Earlier this year, I tried to make a habit of doing “5 minute doodles” every day after I got off work. Working a full-time job in a creative field, I find it easy to burn out and was hoping this exercise would produce some fun ideas for personal projects.
I was scrolling Instagram one day and saw an aerial shot of a beach by an ocean photographer I follow, and I noticed that the different distances the waves had come in caused this squiggly effect in the sand. It reminded me of the layered shapes mountains make when you’re looking at them from a distance.
That evening, my doodle was inspired by the state I call home, and I drew out a mountain range turning into the ocean as seen from above.
A couple of weeks ago, when Hurricane Florence was expected to hit the coast of North Carolina as a category 4, I posted the image on my social media. I had a big response from people saying they would wear it as a shirt or would love a sticker version of it. After a few more coffees it clicked in my mind that I could raise money for hurricane relief if I sold the design.
The quickest and most cost-effective way I could manage at the time was to make stickers. I made an initial order of 100 and sold out within a week. Not thinking I would sell another 100, I made another order of 50 and sold out of those as well.
I was able to raise over $650 in this initial fundraising effort. I will be donating the money to The Red Cross and to The Rescue Ranch in Statesville, NC who is dedicated to helping rebuild shelters damaged by the hurricane.
If you’d like more information on how you can order a sticker, please fill out the form on my contact page.