{"id":57009,"date":"2017-10-16T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/youve-seen-her-work-now-hear-her-story-carra-sykes-on-teaming-up-with-target-for-spiritday-ellen-page-and-more\/"},"modified":"2017-10-16T12:00:35","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T16:00:35","slug":"youve-seen-her-work-now-hear-her-story-carra-sykes-on-teaming-up-with-target-for-spiritday-ellen-page-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/youve-seen-her-work-now-hear-her-story-carra-sykes-on-teaming-up-with-target-for-spiritday-ellen-page-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"You’ve seen her work, now hear her story: Carra Sykes on teaming up with Target for #SpiritDay, Ellen Page, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’ve seen her work, now hear her story: Carra Sykes on teaming up with Target for #SpiritDay, Ellen Page, and more<\/b><\/p>\n

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Carra Sykes<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Last week, I chatted with artist Carra Sykes to ask her about her collaboration with Target for Spirit Day<\/a><\/strong>, the world\u2019s most visible LGBTQ youth anti-bullying campaign. In a casual conversation, one thing was made clear: Carra Sykes is a force for good in the LGBTQ community. Check out her story below.<\/em><\/p>\n

Join Carra and take the Spirit Day pledge now!<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve ever been on Instagram, you\u2019ve probably seen artwork by Carra Sykes<\/a>. If you\u2019re a queer person on Instagram, you\u2019ve definitely seen her work and felt seen in the process. Sykes\u2019 graphic illustrations have always drawn a strong following on social media but, recently, it\u2019s been hard to avoid her illustrations\u2013and that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n

Sykes is amplifying queer voices through her art and a force for good on social media. Lucky for queer kids everywhere, she\u2019s releasing a new collection of graphics with Target for this year\u2019s Spirit Day, the anti-bullying campaign getting millions\u2013including celebrities, schools, organizations, landmarks, faith leaders, companies, and more\u2013to \u201cgo purple\u201d in support of LGBTQ youth.<\/p>\n

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Photo credit:\u00a0Lauren Marek\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Carra Sykes, a queer artist based out of Houston, Texas, is perhaps best known for her work on Instagram. Beyond her personal profile<\/a>\u2013which is aesthetic goals for any millennial\u2013Sykes\u2019 most notable \u201csticker\u201d graphics were released in June. Originally intended for Pride Month celebrations, Sykes\u2019 stickers have lasted into the Fall, likely due to their popularity.<\/p>\n

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Graphic credit: Carra Sykes,\u00a0Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n

Look familiar? The transgender flag eye, along with the rainbow megaphone graphic have become social media staples for LGBTQ and ally users alike.<\/p>\n

Sykes\u2019 ability to represent the LGBTQ community through art sets her apart on an otherwise often volatile social media landscape. It\u2019s no wonder that when Target needed a compassionate artist to collaborate with for Spirit Day, the company enlisted Sykes.<\/p>\n

On Spirit Day, Thursday, October 19, you can visit any Target store nationwide to use Sykes’ filters on Snapchat and send messages of positivity to your friends.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sykes was honored to receive the offer to make anti-bullying come to life for Target, a presenting partner of Spirit Day 2017 and longtime supporter of GLAAD\u2019s anti-bullying and youth initiatives. Together with Target, Sykes was able to create relatable artwork reminding viewers that Spirit Day is a moment to come together and\u00a0support one another\u2013especially online.<\/p>\n

When asked about cyberbullying, Sykes thinks when there are young people online \u201cbearing their souls, people say hurtful things to them, and then other people read those hurtful comments it creates this chain reaction of negativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sykes\u2019 art for Target and Spirit Day aims to \u201cencourage\u201d young people and \u201chelp show them that others are out there cheering for them, so that they can believe \u2019yeah I think I can come out\u2013I think I can be myself and live<\/a> my truth.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sykes now works to be a part of Spirit Day as an affirming movement she claims she needed as a kid. Sykes recalled experiencing bullying when she was young.\u00a0She remembers trying to avoid a certain stairwell in her school where a classmate would continually yell anti-queer slurs at her.<\/p>\n

Describing herself as the \u201cathletic art kid,\u201d she expressed herself differently from most everyone else she knew. Being teased, harassed, or attacked because of appearance is a familiar concept for most young people. Sykes believes she was bullied because of her appearance and for being perceived as queer despite not identifying as queer at the time.<\/p>\n

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Sykes, who now identifies as queer, recalls questioning her own identity as a kid and internalizing the homophobic slurs she endured in school. She found herself questioning and silencing her own exploration of identity, asking herself, \u201cis this who I am? Am I gay<\/a>? Maybe not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sykes said, \u201cI was scared of what people might think if I came out and I was jealous of kids that were open. I wished I could be like them. I wished I could come out and start accepting the feelings I have. I fought it for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

A turning point for her was when Ellen Page came out publicly by giving a moving speech about her identity as a member of the LGBTQ community. Sykes asked herself, \u201c\u2018when am I going to find that courage in myself?\u2019 Then I watched it a few more times and was like okay\u2026 one day I will be able to stand up, be brave.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, Sykes says, she uses her art and her platforms to be brave in representing queer life for others to enjoy and learn from. \u201cOne of the biggest reasons I went into graphic design was because I can be a voice for people, but I never knew I could do it for the LGBTQ community.\u201d She says, thanks to Target, she can play a bigger part in Spirit Day and use her art to fight the good fight.<\/p>\n

2017 marks Target’s third consecutive year as Presenting Partner of Spirit Day.\u00a0“At Target, we believe that everyone has something to contribute and deserves the chance to pursue new opportunities,” said Caroline Wanga, Target’s Chief Diversity Officer. “This commitment ensures we understand and fulfill the needs of the guests we serve and are able to influence and be influenced by the communities we support. As a result, our collective work and purpose is strengthened, which is good for all. Target is proud to stand with the LGBTQ community on Spirit Day and raise awareness about the impact bullying has on the potential of young people, everywhere.”<\/p>\n

Be sure to take the #SpiritDay pledge<\/a>, go purple, and\u00a0visit a Target store near you on October 19th!<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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October 16, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Issues:\u00a0<\/div>\n