One night, one of my roommates and I got into a conversation about acknowledgement and what life would be like without it. Acknowledgement is such an important element that we can easily take for granted. Imagine never being recognized as anything other than an inanimate object, no one speaks to you, no one even hears you speak. What could that do to a person? It becomes a question of self worth. These real life situations happen all of the time and can lead to depression and possibly something worse. The holidays can be hard and with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I wanted to do some acknowledging. I reminisced about Valentine’s Day in elementary school, and how much fun it was to make cards for everyone in the class. So I decided that I would make everyone my valentine. After getting advice from a few of my fellow classmates, I began my stealthy work. In our studio art building we have 132 lockers, 86 upstairs and 46 in the basement, and my plan was to covertly slip a card in each of them. I wanted these cards to be simple but profound and definitely anonymous, just a pleasant surprise of love and acknowledgment. Three reassuring words seemed best: You. Are. Loved.
At 10:14am on Sunday, February 14, 2010, I managed to complete Operation Lovechild under the radar. Every locker had a valentine and I slipped some extras in venting machines and a few other places where people could be surprised. In the days that followed, I began to see my valentines taped in lockers and in sketchbooks. There was some chatter about this project being strange, but I expected as much. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I can live with weirding people out, especially if that means I helped someone else know their worth. I want to continue these kinds of social pick-me-ups, and I have a few plans for the future. Until then, know that you are loved.
