I had a fun opportunity to volunteer with the Sonoma County Pride art team for the 2024 Pride parade in Santa Rosa. The theme was “Queeroes” or queer superheroes. Each artist submitted sketches of their ideas for queer superheroes related to the pride events planned for the year. I chose to focus on the NASCAR event, swimming party, and movie night. My NASCAR hero was approved, and I dedicated myself to developing my character, Naji. The plan was for artists to create artwork of their characters to produce stickers, flyers, and cardboard cutouts for sale, but unfortunately, NASCAR withdrew at the last minute, leaving my character without an associated event. Additionally, due to limited volunteers and staff, we couldn’t produce stickers or a full-body cardboard cutout as initially planned.

Despite these setbacks, this project was incredibly enjoyable and boosted my confidence in my abilities. It also rekindled my passion for character design and storytelling. I hope to apply this passion to future personal projects and collaborations.