One Man's Story
As some of you know, I have been busy working on a series of commemorative maps that are part of my Kickstarter project. The maps are meant to serve as a visual representation of one man's journey in life. That man was my brother, who passed away suddenly about three years ago.
After he passed away, I wanted to do something to not only honor him, but help me heal. Instead of doing a more traditional type of memorial (because let's be real,Im not exactly "traditional" in most ways), I decided to make maps of all of the places that were important to him- including places he lived, places we traveled to as kids, and places where he played hockey (he was a badass goalie). By doing this, I could use my artistic abilties to make a very special series of works that show all the locations that were essential in shaping who he was.
This week, I finished three new maps in the series (as shown below) and I am very happy with the results. With each map, I write a short story about why the location was chosen, and tell a small anecdote about my brother.
I read an article recently that spoke about loss and it said that human beings' deepest desire is to be remembered and to be talked about...as time goes on, and as generations come and go. Even though our bodies may not be here, the impact that we made on people around us still remains. Think about all the stories in history books- all of the legends and myths that exist in every culture. We all want to be remembered, even if the stories are exaggerated or altered a bit.
So, I hope my little project can continue to tell one man's story. It is a story of thrill and excitement, fear and frustration, great love and compassion, and a deep-rooted sense of adventure.
I hope that those of you who backed the project (and helped me make this possible) enjoy your prints and take a minute to reflect on your own story.