Craft Magic
A lot of people say there's magic in the air this time of year, but I love the idea that we all have the power to craft magic anytime.
Here's one of my favorite poems written by Danielle Doby...
craft magic
out of your tragedies
and use the strength
of your story
to bring you closer to love
not further away from it
It always brings me such joy to witness others crafting magic and Jeff Knight has been doing this since 2014 with his Albion Buffalo project!
Jeff and I met back in 2012 when I needed a graphic designer to make business cards for my TEDx Talk. He actually created my very first logo! It's so fun to see where his career has taken him!
Jeff started the Albino Buffalo project when he received a small artist grant from The Arts Partnership for a proposed project involving sticker vending machines he had acquired from an online auction.
Since then, he's been distributing stickers featuring artwork from Midwest artists of all kinds (designers, illustrators, writers, poets, photographers, etc). The stickers are available to purchase from the re-purposed sticker vending machines in various locations throughout North Dakota.
He is now going on the 10th series of stickers featuring so far, over 50 regional artists, contributing over 240 works of art, and over 10,000 stickers have been dispensed via five machines in Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks.
I am honored to be one of the featured artists in his 10th series!
I was excited when Jeff asked me to be a part of it and even more excited when the series went live and I got to go to the sticker vending machine…I felt like a little kid in a candy shop! I remember going to those old vending machines as a child with a quarter in hand wondering what fun treat or toy would be dispensed. The day I went to get my sticker, I felt the same, but maybe even more exciting because I was getting stickers with art on them AND I got the thrill of not knowing whether or not MY art would be what I received. I'm happy to say I did get one of my stickers. (However, it took a few tries!) ;)
Follow the Albino Buffalo project on Instagram for the latest news from them! If you live out of state and would like to show your support, you can purchase a sticker pack - get all 30 stickers that are a part of the Series of Ten - here.
Albino Buffalo is making regional art more accessible and available to a larger audience through a randomly distributed distribution system. By providing works of art via a small fee and size, the recipient is able to see what work that artist does, connect with them and find a connection to a type of art they might not have interacted with before.
I love the project's mission...
Albino Buffalo celebrates local art by making it accessible to everyone.
#SupportLocalArt
One of the reasons I believe art is so powerful is because it meets you right where you’re at…
No judgments, no preconceived notions. It doesn’t ask you why you aren’t further along. It doesn’t care what age you are, what political group you affiliate with if you’re married or single. Your status, your background, and your bank account are completely irrelevant in the presence of art.
All art cares about is who you are at your essence…when you can’t check any boxes to define yourself. And it also cares about who you are becoming.
When you allow yourself to surrender to it, it will elicit exactly the right questions for you to consider in order to grow in powerful ways.
I think this is why I’m often called to paint large...
Because I love the idea of us all getting engulfed by art...getting lost in its invitation to go beyond...beyond the limiting beliefs and definitions each one of us has about ourselves and about each other.
To date, the piece you see below is the largest I’ve ever created!
Although new pieces have now been added, it was once of a part of "connected." - the joint exhibition currently on display at The Capital Gallery in Bismarck, North Dakota now through January 8th, 2020.
This exhibition features a collaborative body of work with Kent Burkhardsmeier.
Kent and I are from two different generations and have two very different styles of work, but we established a strong connection based on our passion for art and the power it has to help us all view the world from a new lens.
The work we filled the gallery with took well over a year to curate. It represents all the powerful shifts in perspective, learning, and growth that both Kent and I have experienced as a result of our collaboration and connection.
This work represents what is possible when we choose to see life through the lens of connected, period. In other words, what’s possible when we decide that, no matter what, there is always a point of connection.
Our exhibition was featured in the December edition of the Midwest Nest magazine. To read that article, click here.
To browse the work and learn more about our opening reception, click here.
This past Monday night at The Capital Gallery, I had the honor of being a part of an incredible event put on by a local high school called, "The SHOES Project."
S - Stories of
H - Hope
O - Optimism and
E - Expressions of
S - Strength
Students are matched with individuals who, on the surface, are different than themselves. For example, an individual who may not need special instruction in school may be matched with an individual with special needs. The intention is to take a "walk-in someone else's shoes." The pair gets to know each other over an entire semester and, eventually, creates art in the form of a shoe to express the person who is now their friend.
The project's mission is to build empathy in their student body and to help students realize that people's stories are more than what they first might think.
This year some of the students added connecting points between their shoes really showcasing that if we're willing to look hard enough, each of us has connecting points with everyone. Future leaders are being built and it’s seen through projects like this that students are able to express themselves and share stories.
This project is really near and dear to my heart because I grew up with a learning disability, dyslexia. This meant that through elementary school, into middle school, high school, college and beyond, I have often been misunderstood.
I now consider my learning disability, simply a learning difference. And that’s how I feel about other “disabilities”, seen or unseen, and mental illnesses as well. With these differences, comes the potential for a lot of misunderstanding.
I found it incredibly inspiring to see these students highlight all this so we can all understand each other better. With this understanding, we start to realize that every individual has unique and important gifts and perspectives to contribute to the world.
We all have so much to learn from each other!
Like the cherry on top for me, as a professional artist, is that these students used art as a way to evoke this important conversation about compassion and diversity. Art can tell a story and can be a powerful bridge for understanding.
What an amazing project, what incredible students and teachers!
My prayer for you for the New Year would be to believe in the magic that you have the power to craft.
In the lovely words of Danielle Doby again...
quit hiding your magic.
the world is ready
for you.
What if magic was your rule instead of your exception for this new decade?
half-halfheartedness
isn't an ingredient for my existence.
i crave a life of magic.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Cheers,
