In April of 2013 I read an article written by The Great Discontent where they interviewed a designer named Matthew Smith. I was inspired by his journey and stumbled upon his Instagram account where he was photographing peaks found in everyday life. I loved the idea of a thematic Instagram account, and I wanted to challenge myself with exploring the world through shapes. So I got in touch with Matt to chat about his peaks series and got his blessing to start documenting circles.

Ismael Burciaga came across my circle collection last year and featured them in the 2014 Circles Conference program. While attending Circles, I happened to sit next to the lovely ladies of Olmsted-Kirk Fine Paper (they donate paper to the various Circles Conference materials). We talked about collaborating on a project in the future. The 2014 conference was my first time at Circles, and I left completely inspired! I met amazing people, talented designers, and listened to life-changing presentations. As I started nearing the 200-count mark of my circle collection, I started to think about how I might be able to transform this passion project into something greater than an Instagram collection. What if I could use the collection to help someone else be inspired, like Matt had done to me? 

And so the Circles Scholarship was born.

I partnered up with Olmsted-Kirk Fine Paper and OneTouchPoint printing, and together we've printed 500 limited-edition posters featuring the circle collection. We're selling them exclusively at this year's Circles Conference (2015), and all proceeds are going to the Circles Scholarship Fund. This fund will sponsor one or more creatives to attend the 2016 Circles Conference and help fuel their inspiration!

If you're interested in completing the circle and inspiring someone with a trip to the 2016 Circles Conference, we're selling posters at a booth right outside the main conference area. Please come by, say hi, and pick up a poster!