August 16, 2012

Cazmira prayer flag set reaches 21,000 feet!

This past spring I had the pleasure of collaborating on a very unique custom prayer flag set purchased for a gift, to give to a close friend that was about to embark on a 3 week journey to climb Mt. Denali in Alaska, the highest mountain peak in the United States and in North America.

The buyer wanted to give her friend something light weight to travel with him on his trek, and to have photos of his children and himself printed on it. Because often flags are used in mountain climbing, she thought of prayer flags, and arrived at our etsy shop, Cazmira.

I had explained that serigraphy, using a stencil to print, along with a silk screen would translate a photograph in a stylized manner, and sketched up examples.  She loved the outcome unexpectedly more than her original idea of a realistic photo transfer.  In addition she requested text! Another tricky matter, but we collaborated well, and chose some really poignant lines of a very long quote to use.
There was also another lil' hitch, she needed the flags within a week! They were express shipped, in time for her to meet her friend in LA before he took off for his journey this June. I told her to tell him, if he ever wanted T-shirts made, or if he wanted additional flag sets created I forever have stencils now of his children and himself. She told me she would send me photos of him at the top.



Measured base-to-peak, it is the tallest mountain on land, and the third most prominent peak in the world after Mount Everest and Aconcagua.  Mount McKinley, or also called Denali means "The High One".

July arrived, and I wondered what ever happened to the guy up on the mountain? I got in touch with the buyer and she was more than happy to send me the below photos along with a note:

 "I have attached a picture of him with the flags up at the summit (21,000 feet!) and one of him with the flags in his tent. He put the flags up all day (and night) in his tent and took them up with him to the summit. I can't even begin to tell you how much he absolutely loved them. He said they kept his spirits up during some of the most grueling days of the journey! The flags now hang in the entry way of his house for every one to see."



The flags on either side of the photos read " I go to them as humans go to worship.
Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion...On each journey I am reborn"


This might possibly be one of the most gratifying custom made projects I've done yet.
If they motivated, inspired, or reassured, if they helped to keep faith in climbing 21,000 feet up an icey, snow covered mountain, than our prayer flag intentions are being realized!

*Click the link below to see other custom made sets, or place an order ;)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/72557393/personalized-prayer-flags-made-custom