Hey everyone,
I’m really glad you’re here because I wanted to tell you about a subject matter that’s dear to my heart!
Ecology is a big part of my life so it made sense that at some point I'd look into the sustainable aspects of my practice.
Indeed, when you're trying to be a more eco-friendly artist, you have to answer a lot of questions:
. What are the components inside all the tools I'm using?
. Are these components toxic?
. Are these tools recyclable?
. Is the process of making these tools sustainable?
. Where are my products made?
. How can I ship my work sustainably?
. How can I turn my whole craft into something more ecological?
When I asked myself these questions, I realized I didn’t like the answers. Indeed, I found out that the products I use aren't really good for my health and the planet’s health either.
For example:
. Acrylic painting is basically plastic.
. Some crayons or oil pastels or whatever tool one uses can contain harmful chemicals.
. The paper one may use to print its photographs isn't always natural and can destroy our forests.
. The film I use for my analog photography isn't vegan and the process of developing it can pollute the water.
. I sell prints of photographs I made while flying…
And that’s for my own practice but it’s the same with whatever craft:
. The digital photos one takes can be stored in the cloud which consumes lots of space and therefore electricity and thus energy.
. Same for the midjourney AI which isn't really environmentally friendly…
. When you stream a show or a film you're also consuming lots of electricity.
. The whole cinema industry is anything but sustainable.
. etc etc etc
So, I decided to make a switch.
This left me with two choices:
1. Make the products myself
2. Find more natural alternatives
- When it comes to choice 1, I realized it wasn’t possible for me.
Indeed, one can make its own paint by crushing flowers or rocks or foods but I don’t have the executive functions for it as an autistic adhd woman.
Besides, doing everything myself would also mean I'd have to up my prices a whole lot to make up for all the time invested.
And I don't want to do that.
I don't want to only have very wealthy clients to be able to buy my art, I want everyone to be able to.
But it's not just that, the result that comes with this process is pretty different than with acrylic paint and though I like it too, I don't see myself doing just that.
- So, I decided / had no other choice but to focus all my efforts on finding eco-friendly alternatives and I’m really happy because I found lots!!
Here’s, then, what you need to know about the art you may buy from me:
. I develop my analog film through a lab that recycles the water.
. I only print on demand and with paper that's not destroying our forests.
. I only buy the supply I need.
. I ship my art with recyclable tools and keep my eyes open for a clean plastic free alternative to bubble wrap (found one company and I use it for the envelopes but they're still in the development process of this bubble wrap alternative)
. I use 100 % plastic free paints1 free from both cadmium (a toxic component found in many paint brands which pollutes the earth) and with as little VOC (volatile organic compounds that can cause cancer to a certain amount) as possible, considering it's impossible to have zero voc in paint. And when I can’t do that, I at least use acrylic free of cadmium.
. When I can't use anything but paint with even just a little voc or acrylic, I use a process that allows me to separate the acrylic from water, making it safe to pour the water down the drain when I need to wash my brushes so the water isn't polluted with harsh ingredients that comes with acrylic which will in the end polluted our rivers and soils.
. I try to buy as much as I can the products made in my country or at least not very far from it to reduce carbon emissions.
. And I also work with second hand materials for some sculpture projects I'm brainstorming about, making a point in giving new life to things.
But even this can have its limitations.
Being perfect though isn’t possible for me and many other artists!
And, I don’t believe this whole issue can be fixed with a purity mindset…
It’s the same for life in general!
We all have to be imperfect instead of relying on a few who'll do everything perfectly…
Because, if all artists had to switch to a completely 100% natural process, I think there wouldn't be many of us left for a while until inventors came up with new ways to create which weren’t harmful to ourselves and the environment.
Also, another thing to consider when you're trying to be more sustainable is the recognition process.
Indeed, what do you do when you have the chance to be exhibited around the world?
Do you take the plane and share your art with potential buyers and art lovers or do you just quit and stay home and lose some sales?
Should we then stop shipping our work very far away and lose some income?
It's fucked up we’e left with choosing the lesser evil but it's what it is.
In the meantime, I'm truly trying the best I can and I'm always on the lookout for cleaner solutions for every aspect of my practice!!
So know that when you see my work, you're seeing:
. An artwork made with tools as natural as possible.
. Know that when you receive it, there's a lot of care put into it and that you can recycle all the packaging too afterwards.
. Know that when you're buying my art, you contribute to making the world a better place as I always give a part of my proceeds to charity aiming to save our world.
. Know that when you buy it you're allowing me to continue buying more natural tools considering they're more expensive.
Thank you for reading!
I hope you’ll support me and the planet in this journey!
