mobile art sculptures & 3D paintings

Did you know that in the US alone 51% of adults report feeling depressed, 61% report feeling anxious & 32% have had suicidal thoughts?

That’s just really sad…

The good news is that there is an easy fix!

Smiling releases molecules in your brain that fend off stress. Laughter increases immunity & promotes as sense of well-being, & surrounding yourself with positive vibes increases creative thinking, problem solving & an overall sense of satisfaction in life. 

My name is Alison Galvan, and I am the artist behind Upwardly Mobile Online. I am a fine art graduate of Parsons School of Design, an award-winning restauranteur with my husband, a sculptor of over 25 years, & a woman who can totally relate to the stats I just mentioned.

Back in the early 70’s my childhood was a time of carefree imagination where anything was possible. I believe all children have this innate joy. They kinda glow from the inside out. Unfortunately, though, as we grow, life happens, tensions rise while creativity dies. 

For me the combination of Covid lockdowns, the negative impact upon my restaurant business, & turning 50 brought this perfect storm front & center. Stress was quite literally killing me. I had to do something!

So, I took up meditation.

  Overwhelmed, at first, I was really challenged to quiet my anxious mind, so I gravitated towards guided meditations for help. I practiced every day morning & evening. I “worked” at meditation. 

Then one evening I was guided to picture my younger, smaller self & to remember a specific moment when I was truly happy. Struggling at first, I deliberately slowed my breath, & after a few beats, envisioned myself when I was all of four or five popping up on the side of a pool wearing my favourite red polka dot bathing suit over which I was sporting a frilly white skirt. On my arms I was rocking Disney floaties. Looking into that little girl's bucktoothed smiling face, & little freckled snub nose, laughter bubbled up unbidden. Struck by a simple truth I stammered out loud, 

“We never had to take any of it seriously, did we?” 

To which the little girl in my meditation grinned even broader & suddenly, surprised by my unexpected insight, I felt a thousand times lighter. 

 And so began my quest to come full circle, back to that little kid.

Today,  I am on a quest to use my creative talents to re-discover that childlike joy, to put a smile on your face, laughter in your belly & light in your heart.

I want to create environments filled with  colourful childishly crazy happy 3D paintings, & wonderfully relatable mobile art hosting a cast of characters that, as they spin overhead,  poke loving fun at the humour in our humanity.

I want to share & encourage the world to celebrate innocence, to expand imagination, to embrace our silly sides & to always, always remember when heavy seriousness sneaks up that…

we never had to take any of it seriously, did we?