The Ex Voto Project:
An Ever-Changing Collaboration
I recently revisited one of my favorite books "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" By Elizabeth Gilbert. It is officially the third time I am reading it! But it was this particular passage that resonated with me the most recently: “A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, & a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner - continually & stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you - is a fine art, in & of itself.”. Truly a profound sentiment that led me to this project, this place. It's not that I don't have my fascinations, obsessions, & compulsions already figured out...It was more that I was simply insisting on seeking a fuller expression of myself...NEWNESS & EVOLUTION!
I must admit, when it comes to the subject of creativity & practicing my craft, I can be a little bit of an introvert...working solo...consumed in my thoughts...inspecting closely for deeper meaning in everyday minutiae. I've always deeply admired classical artists: Painters, Sculptors, Poets, Dancers, Musicians, Scribes, & Opera Singers. Mostly because I never devoted myself to mastering a specific artistic discipline, yet I am definitely an enthusiastic consumer & supporter of The Arts.
At 50 years old it was also apparent that I have done a pretty good job at curating a collection of Friends who are remarkable craftspeople & artists in their own right! It became crystal clear that my next imaginative move had to be a collaboration. I mean, the Sun collaborates with soil to bring forth flowers on the earth, right? So naturally, many ideas flourish & grow when transplanted into another mind than the one where they originally sprang up!
So, what exactly is The Ex Voto Project all about, you ask? In short, it is a limited edition series of artist designed collectible enamel pins. Each pin is limited to an edition of only 100 pins in a sequentially numbered series. Each pin is designed by a different artist. Once the 100 pins are sold out, they are gone FOREVER!!! Always the optimist, I envision a better tomorrow. Proceeds from the sale of each & every pin from this project will be donated to worthy causes & organizations that make a positive impact on our communities & our world!
The wheels were set into motion! Who would I approach to share my ideas & aspirations? What creative seeds would be planted? What concepts & musings could we eventually harvest? Which artist would be my first collaborator? Who would follow in their footsteps? So many possibilities & prospects, yet so much uncertainty. If I have learned two valuable lessons during this experiment, they have to be: listening carefully to inventive impulses with curiosity & trusting my instinct with imagination! Walking into an abyss can be unnerving, but I guarantee you...EVERY STEP IN THIS PROCESS WAS THRILLING & FULL OF WONDER!!!
With Heartfelt Adoration...
I literally searched my HEART to come up with a symbolic gesture that had universal appeal...one that represented different feelings to different people...an image that immediately conjured an emotional response. After much soul searching & prayer I decided the iconic HEART would be the image that inspired & informed this first series of enamel pins for The Ex Voto Project. But not just any ordinary secular HEART...but rather, A Sacred Ex Voto HEART!
The Latin term Ex Voto (short for Ex Voto Suscepto, “From The Vow Made”) designates a Catholic votive offering placed in a church or shrine in thanksgiving for a miracle received. The custom of offering gifts to deities or spirits to propitiate or thank them for their protection goes back to ancient Mesopotamia & Egypt. In Etruscan & Roman temples, gifts, called Donaria, were hung on the walls next to statues of divinities, placed next to a sacred tree, & hung or buried around sacrificial altars. Eventually incorporated into Christian religion, the custom became a touching expression of faith in the invisible thread that links humanity to the supernatural.
The premise of the Catholic Ex Voto is the vow, the solemn promise supplicants make, in a moment of great hardship, to give public thanks to a particular Saint if he/she intercedes to avert disaster; the Ex Voto, in turn, is the concrete testimonial of that vow’s fulfillment, an object that stands as the material representation of the miracle itself. But Ex Votos are also offered in thanksgiving for unexpected miracles, in which case they function as public affirmations of God’s constant powerful presence in the lives of the faithful - poor or otherwise - & as records of their heartfelt obligation to acknowledge it, to communicate it to others, to celebrate it.
It is our hope that the first time you hold one of these Ex Voto Project pins, that you offer up a silent prayer. Internalize a conscious meditation & affirmation. Embrace your innate courage & exemplify kindness. Vow a dedication or commitment to yourself. Just make the world a better place! Ultimately, we wish you love...that whenever you wear this pin...you are reminded of the deep, abiding promises you cherish & keep.
Love Always,
Richert
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I BELIEVE!!!
