#YouAreLoved

"Life blooms when there is harmony." ~Ashley Garth

Hey ya'll. Do you know how it is, sometimes when your heart is so attached to a thing, to something, to where you don't know how to completely express all that your heart and your soul are feeling. And when you get caught up in those feelings, the tears start to come? I'm pretty sure each and every time I have thought about The Love Blooms Art Project, this happened. And what also happened is the overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness just at the thought of all the things that can come from this idea and the dreams that flood my mind, telling me that I have got to see this through.

I have been thinking about, dreaming about a mural that has to do with hearts, flowers and of course love for about 3 years now. It just won't leave me. And trust me, it's not that I want it to. I figure if God places so much around this project on my heart and it is on my mind constantly, then I must do all that I can to see it through.

The journey pretty much started when I first moved to Nashville during the summer of 2016. There was this mural that I just had to see. And when I made it down to an area called The Gulch in Nashville, Tennessee, I loved the mural so much. It was Kelsey Montague's What Lifts You wings mural. It makes me so happy to where I've been there on a few occasions, even taking family and friends to see it.

 

I thought, "I want to bring this much happiness and love to others. So the journey continued by my researching mural artists, grants and more. I attended a workshop in 2016 to learn about a grant that I could apply for in my hometown, Chattanooga. There I briefly met local mural artist Seven. I later reached out to Seven, proposing we do a mural together. Well, I guess I should say asking him to do this mural idea that I had. I can barely draw a stick figure, LOL. Seven was super cool and agreed to help in any way he could regarding the mural and assisting me with the grant application for both 2017 and 2018. I'm telling you guys, I just had to keep trying. After I didn't receive the grant for my 2017 application, I had the awesome opportunity to meet with the director of the grant to learn what was missing from my first application and to inquire about what I should include to submit a stronger application for 2018.

With Arts Build Grant Director

 

I received some very valuable information and tried for a second time around. And although I did not receive that grant, I was not giving up. I was and I'm still sure that if God placed this on my heart, that a way to make it all happen would surely come to mind. So I've got to keep on trying. One of the amazing things to me is that during all of my dreams and constant thoughts about the mural idea is that I had not originally thought beyond just the mural. However as time passed, thoughts of intellectual property rights came to mind. So I've been saving so that I can acquire all of the copyrights to the mural. With thinking about all that the mural can be and the overall Why and importance of the mural, the idea bloomed from the Love Blooms mural and into The Love Blooms Art Project.

 

The Love Blooms Art Project is kicking off with the #YouAreLoved t-shirt fundraiser. The fundraiser will assist with costs to have the mural completed and any donations beyond the purchase of t-shirts will go toward hiring local vendors for a mural reveal gathering and more this September.

 

I'm so excited for this project and can not wait to share more with you guys. The #YouAreLoved campaign ties into the overall art project, its Why and will be a part of the mural. I'm also super delighted that Seven is still on board for doing the mural. As I thought about a team for The Love Blooms Art Project, I recalled how much I love Seven's art and how he brings his art to life with such vibrant colors. Below are some of my favorite murals by Seven that had me like, "Yep, Seven has definitely got to be the artist for The Love Blooms Art Project."

 

 

There's much more to come starting with the #YouAreLoved t-shirt campaign which goes live this coming Monday, May 6. Stay tuned.

Love and Light💚