42 Honest Advice On Relationships And Life In General By This Balloon Artist
We all have that friend who pollutes our Facebook or Instagram feed. Now the actual toxic waste they spill might differ, but whether it's cringy boomer comics or their very, very amateur nature photos, even the most mundane posts can become poisonous in huge amounts.
I usually try to distance myself from these people without actually confronting them; I unfollow them. But Michael James Schneider, a writer and artist living in Portland, Oregon, has found a more creative way to deal with them.
When he got fed up with the ridiculous amounts of balloons popping up on his social media feeds, Michael decided to point out how ridiculous they can be by becoming part of the cult.
"I try to make commentary about, or poke fun at, social media. The balloons were a social media trope often used in bridal showers and gender reveals, so they were a natural progression of that idea. I love the contrast of profound, funny, or challenging quotes spelled in silly balloons. And since another common cliche is endless selfies, I tend to put myself in most of the photos. They often make people cringe, but the cringe is the point," Michael told Bored Panda.
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The artist usually gets the phrases from the Internet. "I source them online, most of the quotes are curated from other, far wiser people, and me and my friend slash assistant, Andrew Jankowski, try to attribute them as accurately as possible." Michael is also asking people who repost his art to please do their best to credit the people who originally said these phrases too.
Thank you. I needed this today. I was just having this discussion with friends yesterday. I always see the good in people, and often that view hurts me deeply. What is wrong with me? It's like I can't learn.
Words aside, another important part of each photo is its background. "One of my favorite things to do is spot a brightly colored wall when riding my bike in Portland, and make a mental note to visit it later," Michael explained his location scouting. "I choose colorful walls based on what direction they're facing (for lighting reasons), how public they are (so that I can set them up subtlety), and how textured the wall is (since very textured walls won't hold the type of tape I use)."
After the photoshoot is over, the balloons go back to Michael's basement, waiting to be used for the next shoot. The artist said these types of air-filled Mylar balloons aren't great for the environment, so he discourages people from buying them if their intention is to throw them away after use. "I reuse them from shoot to shoot and I have an alphabet in each color. I sometimes choose to use different colors if I’m out of a letter, rather than purchase more, and then I photoshop the colors to match afterwards."
Both statements are true. The morbidly obese pathological lying vindictive narcissistic imbecile with the emotional maturity of a toddler (AKA tRump) is simply a horrible, horrible person.
Michael has been trying to make it as a creative ever since he put his 20-year experience in retail management on pause. He paints, directs, writes, is an amateur interior designer, and has done theatrical set and production design. "I don’t claim to have the answers for anyone, least of all myself, but I’m having fun on the journey. Or at least pretending to on social media."
omg, litterlly the first time I saw the top comment is with negative votes. Such a hard theme to make an opinion.
The only one you can change is yourself - by making different choices and realizing that how we react to what life serves us is often not by choice but by lazy habit.
Ah yes. I too enjoy staring lovingly at disembodied hearts. XD jk why is that there?
This is a little all-or-nothing kind of statement, but I think here he is trying to say something about complacency. Do you stay silent when your partner makes comments or micro-aggressions that are homophobic? An ally ought to try to open a dialogue with their partner to find why they say things or the root of their misunderstanding, etc.
A lot of these are really good....others are just 'edgy' or plain gatekeeping behavior...
Yeah, a second read revealed some of them as condescending, imo.
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Only to stupid people.
I applaud his message; but couldn't he use something that's a bit more environmentally friendly? or maybe edible? :p
Looks to me like he re-uses them.
He fucking better.
Relax, it's all been photoshopped. Not a single balloon was was injured or killed in the making of these photos.
After the photoshoot is over, the balloons go back to Michael's basement, waiting to be used for the next shoot. The artist said these types of air-filled Mylar balloons aren't great for the environment, so he discourages people from buying them if their intention is to throw them away after use. "I reuse them from shoot to shoot and I have an alphabet in each color. I sometimes choose to use different colors if I’m out of a letter, rather than purchase more, and then I photoshop the colors to match afterwards."
How long would something edible hold up in the sun and heat? Long enough to be stuck to the wall an photographed several times?
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Some good points but a lot of condescending statements there
Yes. Is he a licensed therapist or mental health worker? No? No one likes unsolicited advice.
Even if he was a licensed therapist or life coach or something it would still be unsolicited. Nobody asked. Still some of these are pretty cool.
A lot of these are really good....others are just 'edgy' or plain gatekeeping behavior...
Yeah, a second read revealed some of them as condescending, imo.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Only to stupid people.
I applaud his message; but couldn't he use something that's a bit more environmentally friendly? or maybe edible? :p
Looks to me like he re-uses them.
He fucking better.
Relax, it's all been photoshopped. Not a single balloon was was injured or killed in the making of these photos.
After the photoshoot is over, the balloons go back to Michael's basement, waiting to be used for the next shoot. The artist said these types of air-filled Mylar balloons aren't great for the environment, so he discourages people from buying them if their intention is to throw them away after use. "I reuse them from shoot to shoot and I have an alphabet in each color. I sometimes choose to use different colors if I’m out of a letter, rather than purchase more, and then I photoshop the colors to match afterwards."
How long would something edible hold up in the sun and heat? Long enough to be stuck to the wall an photographed several times?
This comment has been deleted.
Some good points but a lot of condescending statements there
Yes. Is he a licensed therapist or mental health worker? No? No one likes unsolicited advice.
Even if he was a licensed therapist or life coach or something it would still be unsolicited. Nobody asked. Still some of these are pretty cool.