Artist creates heartwarming pins congratulating the victories that go unnoticed
Wouldn't it be nice if every victory earned a congratulations? Artist Emily McDowell thinks so.
She created one part hilarious, one part heartwarming enamel pins to recognize personal accomplishments and "everyday bravery."
"I realized that we don't actually tend to celebrate or recognize the things that are actually our biggest challenges," the artist told Mashable.
"Things like surviving grief or changing your thinking take a lot of work, and I think it's cool to acknowledge it."
Currently offering 24 pins ranging from "Unfriended a racist" to "Drank enough water," the company offers congratulations for individual accomplishments that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
"In order to write our Empathy Cards, which is probably the product we're best known for, I end up thinking a lot about the hardest parts of life," McDowell said of her creative process. "[The pins are] all based around common human experiences that a lot of people go through."
Each gold plated pin base is made from an art file, and then recessed areas are filled with colored, hard enamel and polished to achieve an attractive smooth surface.
When asked which is her favorite, the artist confessed it was the one that read, "Someone didn't like me and it was okay."
"It took way too long in therapy for me to be able to say that," she joked.
"One of the most fun parts of selling them has been getting to see all the people posting pictures of the pins they've bought or gotten as gifts, and the stories behind them," McDowell added.
A little bit funny, a little bit touching, these pins would definitely make an encouraging gift.
