Friends of Cedarvale T-Shirt Experience.
I took too long to write this piece for the blog; in fact, I am still thinking I am just talking to the void, but slowly and surely, I will be adding more and more to both my page and Instagram. Anywho, allow me to explain how delightful the experience with the non-profit Friends of Cedarvale panned out.
One march afternoon, I was taking my usual stroll around my neighborhood. It was a special day because I had found some interesting-looking mushrooms and was taking pictures of things I found curious when my partner noticed a poster at an announcement board. “Hey, they are looking for someone to design a t-shirt,” he said, so I walked to the poster and read it. I took a picture of it and moved on. I knew that with the amount of work I was getting in both my day jobs, there was no way I would find a moment to design anything, but I still took the picture to make sure that if I changed my mind, I would.
That weekend, I came home and started sketching from the pictures on my phone.
Two designs sprang from my doodling, and I whipped out my iPad to refine the sketches and add color.
In less than a day, I had the line and test colors done, and in a week of taking small steps every day after my second job, I finished two proposals.
I fished out the photo of the poster and looked it up to fill out an online form and upload both designs. Then the waiting started.
Honestly I do not remember how long it took until the poll had finished and the designs were selected, I just know that suddenly an email came to my inbox and I was taken aback how much the community liked and selected my design, me a foreigner, who walked everyday the ravine all the way to the park, and back, who took pictures of branches, leaves, mushrooms, the brook, the flowers, the trees and the occasional bird, got selected to show appreciation to the very community that took care of the place I loved.
Shortly after, on a sunny August day, I got together with wonderful Valentina Gastaldo and founder John Cummings from the non-profit, two wonderful people full of energy and love for nature, and we talked through the details for the design, print, and event to sell the product. That same evening, I finished the details for the printing, and the natural back-and-forth cycle of changes began. Until one day, Valentina sent an email saying the t-shirts were ready.
Friends of Cedarvale hosted a picnic at the park in September, where lots of kind people got together to celebrate John’s birthday and buy the t-shirt.
I have never felt I belonged to a community, and I am forever grateful for the kind reception of my design and all the love poured over it and me.
I met lots of interesting new people, and this experience showed me to never give up and try hard to fit some art into the sidelines of work.
Thank you for reading this far.
