A LITTLE BACKSTORY ABOUT THIS BALLOON THING...
In 2012, I started a brand called LoveLife. While we didn't sell too many t-shirts or much of anything, we sparked joy on the sidewalks by walking around with big red balloons, won a grant, got a little press and fostered some really cool ideas.
AWARDS!
I won a $1000 grant for doing the balloon thing from The Awesome Foundation. That was pretty awesome.
PRESS!
A nice fella' and writer named Paul, picked up on my story and penned a nice piece in a local Chicago paper.
ABOUT THE RED BALLOON PROJECT
In the fall of 2012, I started the Red Balloon Project. A project where I walk around with big red balloons and give them to people. It makes people happy (and confuses a few too).
Photo by Stephanie Bassos
LOVE MONDAYS
With some big balloons and some help from my good friend Carolyn Tubekis we set out to make this fun little video. Along the way, we managed to give some Monday mopers something to smile about.
BALLOON TRIP #49
Here's an example of one of our ballooner journeys. We went out around Chicago and passed out a Leap Year Project Book along with our big red balloon. It made someone quite pleased.
THE LOVE BROOM
A broom to sweep you off your feet. Love Brooms are unique gifts based on a true story. Offered in an array of clever phrases, each ships in a balloon-filled box and was handmade by myself and some handy friends.
HELIUM JOHNNY
A limited edition tee shirt with a rising silhouette of myself and a balloon. All Helium Johnny tees come in custom printed shoe boxes, include extra balloon string, and are shipped with mini balloons.
BALLOON HULLABALOO DETROIT
With the help of an awesome team, we pulled off the first-ever Balloon Hullabaloo. We raised money for Humble Design and gave out a whole bunch of giant balloons in the city of Detroit. I created the short video below and it was used to promote the event.
Photo by Grant Legan