Aloha! My Name Is Richert. The Ex Voto Project Is My Brainchild. I Believe In...The Closeness Of My Ohana, The Velocity Of Friendship, Wanderlust, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Warm Butter On Soft Crusty Peasant Bread, Embossed Crane Stationery, Nova, Orpheus & Eurydice, Dandyism, Forced Blooming Branches, Vernal Fall At Noontime In The Spring, Rothko, Wooden Kokeshi Dolls, Coupons & Free Refills, Beautiful Noses, Ola Salo, Millinery, Having Exact Change, 867-5309, Pungent Stilton, Diminutive Asian Stickers, My Beloved Museum Memberships, Razzle Dazzle Hotcha Whoopie & All That Jazz, Cuticle Oil, Petzl Headlamps, Gateau Opera At The Balthazar Patisserie Paired With Warm Dragon Pearls Tea, The Vocal Stylings Of Leslie Odom Jr., Woody Allen Movie Marathons, Raking In The Chips & Cashing Out, Oodles Of Indigo Irises, The Great White Way, IntraVenus De Milo, Guided Meditations, Kinder Eggs, Sweet Baby Teeth Grins, Super Soul Sunday, The Love Bomb, Turandot, Spectacular Beads & Fancy Findings, Counting Falling Stars At Cherry Creek On Warm Summer Evenings, Frances Faye, Tako Poke, High Limit Baccarat Tiles, Vintage Rosenthal, Puakenikeni Intertwined With Pakalana Strands, Rocky Road & Mint Chocolate Chip Banana Royales, Vellum Envelopes, Vellux Blankets, A Full Tank Of Gas, The Met, Becoming One Of The Up-&-Coming Legendary Children, Morrissey, Moonbeams, Anuenue, Looking For The Silver Lining, Captivating Dark Horses, Gentlemen Broncos, Alcott, Byron, Muir, Tennyson, Whitman, & Wilde, I Also Love...Pickled Anything, Paying Off My Credit Card Balance Every Month, Yanni, Working Magic In The Kitchen Whilst Sipping Negronis, PBS, Mendelssohn's Lieder Ohne Worte, Book 2, Op. 30: No. 7 In E-Flat Major, Op. 30, No. 1 Performed By Péter Nagy, Eating Ripe Mangoes & Letting The Juice Run Down Your Arms, Seahorses, Stracciatella Di Bufala, The Joy Luck Club, Victorian Mourning Jewelry, Tangled Marionettes, Siri = Iris Spelled Backwards, Wearing My Rubba Slippahs All Year Round, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Saint Honesty, Getting Lost Then Being Found, Spicy Beans In Bloody Mary Cocktails At The Turf Club, Spooning Leads To Forking, Lavish Ribbons & Braided Trims, Smiling, Sowing Seeds, Lanikai, Lumpia, 45 coin nickel slots, Blossom Dearie, Fluidity, Cindy Sherman, Jinya Ramen, Never Ever Paying Full Price, Vivaldi, Saint Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Getting Dirty, Coquettish Fashionistas, Bearded Baristas, Ganesha, Leonard's Malasadas, Clamming At Bodega Bay, Stunning Overtures, Long Parties & Short Skirts, Kamaboko Dip, Snuggle Buddies, Moustaches, Walt & Bennett, Xanadu, Makana's Hawaiian Slack Key Ballads, Exorbitant Men's Cologne, Sister Wendy, Sour Lemon Tarts, Quiet Prayers, Garry Winogrand, Dare, Enya, Guayaberas & Other Assorted Resort/Cruisewear Separates, The Graceful Art Of Negotiation, Lotusland, Hot Corn Chowder On Nippy Autumn Afternoons, Dry-Cleaned Trousers, The Olympics, Bing Cherry Juice, Boiled Peanuts, Making My Friends Laugh Uncontrollably By Acting Simply Ridiculous, Cheezeball Airbrushed Van Art, Chris In The Morning, Fresh Cut Grass, Misfortune Cookies, Using The Revolutionary "Think" System, The Agony Of Defeat, The Gratification Of Shucking Oysters, Bone Folders, Old 8mm Films Of My Carefree Childhood In Hawaii, The Wafting Smoke Right After You Blow Out The Candles From Your Birthday Cake, White-Hooded Nun Finches, Sailors Knots, Mayonnaise, Lourdes & Medjugorje, Mad Et Len, The Struts, Putti, Labradorite & Hematite, ABT, Beautiful Disasters, Gulick Delicatessen, Funny Valentines, Tie-Breaker Volleyball Games, Aubergine Velvet Is The New Black, Isaac Mizrahi, Permaculture, Furikake, Sharp Wit & Ardent Innuendo, Etsy, Taco Tuesday & Sushi Sunday, Prince Alarming, Indonesian Sampoernas, Badgley Mischka, Unopened Cracker Jack Toys, Shampooed Locks, Pintxo, Kissing The Nape Of The Neck, Having Lots Of Fresh Towels On Hand For Guests, Fashionable Tardiness, Haute Dawgs, Old Armoire Skeleton Keys That Still Work, Elmer Fudd, Spinning Tall Tales, Lichen On Lava Rocks, Bottom Line Fishing During A Full Moon Off The Waianae Coast With My Grandpa, Dominic North, Party Favors, Andreas Vollenweider, Surfers On Acid, Bibingka, Crackling Campfires, Dry Rubbed Pork Bbq Ribs, Hail Mary Passes, Anything Taboo, Dominique Ansel, Torn Fishnets, Pottery Glazes, Miss Gypsy Rose Lee, Poutine, Wat Doi Suthep In Chiang Mai, The Moth, Stiff Drinks, Stupid Winged White Unicorns, Okazuya, The Big Apple, Roller Coaster Anxiety, Wearing A Damn Mask, Amber & Pink Sunsets & The Sunburns From Earlier That Day, & Always, Always, Always Doing It My Way.
