The Artist’s Statement:

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Espiritus (eh-spee-ree-toos) is an art project composed of a

“living” series of original, related images for All Humans. 

It is intended to inspire mindfulness, serenity, compassion,

wisdom, integrity, respect, wonder, unity in diversity and a

heartfelt connection to our planet and all life on it.  It is

intended to help facilitate the awareness and exploration

of spiritual ideas and of who we are, as individuals and as

Human Beings.

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The images are intended to be sold as P.O.D. (Print On Demand)

art prints and other physical products, as well as coloring

and art books. I also have some ideas for digital products that are

in development.  

There is also a social media component in the form of a

discussion forum (the “Living Lexion”) and Twitter and Faceook

feeds for real-time updates as the series grows. 

 

I’ve used the term “living series” to express the growing, evolving

and interactive nature of the project.  I have completed over a dozen

artworks so far.  I have literally hundreds of sketches for more. 

I intend to keep creating and putting them out there and letting

people know. 

 

Where it goes remains to be seen! 

I invite you to join the project and help my little spirits take flight and find their way into more hearts and minds!

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The proceeds from the sales of Espiritus products will go into my bank account.  I want to buy some land and a house.  I want my husband to be able to retire as soon as possible.  Selling my artwork through P.O.D. is how I contribute to our household income.  This is me trying to make a living as an indie artist in the 21st century. 

 

And maybe I – maybe WE – can make the world a better place in some small way.

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As this thing takes off and develops, I plan on donating part of the proceeds to charities that I think are making a concrete positive difference in the world.  That’s in the works. 

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Please explore the other writings here if you want to know more.

At the very least, enjoy the artwork.  I hope it makes your spirit glow.

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<3

Cristina

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The Backstory:

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In October of 2017, a bunch of things began to click together in my mind in a new way and a flood of imagery came rushing out.  Within a month, I had generated hundreds of sketches and begun to develop them into finished art pieces.  And more kept coming - new little details and shapes, symbols and concepts swirling from my pencil-tip, flowing into abstract and organic shapes that combined to form visionary images and charming mystical beings that delight me.

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And they just keep pouring out...flowing out of me in sketching sessions that almost feel like automatic writing.  I am fully engaged and consciously creating, but some subconscious part of me seems to be at play -  recognizing patterns and shapes and showing me novel ways to put things together.  Each time the pieces click into place, I feel a warm pulse of pleasure and satisfaction.  Not sexual in nature, but Creative.  The Joy of Creation - the bliss of being in the Flow and riding the wave of intuition and inspiration, mining the vast sea of information and experience that I've absorbed over my lifetime and artfully integrating the ideas that resonate with me into images that almost seem to form themselves...like these combinations of shapes already existed, and I was kind of discovering them, instead of just making them up.

Sometimes, I'll get the sense that they are so familiar to me that I wonder if I've seen them before - if I'm just regurgitating someone else's work that I'd forgotten about.

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But I don't think I've actually seen anything quite like these images before.

There are influences and elements from all over the place - I consider them to be part of a long tradition of spiritual art- but this particular alchemy of ideas + visual style is original, I think!

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These images feel special - like they have a mission.  It's as if these whimsical little spirit beings want to manifest into the world and spread their messages of Love, Mindfulness and Connection.

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For me, they represent a non-denominational, non-religious but deeply spiritual lexicon of modern sacred art that belongs to all Humans.  

They explore the things that we, as Human Beings, hold sacred - the things that make us who we are and guide us on our journey through life.  

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They remind us to consciously create ourselves, to live by our ideals, to strive for integrity and to honor each other and the planet that is our home - however those paths plays out for each of us.

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As the collection grew, I pondered what to do with these images.

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Two things are clear about this developing creative vision:

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1. The number, cohesiveness and diversity of these spirits/images is important.

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2. They want to go out into the world and find the people who will benefit from them.  And by benefit, I mean I want them to be functional art - art that actually DOES something. 

In this case, they are intended to be visual affirmations, prayers, meditations, reminders, reflections.  They are intended to be inspirational, motivational, uplifting and uniting - Pleasure for the Eyes, Guidance for the Heart, Awareness for the Mind and Wonder for the Spirit.

 

I think we need this kind of energy in the world right now.  Darkness and Chaos are roiling our world.   We need to stoke the Light; serenity, mindfulness, wisdom, civility, curiosity, creativity and ingenuity, unity in diversity, respect for each other and for the world that is Our Home.

