impossible? No, absolutely possible."
What do you think?!
I looked at some of the Etsy shops of the other volunteers and they are SO talented! I can't wait to see what the amazing Promise will do when she gets her hands on them. I hope you check back on the final product (which I will most certainly update you on) because the artwork is going to take on SO much meaning by being a community collaboration for Haiti. I'm so honored to be a part of this and boy that pushed my creativity. Thank you Promise!
Now it's your turn! Challenge yourself this week. Even if it's a little annoying a little scary, and a little risk taking. It's worth it :)
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