Cannabis Art Makes an Impression
By Amy Marie Orozco
With its technicolor palettes and retro vibes, the graphics of Portland, Oregon-based artist Savina Monet bring together beauty and political statement. Originally from Southern California’s Inland Empire, Savina describes herself as a selftaught artist and able to draw upon a childhood of “always making our own stuff, clothes, toys … ” to create.
cannabis to quiet her thoughts and focus on the artwork. She used to begin creating straight away but has found slowing down, with perhaps meditation and a cup of tea, allows her to work longer. “Freelancing is a trade-off. There’s no structure, you make your own rules, but you work 50 to 60 hours a week.”
In her early twenties, Savina gave her career careful thought, deciding she didn’t want a cubicle nor an office, making the choice to work at home. She started her arts education after attending college as an accounting major for one year signing up for three online courses to learn the rules of graphic design. “Then I started breaking them,” Savina recalls.
Word-of-mouth advertising and referrals have built the business with more clients out of the Portland area than in it, including international ones from Mexico, Belgium, and Canada. They come to her for her style and often want to tighten up their look to help with branding and packaging. Pre-COVID, she sold at fairs and festivals. Today, her Etsy store accounts for about 30 percent of the income. COVID provided an opportunity to reprioritize, and she’s grateful for her job and plenty of work.
Her work has two non-negotiables. One is the creativity. The other is to normalize cannabis. She calls it Exposure Therapy, thinking of it as a plant to make it less scary and turning Like the rest of us, she is waiting and watching to navigate around the Reefer Madness stigma. the next phase of the pandemic, future creative experiments already are planned, though, and those include playing with Cannabis plants, flowers, and leaves are vital elements collages and camera filters for Instagram and TikTok. Or as of her designs. Juxtaposed against 1970s font styles and Savina puts it, “inviting people to step into my imagination.” personalities, 1960s greeting card send-ups, and 1950s fashion trends, the finished blend is a fun-filled message to Learn more at savinamonet.com break the Reefer Madness lock on the plant’s demonization. and follow her @savinamonet. If not for weed, Savina notes, “I’d be on some kind of psych On right, artist Savina Monet with her creations. On med.” As some people unwind from a workday with a glass bottom right are cannabis themed holiday cards, of wine or some cannabis, Savina starts her workday with available at her Etsy store. CS 14 Cannabis by the Sea
Fall 2021
Artwork by Savina Monet
The Cannabis Lifestyle