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I think that is the meaning these little spirits and images are somehow articulating - the message I want to send out into the world.

Because if I am an artist, and I have dedicated countless hours and focus on honing my skills and learning about the world - why would I not use it to do my small part for the Forces of Light and Love and a future where we can ALL thrive...?

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If my message is going to go anywhere, we've got to spread it.

I'm going to keep creating and making the images available as various products so people can purchase things if they want to.  I've started with stickers through Redbubble, which I think are a relatively budget-friendly option.  Grab your favorites or Collect them all!  If you buy more than 3 of the small size stickers, you get a 50% discount! 

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I've also got some Wall Art options in a range of prices, so you can hang them up in your home, office - anywhere you want a little inspiration.  

These products are high quality - I'm pretty picky about what I sell, and I've personally inspected the quality of these items. Check out my unboxing and promo videos to get a better idea of the features (coming soon!).

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I've also got coloring books available - and if you haven't tried this creative and stress-relieving hobby, I highly recommend it!  

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I figure I'll add more products as things go along.  If you have suggestions, ideas, requests or opportunities to share, please let me know in the forum, on Facebook or Twitter.  I'll research the quality and logistics of various options and we'll see how the collection grows.

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I don't want to run a manufacturing or retail business.  I want to create.  Using various P.O.D. services to produce and fulfill orders of most physical products minimizes my investment and of time and money on that part of the business and maximizes the time I can devote to actually creating.

It also minimizes waste - I don't want to just pump more useless crap into the world!  The P.O.D. model means each product is made to order and goes straight to the person who desires it.  Or perhaps to another person, through the first person, as a gift.  I encourage facilitating connection through them - send someone a greeting card, or a piece of art that reminds you of them!  

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I'm currently working on researching and developing an app that you can download that would feature digital Wallpaper for your device, animated stickers that you can use on social media, and perhaps some other features.  I'm still learning about how all of that works, but I think it's a cool idea - so stay tuned!

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I'm also working on setting up a charitable donation element, once things get rolling. If you have suggestions or relevant info on that angle to share, please let me know!

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A lot of how this goes will depend on the response I get and what kind of suggestions people offer.

I've created some threads in the forum where you can post any ideas or other responses you have to the project.  So go check out the Living Lexicon if you are interested in participating.
 

The other function of the forum - the Living Lexicon, is to co-create a glossary of possible meanings for the symbols that appear in the artworks.  Similar to dream imagery, these symbols have various meanings and associations - some well established in Human culture, others purely personal.  Perhaps the wings suggest flight and freedom to you, or an Angelic nature, or the idea of "rising above" our troubles.  Each of these meanings is valid - and you get to choose which meanings resonate with you.

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You can add your ideas to the Living Lexicon in the comments, and upvote  previously posted suggestions by "hearting" them.  That's an easy way to see which interpretations are common and popular (and more efficient than a bunch of people posting the same idea over and over again!).  But the basic notion is to celebrate the diversity as well as the commonality of these perceptions and perspectives - to share the vast universe of thought and creativity that Humans are capable of.

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I don't know how involved I'll be in the forums and on social media - I'll check them, but it'll deped on how busy I am and what's going on.

I will do some moderating if necessary to promote open and respectful communication.  This is My House and if you can't respect my hospitality and my other guests, you will be removed.  I want this to be a "sacred space" that facilitates open and respectful sharing and exploration of ideas.

Please behave with integrity and civility.

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FollowX on Twitter to plug into the project.  I’ll post notifications when I release new designs and products and any other updates as I go along on this adventure.

If Facebook is more your social media style – I’ll be posting to X as well.

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I’m not interested in spamming you – I just want to send this project out into the world in real-time, raise some good energy, generate some buzz – so please re-tweet, Share and tell your friends!

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Check out my YouTube channel which features promo, behind-the-scenes and tutorial videos that I will get done as the spirits move me.

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That’s it.  That’s the plan so far.  Let’s see what happens!

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Thank you for joining me in this art experiment!

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<3

Cristina

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The Espiritus Collection is inspired by my ravenous interest in:

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traditional art, sacred art, spirituality, religion, tribal culture, symbolism, storytelling, totems, Kachinas, tikis, ancient cultures, shamanism, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, alchemy & magic, psychedelic experience, history, language, Nature, politics, myths, legends, folktales and fairytales, science fiction and fantasy, science,  technology, physics, evolution, the mystery of consciousness, countless books, movies, comics, video games, art styles and techniques, Burning Man, Love and more!

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