Save The Chubby Unicorns

Over the years I've heard more and more about how the pollution on this planet has gotten out of control. You see recycle bins popping up near everywhere next to trash cans. Businesses and schools proudly claim to be "going green" and I've been left to ask myself how I can help. What is it I can do?

I've been a freelance artist for six years now. Most of my work revolves around painting animals and nature, bringing the beauty of outside into your living room.

Helping preserve the world around us in paint and color pencil, but I kept having this nagging feeling that I wasn't doing enough to help people look outward, to want to help protect the planet.

*Sidebar, not going to lie to you, I am a little bit obsessed with nature documentaries (thank you BBC and David Attenborough!!) and since animals are already a central theme of most of my work already, I decided to give myself a more in depth education on endangered species.

What I found about these different animals was astounding and heart breaking at the same time. A vast majority of the animals that are on this list are there because of deforestation and fishing/poaching.

Way to go humans.

So how can I help save the chubby unicorns? What, as an artist, could I do to make a difference?

I firmly believe the arts have a great advantage to bring awareness to just about any and everything if the artist puts their mind to it.

I started my series "Endangered Animal Species" (I know super original) after visiting my favorite art stop--Arts and Scraps. This little shop is filled to the brim with "junk" discarded from events or leftovers from businesses. They literally have a little bit of everything; from carpet squares to CDs to tickets to empty coffee tins. You name it, they probably have it. After a binge shopping spree and filling up not one not two, but THREE whole paper bags to the brim with leftover raffle tickets in a wide spectrum of colors, I felt like I was ready to go.

Why raffle tickets, you ask?

I am also a firm believer in symbolize.

What's the first thing that comes to mind? Carnivals? 50/50? A really low chance of winning something?

Yes to all of these. But I use the raffle tickets to go a bit broader...*drum roll please* Capitalism.

So I use the tickets to represent the consumerism that has lead to illegal trading and trafficking of animal parts, excessive trash, and pollution. This is a very wide umbrella, but ultimately our greed and carelessness has caused many creatures to completely disappear or driven to the brink of existence.

Key term(s):

• Illegal trading/trafficking: More commonly known as poaching. What you are probably most familiar with is the ivory trade, where elephants and even rhinos are hunted and more often than not killed or left for dead for their horns. Other forms of poaching are from animal pelts, mostly common with different wild cats such as tigers, cheetahs and leopards for their exotic prints. This also includes illegal or excessive fishing and/or whaling in areas with bans.

You're probably thinking "well duh. I know that poaching is wrong." And if you're onboard with that, yay you! You've already helped save animal by not participating in the illegal trade. Other ways to help stop this is to raise awareness and make sure you aren't buying trafficked or poached goods.

Another way to help is to make sure you are getting your goods from companies that are taking steps in becoming eco-friendly and has strong sustainability.

As seen in the above picture I not only use the raffle tickets, but paper scraps (either accumulated from my own projects or from art classrooms). The paper scraps represent the deforestation that has taken away the habitats of almost all of the animals on the endangered species list.

Key term(s):

• Deforestation: the process of removing forests to clear out areas for farms, housing, or businesses. Think of deforestation as one day a bulldozer coming through and plowing down your house without warning to put a mini-mall. It would suck.

This is a bit trickier in how you as an individual can help stop deforestation, but for the most part raising awareness and signing petitions to NOT tear down land is a great place to start.

You can also donate or participate with organizations that help protect wild life reservations and plant trees.

In the above picture, it is a bit more 60/40 on the paper and raffle tickets. I don't necessarily differentiate between the different species and their habits, though I do try to use the raffle tickets as much as possible though.

Now you're probably thinking, this is cool and all, but how does it actually raise awareness for these animals?

Well, I'm happy you asked. Here's how. At all of my art shows I have a little sign that I hang and it is also visible on all of the art profiles on my Etsy page to help inform buyers. This is what it looks like.

Not only do I provide this information, but each animal comes with it's own fun fact info card. For example, if you were to purchase the Hawksbill Sea Turtle.

You would also receive this super cute little card.

I know this project is only a small step in the right direction, but I feel there are a lot of people out there that don't fully understand the extent of the damage that has been done to our planet and the beautiful creatures that live here with us.

I can only hope that this project helps bring awareness so we can take action to protect not only these animals, but their habitats and homes as well.

For more info on the endangered animals, I highly recommend checking out the link at the top of the article. It's a super cool website with a bunch of information and different ways to research different animals and habitats.

Or you can check out my Etsy and the other endangered animal projects I've done.

Together we can raise awareness and actively watch our behaviors to help improve the planet and save the chubby unicorns!