So much of how we define ourselves comes from what we buy and how we buy it. Drawing inspiration from my day job in a grocery store, I use consumerism to explore the idea of social change through personal growth. The grocery store is this microcosm of humanity that shows society in every possible light; people that span the entire spectrum of humanity, some whose actions make you wonder about their upbringing. People who buy groceries for complete strangers shopping right alongside people who think the shelf is an acceptable place to put their gum. Watching, interacting with, and cleaning up after these people got me thinking. For all the things we can buy, and we have it good in that respect, we can't buy the things that make us better people.
But what if we could?
My work utilizes both traditional and modern methods of communication to spread the message that inspiring beneficial changes in society can start with small, positive changes in the way we each go about our daily life. Individuals putting a little more courage, patience, curiosity, integrity and compassion into the world every day can go a long way towards creating a better world for everyone.
For more information about the specifics of the project, visit http://try-and-be.com/index.html
See the artist talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnoaVIs91Vs
If you would be interested in showing the exhibit, please message me.
Hand-drawn illustrations, Adobe Illustrator, mixed media printed products
Website (try-and-be.com) with one product page and Facebook page for the project.
