The Minnesota State Fair is a yearly event in late August that is highly attended and loved by many. As an artist, every year I would tell myself I’ll enter something into the fair "next year.." but I never followed through on my dream.

Deciding this was the year to act, I bought a new journal and wrote 2026 on the cover. This journal became a starting point for lots of creative activity, which I have been documenting.

While journaling, I stumbled upon another unexplored dream: the idea of making a hanging art mobile. I began to draw, cut paper, and think deeper about form, materials, and what I feel compelled to express. It occurred to me that entering art into the fair + making a hanging art mobile could = one big goal that will satisfy two dreams at the same time. I didn’t need any louder of a sign from the universe. I went for it!

The artistic definition of a “mobile” is motion and motive. I created my own set of recognizable shapes and symbols that feel connected to love, dreaming, hope, peace, and positivity. Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator, I spent time adjusting proportions, curves, and details until each shape looked right to me.

I’ve always felt like a bit of a hippie at heart, so I wanted the visual language of the mobile to reflect that spirit. I want the individual pieces to feel playful, with bright colors dancing in the air. I want light to pass through the shapes while in motion, projecting more color outward into the surrounding space.

This is me in 1984. I’m sitting at my Smurf desk (a favorite place) listening to records, drawing, and being creative.

I remember the sunlight in that room, and how it came through the rainbow decal on the window. There is so much contained in this photograph: curiosity, imagination, solitude, music, color, and a child who already understood that making art was where he felt most like himself.

It feels especially meaningful that my first entry into the Minnesota State Fair is something so purely me; an honest expression of care for others, communicated visually in a way that only I could have envisioned. It brings together so many pieces of who I have always been. Watching it move brings me joy.

The fair runs every day from August 27 to September 7, 2026.

Find even more documention of the creative process behind making this hanging art mobile at my Art & Inspiration Desk. To see even more videos and art content of mine let’s be sure to connect on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and/or BlueSky.