The Inner Child Illustration Project!

I'm going to start by saying that I'm completely obsessed with this project. I've reveled in looking through childhood photos of my family. I've delighted in transforming these photos into graphic designs and I've been excited to share them with you all for weeks.

The Inner Child Illustration Project is a live electric line to childhood memories and to inner truth. The photos which inspire these designs are magical, hilarious and complex. Sometimes the photos of us as children come to replace (or perhaps always were a substitute for) the actual memories of our childhoods. So, in a sense these photos become archetypes of our youth. These memories and archetypes are always cast in relation to the self as it has developed over time.

For example, "EAT IT!" was developed from a photo of me as a child. I have no memory whatsoever of this event, BUT, it deeply inspires me. I see it and I think, "Look how free I was! Look how I took the spoon my my chunky little arm, fully a mess, fully letting go, fully enjoying the moment without shame!"

This design has become a totem for me. It is a reminder that, in fact, I was that free once and I can live that freedom right now.

It has been a healing experience. I even made one for my partner, Rory, a guitarist and he cried at the sight of his totem, "DO WHAT YOU LOVE."

Discovering and rediscovering this project is part of a larger arc of personal transformation in my life. I started digging into what I wanted from life, into how I wanted to feel on a daily basis, and into how I wanted to spend my precious time.

In this process of rebirth I discovered that I need art (I REALLY NEED ART!!) to feel healthy and grounded. I came to terms with the fact that I need art to stay alive; I need art to make it worth it to remain in an often tragic and desperate world.

I'm so happy to finally be opening this project up to other's. I'm available for commissions if you want to transform one of those iconic, hilarious photos of your childhood, or the childhood of friend, partner, or relative into one of these designs. Email me at makuch.allyson@gmail.com and we can chat!

I love you, thank you for being on this wild, creative, and curious journey with me as always.

-Ally