Thank you to the lovely Charms of Two Lilies Photography for capturing the final minutes of my first art exhibit Bottled Feelings.
There were a lot of questions, comments and feedback for my first exhibit and I want to share and summarize it with you all and also provide some interesting facts about the show, and also reveal the “Most Relatable Bottled Feeling”.
FACTS:
55 Bottles
21 Day Exhibit
249 Ballots for Most Relatable Bottled Feeling
FAQs:
What am I going to do with all the bottles after?
This was the top question I received when chatting with all the visitors to the exhibit and in my heart I always had secret plans and scenarios that would be a dream come true.
First is for Bottled Feelings to exhibit in multiple cities. I would love to bring the exhibit to MTL, YVR, NYC, JPN, LAX and wherever the wind takes it. I purposely gave the show the hashtag #bottledfeelingsyyz in hopes that if it visits other locations it would have the corresponding hashtag with airport code, they say you can wish for it, I, like to plan for it!
Secondly, if the exhibit doesn’t travel, I would like them to be purchased as a set, 55 bottles total and all the stories behind the feelings, and placed on display somewhere in Toronto. Pipe dreams would be a hospital, or perhaps the HQ of Bell Media Let’s Talk as this exhibit translates with mental wellness and talking about our feelings.
How long did it take me to letter all the bottles?
This question was asked quite often too and the answer may surprise you… 10 days.
I know this sounds crazy and I gave my curator/planner Annie a mini heart attack when the first day of installation came around and I still had 6 bottles to letter. To be honest with you, lettering 55 bottles was the easy part of the whole exhibit. I have 25+ years of in depth study and fascination with typefaces and fonts, countless hours of hand lettering practise, and a OCADU design background that allows me to play with surfaces and composition like a amusement park. The opportunity of using so many different types of fonts and designing each one really gave me a surge of creativity and release as I have yearned to letter in more than just script/calligraphy styles lately.
Working in the wedding industry, certain styles are required and gothic fonts/ bubble letters are never usually a couples go to typefaces, so this exhibit really gave me a chance to flex my lettering muscles. But the moment I started, I hungrily plowed through the bottles and saw the exhibit come to life finally.
The entire exhibit and planning was a different story! As you may know the concept, the seed that started the whole exhibit started in July 2019, when I turned 40, and the vision debuted Feb 6, 2020 so it took 6 months from conception to fruition, but the lettering on the bottles… 10 days.
How did you choose the 55 feelings? Why are the Bottled Feelings so depressing? Can you display more on the positive side?
Often I was asked this question, and I wish I had more positive feelings to display, however I cannot possibly dictate what others want to share. I guess when one hears “Bottled Feelings” its usually not happy thoughts/feelings. I hope one day I can create a hand lettering exhibit/concept where the focus on the happiest or best moments of ones life, I am sure it will present itself just as this exhibit did. I got many more feelings and I really wished I could have lettered them all, however in my gallery contract, I was only allowed to hang/display 55 items. It was really difficult to read and sort through all of the submissions, in the end I hope I chose the best ones that are most relatable to everyone, but even then, who says I know whats most relatable? I always proceed with best heart and mind I can and with that in mind, I usually have no regrets.
How did I choose the lettering for each bottled feeling?
Since childhood I always felt like different typefaces tell different stories, so when lettering each feeling, the composition was imperative, but then the font/typeface was also really important for me too. Can lettering feel like a whisper? Can a typeface portray sadness? Certain words give me a strong visual, and that is when it’s easy. When a feeling didn’t give me strong visual vibes, that was when I had to dig deep into my lettering references and composition ideas to create a unique bottle.
And the TOP 3 MOST RELATABLE bottles are…
3. The feeling of failure holds me back from a lot of things.
Story:
The feeling of failure holds me back from a lot of things: relationships, parenthood, career.
I try hard daily to remind myself that failure can be a great learning tool, but I still can’t take my own advice and this creates conflict with everyone in my daily life. That is failure and I carry that with me every day.
2. I am an open book…if you ask the right questions.
Story:
A message from a so called introvert.
DRUMROLL please……
1. I know I’m meant to do more.
Story:
There is a quiet calling that continues to urge me to do more with my life, at times I do not know what the more is. It creates a huge pressure to accomplish and be productive and I do not know what will satisfy this calling or perhaps it’s a life sentence.
My thoughts on the results…
I am so very surprised that the most relatable bottled feeling was indeed my own. I figured since that was the bottled feeling that was the catalyst for the whole exhibit, I didn’t think that it would become THE most relatable one. These results allowed me to accept that I am indeed NOT alone with my feeling of needing and wanting to do more.
Second place gave me a huge insight into the mind of an introvert, and it couldn't have just been me as so many related to this feeling as well. This message and story was so simple, yet so many related to it that I find truly fascinating and gave me a deeper perspective when meeting new people. Have an open mind, be inquisitive, and ask the right questions!
Third place was no surprise to me at all as failure truly paralyzes us, but I honestly feel most people don’t know what they are fearful of. Once upon a time I was also fearful of putting my ideas out there, fearful of what others thought of me, fearful of failing in the eyes of so many, family, friends, peers, but one day I just realized that really…. NOBODY cares about what I do really, and the only people I need to impress or worry about is truly Melody, and my husband.
Now I know what your thinking, I MUST care about what others think when I create pieces for them or the exhibit, and I always create in the hopes that others will love it, but I know that its impossible for every single person to love all my work, and if they don’t love it, why should I let it bother me? It’s always my perspective of “Who are they to me and to the exhibit?” As long as I have the best and most creative intentions when creating, and stay authentic to my vision, then I will truly have no regrets when it comes to what I put into the world.
If you missed the show…
I hope that one day it will exhibit in another place, are you listening universe? In the meantime if you need some inspiration to remind you that you are Meant to do More, there are some limited edition prints, journals and pins from our inaugural exhibit in our SHOP!