Our-topia

I am especially excited about the beginning of this series because I have been envisioning the artwork for over a decade. Originally I was going to call it The Good Life Project - but DANG IT if that title wasn't already taken! However, I think Our-topia is brilliant, because Utopia has connotations of a failed experiment, while Ourtopia sounds like something we worked on together to make it happen.

The series was started in response to all the horrible dystopian images that fill our airwaves (and consequently our mind-waves), which I believe create a closed feedback loop where we start to believe this dark vision is the only option for our future. I wanted to create an illustrated brighter vision of the future that I want to see.... one that inspires hope and gives a blueprint that the viewers could move towards.​

I've been thinking a lot about what kind of energy it requires to foster positive change. The energy I'm filled with in response to the constant barrage of bad news tends towards outrage and despair. Though anger can spark action, it can't sustain it. What sustains long term change is excitement, enthusiasm, and hope. And what inspires excitement, enthusiasm and hope? Something to look FORWARD to, not just things to fight against or run away from.

It's kinda like riding a bike. When you are on a trail, and there are all kinds of sticks or rocks, or other bikers, or dogs running around, if you focus on those things you tend to accidentally steer TOWARDS them. You have to look for the clear trail you want to ride on and then it's easy breezy.

The words "balance" and "sustainable" just keep popping up in both what I want within my life now and what future I want to see. The "Good Life" for me is a home and lifestyle that is environmentally sustainable, but not hard scrabble living either. It means community designed living and gathering spaces. It means education that is service oriented and designed to match the growing patterns of a child's mind and body. It means freedom from fear - of un-regulated guns or a fascist un-humanitarian government.

“Med-Mirror” goes into one of my future homes, specifically into the bathroom. An intrinsic part of my dream world health care will be preventative: part of that system will include data gathering by our very own powder room! The floors will automatically weigh us as we enter, as well as calculate body fat, water percentage, bone density, and your resting heart rate. Information will be gathered from samples of our waste, saliva and blood to alert us to any illnesses. All of this info will be reflected in our "Med Mirrors"... which will also provide tips for food, vitamins, and exercise customized to us based on the data collected. This information will then shared privately with our family doctor if we need more specialized care. All of this isn't actually all that futuristic: smart scales and smart mirrors have already been invented. I imagine them incorporated into the structure of our homes.