Pins that give strength

Fear in general

Fears can enter our life in many ways. Be it the fear of height, the insurmountable aversion for spiders or the shyness in front of crowds. Fear is normally a protective mechanism based on our experiences to tell us that certain situations, groups of people or animals are not gut for us. These feelings are however problematic when they determine our everyday life and have negative influence on our actions and doings.

“Face your fears”

American life coach Steves Hughes’ day of action exists since 1999 and raises awareness about this exact issue. On the 8th of October, day standing under the motto “Face your fears”, we honour those who have faced their fears and worked to overcome them, but also make others aware about how many people live in our society full of worry and fear – and their number is growing steadily.

Expression of self-help

There are different ways to face one’s fears, be it direct confrontation with the so-called triggers or therapies, that encourage inner strength and self-confidence. In the production process of very special hard enamel pins, we got to know an inspiring artist and designer, that is himself concerned with anxiety; most of all, we got to learn about his way of self-help. The designer Ralf Löhr, living in Bensheim is very open about his psychosomatic troubles and uses his creativity to offer himself and others a haven of peace amidst their times of anxiety. Three wonderful and profound pins were born with this intention in mind: Hand-Dog, Fuinkii and Wolki. The following characteristics of the three characters originate from Ralf Löhr himself and give an insight into what lies behind the design.

Hand-Dog, Fuinkii, Wolki

The Hand-Dog is loyal, he does not question you constantly nor doubts you. He follows you and gives you unconditional love. He wants your company. Hand-Dog does not judge, all men are equal in his eyes. Let him remind you to treat YOURSELF and your fellow human beings with respect and to meet them without any prejudice; regardless of anything that isn’t the here and now.

Fuinkii stands for “feeling good and in balance”. The fancy name derives etymologically from the Japanese term “Fun’iki”, meaning “pleasant atmosphere” or “aura”. Fuinkii gives you peace in agitated times, clarity in confusing times and emotional balance. My central character gives everybody a friendly HI5 and reminds you to be open, free, to wear your heart on your sleeve and be in the here and now.

Wolki simply floats around with you, protects you and ensures that your inner weather leads to your personal happiness. She can be seen as your guardian angel and is always with you, whether ahead or behind you. Wolki means you can stand on your own and have your brain switched off, because she knows the way. Let yourself be reminded to bravely be in the here and now.

Realisation of the pins

When someone sees these pins for the first time, the first thought is that they are incredibly detailed, have bright colours and are made of several metal surfaces. But when they take a closer look at the small works of art and read the character descriptions, the project takes on a whole new dimension: provide people with anxiety with psychological support. Companions have emerged: companions that will not let you down and that can tear you apart from your thoughts going round in circles through their incredible level of detail. Each design carries symbols of love, peace, and harmony with it. It has depth – because that’s exactly where they should take effect: deep in the heart.

Ralf Löhr, whose artist name is NoFe (initials for NoFear), supports this year the children cancer’s charity in Frankfurt through the sales of his pins. We are very thankful for this wonderful project and are deeply impressed with it.