A "Black Heart" Full of Love

This is exactly how I felt following the death of George Floyd. My thoughts were spinning fast and I felt as if I needed to be louder than I have ever been before. Inspired by the #BlackoutTuesday initiative on social media (particularly on Instagram), I felt there was something more that I needed to convey and create, especially as a man of color. The design I landed on is pictured above.

It may seem rather quiet at first glance, but its simplicity was purposeful. The "Black Heart" represents something way beyond the narrative that a lot of us want to see and live by. I think most importantly, it represents what we all want at the end of the day – which is simply love in its purest form. A heart full of love, compassion, humility, and peace. This creative, alongside the many other voices speaking out across the country, communicates something that lives beyond #BlackoutTuesday, and in many ways resonates differently with its viewer, based on their previous experiences, whatever they may be.

I wanted the conversation to continue beyond my initial design, so I brought together 15 of my creative colleagues from across the country and all from different walks of life to have a raw and honest conversation. I wanted to know what this difficult moment in time meant to others. Passion. Courage. Enough. All were a few of the many phrases expressed during this discussion. The OUTFRONT STUDIOS team, fueled by many different cultural backgrounds and nationalities, created several different designs, all within the same heart image parameter. The color shifted from black on black, to a muted grey, representing our continued solidarity, but also representing the growth within our perception of "color." Listed below you can see the full suite of designs, each coupled with an artist statement. Each is powerful in its own right, but the series captures the sentiment of furthering the conversation.

I am extremely fortunate to be able to have my "voice" shared on the largest and most powerful medium of them all: out of home. Our massive canvases give this creative and message the spotlight it needs and deserves. Never have the words "using our platform for good" rung more true to me… we are delivering messages that are good for the community, good for humanity, and good for people of color.

I hope these creative messages serve as a challenge to the world – to spark new conversations, new ideas, new thoughts, and above all else, change. Lastly, I hope it serves as a reminder that none of these things can be done without a heart full of love.

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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet.