Fighting Spirit Ornaments
Fighting Spirit
2022 Ornament Collection
Dedicated to the individuals who choose action when confronted by the disparity between the world they imagine and the world they see.
In 2019, I started organizing an art festival to take place in my hometown in Bristol, TN/VA.
The festival is called Bristol in Bloom (you can check it out here!) and was originally supposed to take place on Mother’s Day weekend in May of 2020 when the Dogwood trees would have been blooming.
But, as we all well know, 2020 happened and it ended up not taking place until the fall of October 2021 when the leaves were blooming instead!
Event planning is something I had zero previous experience with, but after watching so many of my friends leave the area over the years because there wasn’t a strong art community and very few artist opportunities here, I felt like I needed to do something. I loved this region and the landscape too much to leave it again, so I decided to start Bristol in Bloom to create the arts community that I longed to have in my hometown.
I now have two years under my belt organizing Bristol in Bloom. There have been so many moments where I have been ready to quit, where I have questioned why I do this, debated giving up and walking away from the event all together…
…But then I see the changes this event is making in the community, the people it brings together, the way people are connecting with art and artists, the artists deepening their roots in the community, and I know without question that the stress, the sleepless nights, the worry, the fear, and ALL of the tears, are all worth it in the end.
For a long time, I longed to leave my hometown (and I did for a short while) because I didn’t believe the community here would ever be one that reflected myself or the people I love and admire within it. Since creating the festival, though, I have met several artists who I would now consider to be some of my closest friends and deepened my love for this region. While there is still so much I hope to see change in my community, I know now more than ever that leaving the area will only ensure that nothing changes and I love this area too much to give up the fight.
The Fighting Spirit ornament collection is dedicated to the change-makers in the world, the stubborn individuals who don’t give up when the going gets tough and choose action for the better. This is a limited edition ornament collection with only a few available to the public. The ornaments are colorful, layered, and highly textured, reflecting the battle-tested energy of the fighting spirit.
Collectors Club Members will be getting exclusive access to the ornaments on Friday, November 18th on my website. You can join the Collectors Club here to get early access. Otherwise, they will become publicly available on Saturday, November 19th!