Marshall Fire Fundraiser — Utilizing Graphic Design and Art to Tap Into Community and Make an Impact.
Vol. 067
Marshall Fire Fundraiser — Utilizing Graphic Design and Art to Tap Into Community and Make an Impact.
A reminder of the power of your creativity and the power of community.
A quick bite:
Community is powerful. Art is powerful. Don’t minimize your own potential by thinking “But, I’m just one person…” An incredible impact can be made through showing passion, directing your community's focus, and unifying individuals over a collective, positive purpose.
Continue reading below…
Image from The Denver Post
I was recently reminded of what a profound impact can be made through a community coming together with a unified goal.
With your help, we raised $3,536.00 (revenue) in 1 week in response to the Marshall Fires through the sales of products through the Vicarel Studios online shop.
Subtracting our expenses, we will be able to donate $2,139.68 to Boulder County Wildfire Fund — that’s super powerful, yall!
The Marshall Fires began in the areas in and around Louisville and Superior, Colorado (North of Denver, Colorado) on Thursday, December 30th.
Like many disasters and events, the severity wasn’t really realized by the masses until the morning after.
On the morning of December 31st, I got out of the gym at around 8:30am. Around this time I briefly chatted with my sister, and I realized how severe the fires truly were — ravishing massive neighborhoods less than 1 mile from where my sister and her husband live.
My immediate thought was “How can I help? Should I donate? How much should I donate?” The reality is, my donation wouldn’t have been much more than $100. A worthy donation for sure, but I felt like I could utilize both my position — my graphic design work and my platform — to have a greater impact.
Acknowledging that much of my online shop consists of outdoor and/or Denver-focused prints, I realized the opportunity to spin up a quick fundraiser and donate the profits of all sales to support the victims of the Marshall fire.
By 9 am I pulled up some past work, wrote a quick Instagram post that highlighted a Denver/outdoor-themed print, and the “fundraiser” began.
Over the next few days that post received over 520 shares on Instagram, it was re-shared in countless people’s stories and featured on places like The Denver Egotist.
Over those next few days, I was absolutely delighted to see the power of tapping into a community to create a collective awareness and therefore create a larger impact. This unified goal caused VS online shop to explode.
As an independent graphic designer in Denver, I’m a small drop in a huge bucket. The majority of what I do is create logos, illustrated lettering, and paint murals in Denver. I’m a little guy doin’ small stuff in the grand scheme of things.
BUT, this moment reminded me that while my personal impact may be small, a high number of small “impacts” can make a big difference over time. I can’t say for certain, but I believe this quick little fundraiser enabled a lot of people to donate who might not have otherwise donated.
Community is powerful. Art is powerful!
I hope this reminds yall that YOU HAVE POWER! I don’t care if you’re a muralist, a logo designer, a painter, a knitter, a photographer, a marketing professional or something else — you have a skillset that is valuable. You can contribute value if you continue to do what you do best — think creatively!
Don't misread this post. This is not my donation. This is YOUR donation. This is 100% possible because of all of you. Thank you so much for your support, yall. You are my community, and I am so thankful for you.
PS
While are not currently donating the proceeds of our shop, you’re always welcome to peruse our goods if you’re interested.
A few additional fundraising numbers, should you care to see:
84 orders
$3,536.00 revenue raised
$150 in direct venmo donations
1,396.32 expenses (frames, shipping, etc.)
$2,139.68 donated
$350 Vicarel Studios donation
26hrs of time donated (my time + my employee’s time) $3,900 value
Additional Thank yous:
A last huge thank you to everyone who shared the post. That awareness was hugely helpful.
Thank you to CGPro prints, a local company where I get my canvases printed. They covered the shipping on the ~5 canvas print orders, allowing me to donate additionally to the fundraiser.
Thank you to the Denver Egotist for the little write up about the fundraiser, linked above.
Big thanks to Vicarel Studios designer, Carly, who packed and shipped all of these puppies. That’s no small task, folks.
Thank you to all of you who purchased something, donated directly, shared the story, and are a part of this community in general. I appreciate all of yall deeply.
Cheers
-Adam