Lots of love,
Caroline
Hey everyone,
I’m really glad you’re here because I wanted to tell you about a subject matter that’s dear to my heart!
Ecology is a big part of my life so it made sense that at some point I'd look into the sustainable aspects of my practice.
Indeed, when you're trying to be a more eco-friendly artist, you have to answer a lot of questions:
. What are the components inside all the tools I'm using?
. Are these components toxic?
. Are these tools recyclable?
. Is the process of making these tools sustainable?
. Where are my products made?
. How can I ship my work sustainably?
. How can I turn my whole craft into something more ecological?
When I asked myself these questions, I realized I didn’t like the answers. Indeed, I found out that the products I use aren't really good for my health and the planet’s health either.
For example:
. Acrylic painting is basically plastic.
. Some crayons or oil pastels or whatever tool one uses can contain harmful chemicals.
. The paper one may use to print its photographs isn't always natural and can destroy our forests.
. The film I use for my analog photography isn't vegan and the process of developing it can pollute the water.
. I sell prints of photographs I made while flying…
And that’s for my own practice but it’s the same with whatever craft:
. The digital photos one takes can be stored in the cloud which consumes lots of space and therefore electricity and thus energy.
. Same for the midjourney AI which isn't really environmentally friendly…
. When you stream a show or a film you're also consuming lots of electricity.
. The whole cinema industry is anything but sustainable.
. etc etc etc
So, I decided to make a switch.
This left me with two choices:
1. Make the products myself
2. Find more natural alternatives
- When it comes to choice 1, I realized it wasn’t possible for me.
Indeed, one can make its own paint by crushing flowers or rocks or foods but I don’t have the executive functions for it as an autistic adhd woman.
Besides, doing everything myself would also mean I'd have to up my prices a whole lot to make up for all the time invested.
And I don't want to do that.
I don't want to only have very wealthy clients to be able to buy my art, I want everyone to be able to.
But it's not just that, the result that comes with this process is pretty different than with acrylic paint and though I like it too, I don't see myself doing just that.
- So, I decided / had no other choice but to focus all my efforts on finding eco-friendly alternatives and I’m really happy because I found lots!!
Here’s, then, what you need to know about the art you may buy from me:
. I develop my analog film through a lab that recycles the water.
. I only print on demand and with paper that's not destroying our forests.
. I only buy the supply I need.
. I ship my art with recyclable tools and keep my eyes open for a clean plastic free alternative to bubble wrap (found one company and I use it for the envelopes but they're still in the development process of this bubble wrap alternative)
. I use 100 % plastic free paints1 free from both cadmium (a toxic component found in many paint brands which pollutes the earth) and with as little VOC (volatile organic compounds that can cause cancer to a certain amount) as possible, considering it's impossible to have zero voc in paint. And when I can’t do that, I at least use acrylic free of cadmium.
. When I can't use anything but paint with even just a little voc or acrylic, I use a process that allows me to separate the acrylic from water, making it safe to pour the water down the drain when I need to wash my brushes so the water isn't polluted with harsh ingredients that comes with acrylic which will in the end polluted our rivers and soils.
. I try to buy as much as I can the products made in my country or at least not very far from it to reduce carbon emissions.
. And I also work with second hand materials for some sculpture projects I'm brainstorming about, making a point in giving new life to things.
But even this can have its limitations.
Being perfect though isn’t possible for me and many other artists!
And, I don’t believe this whole issue can be fixed with a purity mindset…
It’s the same for life in general!
We all have to be imperfect instead of relying on a few who'll do everything perfectly…
Because, if all artists had to switch to a completely 100% natural process, I think there wouldn't be many of us left for a while until inventors came up with new ways to create which weren’t harmful to ourselves and the environment.
Also, another thing to consider when you're trying to be more sustainable is the recognition process.
Indeed, what do you do when you have the chance to be exhibited around the world?
Do you take the plane and share your art with potential buyers and art lovers or do you just quit and stay home and lose some sales?
Should we then stop shipping our work very far away and lose some income?
It's fucked up we’e left with choosing the lesser evil but it's what it is.
In the meantime, I'm truly trying the best I can and I'm always on the lookout for cleaner solutions for every aspect of my practice!!
So know that when you see my work, you're seeing:
. An artwork made with tools as natural as possible.
. Know that when you receive it, there's a lot of care put into it and that you can recycle all the packaging too afterwards.
. Know that when you're buying my art, you contribute to making the world a better place as I always give a part of my proceeds to charity aiming to save our world.
. Know that when you buy it you're allowing me to continue buying more natural tools considering they're more expensive.
Thank you for reading!
I hope you’ll support me and the planet in this journey!
Lots of love,
Caroline