Self Reflection (formerly referred to as “Oil Spill”)

Our new website went up earlier this week and there’s a brief mention there of Badass Backpacks’ newest bag series:  Self Reflection.  We’ve been sharing a lot of info here on the blog about project Oil Spill.  When we began working with Eli Halpin to create this series of bags, we talked a lot about animals being covered in oil.  Oil Spill was the perfect moniker to refer to all the work we’ve put into developing these bags. It’s been a perfect codename.  Time to change.  The theme for this new series of bags is: Self Reflection.  

What’s in a name?  Why change from Oil Spill to Self Reflection?

We’re creating backpacks that live at the intersection of art, obsession, and identity.  We have a lot of fun considering, asking, and deliberating each part of the bags we are making.  The name and the theme of these newest bags was debated — and Self Reflection is the name where we landed.

The Oil Spill might the first part about these new bags that we notice.  It leaps out.  We’ve trained ourselves to see something covered in muck as anti-beauty.  And then look a bit closer.  The animals are beautiful.  The oil is beautiful.

Eli created 5 phenomenal oil paintings for this project.  You can now purchase the art (prints available) on her website.
Oil Spill  |  Blue Herons Flight  |  Sea Turtle Quartet  |  Walrus With Gold Tusks |  Polar Bear Raindrops

Badass Backpacks is still becoming, and only getting started.  My first blog post back in 2015, started intentionally with Gratitude.  Always start with Gratitude.  😉  Our first work together, our first bag, was a statement about being True to oneself: Sincerity Inside.  A perfect leaping point.  And following that first leap, a large bucket of emotion and energy was kicked over, spilling out onto the table.  A bit messy.  And beautiful.  So what comes next?  Our second bag is: Self Reflection.

Have you ever felt like you had a layer of something weighing you down?  Something that was there, but you weren’t sure what it is?  Or why it’s feeling so heavy?

Sometimes it’s good to remember that immediately under that layer — is you.  Beautiful and powerful, pure and true.  And you’re there, even when that unexplainable layer of something is weighing you down.  You can always come back to who you really are. –blog excerpt

Put Yourself Inside.