03. Campaign
As Art Director of Westward Leaning, it was my responsibility to conceptualize and execute all creative for our primary marketing campaigns. "Esalen" is an example of one such campaign. I was shown the collection and was then tasked with developing a compelling story and visual direction to bring the products to life.
The Story - Inspired by Esalen
"The Esalen Institute, commonly just called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The Institute played a key role in the Human Potential Movement beginning in the 1960s. Its innovative use of encounter groups, a focus on the mind-body connection, and their ongoing experimentation in personal awareness introduced many ideas that later became mainstream. Esalen’s breathtaking location and it’s lasting, beneficial influence on human consciousness informed this season’s study of the relationship between the physical and the metaphysical."
The Concept
"The redwoods surrounding Esalen spill out onto the California coast, revealing a wild and beautiful landscape where dense woodland meets exposed earth and the tranquil waters beyond.
For decades, Esalen’s guests have made a similar transition as they open new doors of perception within themselves, emerging from the thicket of preconception to glimpse the vast ocean of their true potential.
Our Fall Collection mimics these transformations in both color and material. Dark green ombre lenses give way to translucent pale pinks and yellows while the frames themselves evolve from opaque black through to transparent crystal.
What follows are three distinct narratives that move us from the cliffside, to the shoreline, and into the sea; with color, texture, and form taking inspiration from each location."
The Esalen Institute - Big Sur, CA
