Me, Myself & I - Hard Enamel Pin Collection

The Me, Myself & I collection !

A FLOWER THROUGH THE CRACKS (bottom right):
This pin's title is inspired by a novel Monee once wrote and scrapped (but promises to rewrite one day). The metaphor was tied to a character raised in an abusive family and taught to be his father's perfect doll. However, to protect his sister, he ran away with her and decided to follow his own path to heal from the trauma inflicted to him. Out of all the characters Monee has created, he's one of the most tragic, yet despite the hardships he's faced, his entire arc is about how his father never managed to smother his light.

In Monee's novel "Blood Widow", the character of Yuri follows a similar path. Yuri endured years of abuse from his father who wanted to make him into the "perfect man": a stoic, emotionless person who doesn't shed tears or show weakness (so, kindness). However, despite it all, Yuri remains kind and soft, a rebellion in his own way.

We live in a world that teaches boys that kindness is weakness, tells girls to smother themselves to fit in, and casts aside anyone that doesn't fit in either box. However, we firmly believe that no matter the circumstances, a flower will always find a way to bloom. Nature is the one constant; it will break through concrete, cover ruins, and even, as this pin shows, blossom through a perfect marble statue.

The flower bursting through the heart of the pin is a red peony, a symbol of prosperity and love.

SCULPTED BY THE WAVES (SOLD OUT) (bottom left)
When designing this pin, Monee wanted to highlight the erosion of a cliff by the waves but turned into something beautiful. We are a product of our experiences. Like waves, the things we go through - the good, the bad, and the ugly - carve us into someone different from the person we were yesterday, two days ago, a week, a year, ten years ago.
But rather than seeing it as 'erosion' in the sense that something was lost, we prefer to see it as 'sculpted', because the latter embraces the result of those changes. You are not eroded; you are just a new thing born from the old and sculpted by what you went through. And like every marble statue was a slab of stone at first, what you become as the years go by is even more of a work of art.

Now, you just need to believe it.

MY OWN ATLAS (up left):
In Greek mythology, Atlas is a Titan condemned to hold the Earth on his shoulders for eternity.

This pin struck Monee while she was brushing her teeth, sick with covid and thinking about how everyone is their own Atlas in a way, carrying a world on their shoulders. This is symbolized by the map of the world tattooed on the character's muscular back (which, by the way, took hours to make so please tell Monee she did a good job).

We are each a whole world to carry, and we are stronger by default of existing, just because we carry it every day tirelessly. Whenever you feel you are not doing enough, remind yourself of that undeniable truth: your existence has inherent worth. You carry a whole world on your shoulders every day, so be kind to yourself, you are doing your best.

FORGED IN FIRE (up right) :
This pin was inspired by the myth of Icarus who flew too close to the sun with wings made of wax and fell into the sea when they melted. It came to Monee's mind while listening to "Angel on Fire" by Halsey, specifically the part where she sings:

"I used to be a darling starlet like a centerpiece
Had the whole world wrapped around my ring
I flew too closely to the sun that's setting in the East
And now I'm melting from my wings"

What if, after failing once, those wings melted to reveal metal wings underneath? Wouldn't you keep trying to go higher and higher? The goal of this pin is to paint a reality where your mistakes don't stop you from trying again. The melting wax uncovers something sturdier, forged in fire and made to last.

Don't let your failures stop you. Don't let them define who you are, but do use them as lessons.

"But Monee, metal melts under high heats!" and Icarus should have frozen before his wings melted considering the temperatures in high altitudes, we're just being a little poetic 🤭