A late Mother's Day Gift for my Late Mother

Glory and the Moon Man is an animated lullabye I created for people who have lost their mothers.

Mother's Day is always rough for me. I tend to cry at random things, act a little manic, and throw myself into work. Par for the course, for someone who has lost their mother. They never tell you that the grief never really lessens--it just hides until milestones like Mother's Day, when it hits you like an NDA in Donald Trump's cabinet.

This year I decided to channel my depression into art.

When my mom was battling cancer, she channeled her frustration into art. She started with adult coloring books, and eventually transitioned into creating her own beautiful, colorful patterns. We always talked about writing children's stories together, so for Mother's Day this year, I decided to animate her art, and create our first digital collaboration.

I am two days late, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind, LOL.

Glory and the Moon Man is about ignoring that little voice inside your head that always tells you that YOU SUCK. I named that voice the Moon Man. Naming it helped me disassociate with it. So when I am being hard on myself, I just imagine that it's the Moon Man talking, which makes it much easier to ignore.

My mom always told me I could do anything I set my mind to, so whenever I feel the Moon Man taking over, I hear her voice instead. The voice of a mother, telling me to be kind to myself. The voice of Glory.

I wanted to share this lesson with the world, and particularly children. Teaching kids at a young age to balance out negativity within their own minds is something we should all be doing. And since I've identified the Moon Man in my own life, it's made a huge difference in my relationships, specifically my relationship with myself. (which is currently the only one I have, haha).

Glory and the Moon Man is the second artistic collaboration between my mom and me. The first, was the Public Eye Soar festival in Panama City, where we projected our artwork onto the buildings in my hometown. That collab also happened after she died, but as anyone who knew her could tell you, my mom was the kind of person who was meant to bring good into the world, even after her death.

I am incredibly proud and humbled to share Glory and the Moon Man with the world (lisp and all).

Thank you for checking it out. It is only the beginning.