We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon Thrift. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandon below.
Brandon, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
The first initial risk I took to spearhead this Spread Love journey of mine, started in June 2020 when I decided to rent a car, pack it up with as many painting supplies I could fit, and head out on the road trying to saturate as many cities with my art until I completely ran out of all the money I had in my savings account. It had started with the idea of painting as many Spread Love canvases I could until I exhausted my supplies. I traveled for a little over three weeks across 14 different states, painting Spread Love on everything I could get my hands on, from old broken down furniture, to tarps, old busted canvases, bedsheets, everything. I would paint during the day in a random park or parking lot, and after everything dried I would drive around and leave the pieces of art around town at points of interest for other people to find/take home. During this three week period I was able to leave several hundred pieces of art around, including tying a Spread Love bedsheet to the I-10 overpass in La, a 20ft tarp from the top of an abandoned building in New Orleans, to the dozens of pieces around Hollywood Ca in preparation for the LGBTQ/Black Lives Matter parade that included over half a million participants. This inaugural mission gained traction for my artistic expression of the verbiage, and landed me some serious visibility spots on Major news networks.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I initially started my art movement as a cathartic form of expression/release for myself, as a way to cope with the suppressive elements of COVID. I was bartending and playing music full time when COVID hit, and was stripped of my outlets for creativity. The overwhelming negative stimulation from the news and the tumultuous energy surrounding us as humans was more than enough to catapult me headfirst into my artistic endeavors. I wanted nothing more than to combat the negativity in the world with an idea that would alter individual perspectives of the public into focusing on something more positive and inspiring, all with the intention of providing peace and reinforcing positive mental attitude. It was, and still continues to be to this day, a constant daily output of positive artwork for people to find and connect with, in forms of Spread Love stickers and artwork in the form of art drops.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My main objective with my particular artistic mission is to offer clarity on the fundamental concept of human connection through the simple and profound message of love and community. Life can be quite the challenge, full of obstacles and a surplus of negativity and I believe that through connection, community, and pushing the agenda of positive mental attitude the world can be changed for the better.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that there are no ceilings to knowledge and learning, and there will always be an opportunity to hone your craft/message and become an overall better person. There are limitless resources to expand your artistic prowess, limitless varieties of opportunities to connect with the world and to solidify your position in this world as a creative individual.
Contact Info:
- Website: artbybrandonthrift.com
- Instagram: @artbybrandonthrift
Image Credits
Brandon Thrift