Polar bears, narwhals, a vision and a webshop

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Arctic? Probably a lot of ice and snow and maybe also some animals. The Arctic is in a critical condition and there are efforts being made to raise awareness and save this region. Why not do so with a Spreadshirt shop? Nadia from Denmark is combining creativity, passion and the inspiration of the Danish singer and artist Oh Land to play her part in a big cause.

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Nadia, a Dane who lives in Sweden. I dabble in creative writing and product design as well as business concepts – fun stuff.

Can you describe your project?

I have wanted to help the Arctic for a long time. Being Scandinavian has something to do with it. I started following the changes to the landscape in Greenland and the impact made by global warming a long time ago. When habitats for polar animals disappear, habitats for human beings disappear somewhere else on Earth, too. We all depend on the Arctic. One day I noticed that Oh Land (a Danish singer and artist, currently living in New York) fits this cause very well, and then I discovered that she was among the very first to sign the petition on www.savethearctic.org. I felt very inspired by that, and ideas of images started to take shape in my head.

Soon after came the idea of a webshop donating the proceeds to the cause. Basically I have been working on my Spreadshirt shop since then.

Can you tell us more about the designs?

I had a very clear vision of what I wanted, so I wrote everything down in detail. Then I found some people to draw them for me. It was a process of playing with ideas and it was SO much fun. At least when people eventually followed the instructions! (laughs)

Anyway, some illustrations are in part inspired by Oh Land and her music – such as “Frostbite” and “Best In Snowbiz”. Others are not. If you feel like checking out what narwhals have to do with Oh Land, you can do so on www.tuskortooth.com.

The soundtrack for this project has largely drawn on the albums “Fauna” and “Oh Land”, which seem fitting for my Snowland. I’m still not done, however, with either the designs or the project. And I am always looking for people who are interested in helping to realise new ideas to benefit the shop – illustrators among others. So don’t be afraid to send a personal message on Facebook.

How do you market the shop to create more awareness?

The shop has a Facebook page called Save the Arctic Webshop. I’m also working on getting back on Twitter but it might take a while. Keep an eye on Facebook for any news about that.

What are your hopes for the future?

That the work of various organisations will successfully help the Arctic.

On a more personal level, I want to realise my business concepts, product designs and other projects I have on the drawing board. They are exciting and beneficial to people, animals and the environment.

Why Spreadshirt?

The bear. 🙂 What drew me to Spreadshirt in the first place (besides Google) was your products that fit me very well. The teddy bear was just right. It looks like good quality and that is important. It was also your printing techniques, that you offer these interesting choices of glitter and other methods.

And when I contacted Spreadshirt, they were very kind. So that sealed the deal.

Other comments?

I would like to thank everyone who has helped this project. It wouldn’t have made it without you.
Daniel, David, Ben, Lisbet and everyone else.