CAMPAIGN ARTWORK
"Art is consumed in many different ways...and this campaign
supports that creativity."
RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH CITY BEAUTIFICATION
2021's "Most Active Artist in the state of Kentucky"
has joined my team. Why? Find out below!
In the winter of 2021, I first planned my budget. I believed that $30,000 was a large sum of money, and although ambitious, it was relatively small amount for a political campaign. Mayors, Governors and Senators must spend ten times that amount, in the end, to win an election.
Until June of last year, the number sat in the back of my mind. I thought “that’s a good number, but hell, what do I get for it?” I get some billboards around town, a few thousand tshirts, I figured 20 yard signs per 500 homes does not come cheap, plus there is television/radio advertising to calculate too. We’ll need a vehicle to transport our gear, a website to contain pertinent information, we’ll have to invest time in setting up a bank account, registering a post office box and I’ll need to pay my team members to be leaders in their specific areas across the county.
Then, at a car show, in July, at the Lexington Legends -it hit me. I was admiring Dani Greene’s mural of Trinity Gay and thought -what are the laws around art and artistic expression? I was staring at contracts, on my desk, for nearly $10k for just 10 billboards, and simply couldn’t justify them.
The sheriff race does not usually get picked up in the local news media. The attention it receives is not nearly as heavy as other political races in Fayette County. If I am to be elected to a position that budgets appropriately and responsibly, then I would need to run my campaign in a similar fashion. Smart, effective, cost-efficient, and creative marketing would be needed to pull off a successful campaign.
In the summer of 2021, I hired Dani to paint a mural for me personally. Then, we sat down, and hashed out a plan. We talked about differences and similarities. How we wanted to tackle the current climate in Fayette County, and how we could get our message to connect with local voters. From there, we signed a contact and have hit the ground running.
My marketing campaign’s goal, of course, is to raise name awareness across our county; but it also targets neighborhoods that could benefit from a mural or two. I intend to beautify our city of Lexington, by hiring the best, local artists I can find. Each with their own talent, style and flair.
The pieces will speak to the demographic, area and culture that they’re displayed in, while also contributing to a workforce that typically is out ‘tagging’ buildings and trains. By giving these artists a second-change to prove themselves, it’s a win-win for everyone.