While I've yet to fully detail what it is, after two years of activating SMUDGE. online and off I decided to start asking people what SMUDGE. is to them.

I posed the query to artist ATMC and he shared the following:

"SMUDGE. is a simple reminder. The word itself represents cleansing, renewal, and a constant protection I have sometimes felt undeserving of. Skulls are portrayed as a symbol of death, and that is often misconstrued in a negative light. The cycle of life & death reminds us as humans that we are equal in that inevitability. We cannot avoid it.

This particular piece resonated with me, because I have gone through near-death experiences. I have seen how precious life is, and the importance of holding on to it, protecting it, and changing. What others see as an omen, I find strength in. A reminder to change what I can, not focus on what I cannot change. This is why SMUDGE. is a significant piece of art, a movement.

The series thus far, drenched in symbolism, rewrites what we thought we knew. It’s always skulls, transformative and provocative. I have watched it evolve throughout the years since its inception, and every time I see the words, I am reminded about the journey of life. To learn, to love, to hold, to fight, to protect, and simply live. Fully experience life and everything that comes with it."

To discover more about ATMC visit https://atmcmusic.co/