Changing The World, One Artwork At A Time (Win!)

When is a brand more than a brand? When it’s main mission is to inspire confidence, respect, optimism and acceptance, in order to contribute to a world that stand-up for love, equality and inclusion. Montreal-based La Pimbêche aims to do just that, through lifestyle products featuring the original artwork of the visual artist, illustrator and founder of the brand, Patricia Méthot. We spoke with Patricia to find out more. —Noa Nichol

Hi Patricia! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

I’m first and foremost a visual artist, also founder of my own brand of derivative products. La Pimbêche is my artist name as well as the name of my brand. Since I was a child, I’ve always been a creative person and I’ve had several phases in my evolution as a visual artist. After years of exploration and research testing different mediums I finally found my way! It was in 2017 that I made peace with the limitations I was creating for myself to finally realize that art and creativity were my destiny. It was then that I set myself the goal that my art had to contribute to a better world. To do so, I knew I had to integrate my personal values into my mission as a visual artist. I am a feminist and I have always been, obviously my feminism is always evolving and I learn every day to be a more inclusive person and to apply intersectional feminism in everything that I do. Being a person filled with love, my art is always articulated in order to promote respect, empathy and optimism while always keeping in mind the current society issues and to not deny them. One of my goals is to transmit a breath of freshness and lightness to feminism through my artwork in order to contribute to a world of acceptance and inclusion.

When and why did you launch La Pimbêche? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?

La Pimbêche started as my artist name and it’s in 2018 that it really became the brand. Although, I like to say that La Pimbêche is so much more than a brand… it’s a mind-set! It’s a way of thinking and a way of being that is focused on intersectionnal feminism and it’s many layers. In the field of fashion they always say that you have to find a niche product to base your brand around. For me the niche I wanted to fill wasn’t a specific clothing item or a product, but more a mission and a subject. No matter what medium I use, the constant is the subject that I always focus my energy on; which is empowerment and self determination. Through this, my messages are all about the fight for gender equality and against our social construct based on the patriarch, just to name a few. Ultimately La Pimbêche is the art and the message, which is the reason why I launched the brand.

As an artist, you say your work is inspired by political moments, stereotypes and women’s sexual empowerment—with sarcastic taglines. What key moments in recent years can we see reflected in your pieces?

The political moments in 2018 were an eye opener for everyone including myself. That’s when I thought we finally have recognized a big problem that has been in our society and at the roots of it for too long. At the time, I was also working in a mostly male environment, which is when it really hit me how different the dynamic was between the genders, as I personally experienced patriarchal situations in conversations and through actions. I reflected on my own position and how I tackle feminism. I started asking myself how I can contribute and do better in this world through my art. I wanted to see how I could take this gift and be able to inspire conversation for the highest good of society. So many designs, like Stop Slut Shaming, Toy’s R’nt us, Fierce Feminist … were inspired by those moments in order to fight against the social construct that is based on the patriarch. With the pandemic, we have seen a rise of domestic violence toward women here in Canada but also all over the world, that is unfortunately unprecedented. You can see this topic reflected in two of my latest designs which are the Stop Feminicide poster and the Empowered Women, Empower Women T-shirt. For the launch of the T-shirt, we wanted to go further in our endeavors, which is why we collaborated with SOS Violence Conjugale to financially support the organization and give back to our community.

To that end, we are currently facing a key moment in history, with regards to women’s health and rights. Your thoughts?

What is happening at the moment in the US is absolutely devastating. It reminds us that for women, as well as racialized communities and members of the LGBTQ2S+, our rights are earned, which means that we had to fight to have them. As we can sometimes take those rights for granted, what we are living through right now reminds us that the struggle is far from over and that the fight must go on. We need to keep highlighting and join force with the ones that are fighting today for the advancement of gender equality as well as against violence and discrimination against people of diverse gender identities, racialized communities, the LGBTQ2S+ community, women and children. I’m also very grateful and happy to see a lot of cis male gender becoming strong allies to the fight. This is key, because patriarchy affects everyone, women’s health and rights ARE human health and rights. It definitely concerns all genders and yes, that includes men, too.

How do you hope your art impacts positive change in society?

My ultimate goal is for my messages and beliefs to travel so they reach as many people as possible. My mission is to inspire confidence, respect, optimism and acceptance, in order to contribute to a world that stand-up for love, equality and inclusion. You can see this mission clearly represented on each of my designs and in everything that we do as a company. Which is why it is so important for us to collaborate with people, brands and organizations that share our mission and values. La Pimbêche is also a creative platform that supports the social debates we face every day. Which is why, I’m always looking for ways that my designs can resonate with people to support those debates and spark conversations that can bring positive outcomes.

We are giving away, in this contest, a Badass Manifestor oracle deck; your tips on how to use these decks in our daily lives?

The oracle cards are something so magical and so strong. Last year, I wanted to create a product that would become a tool to help people nourish, understand and tap into their inner fire. When it came to creating the oracle cards I used a lot of my own affirmations. I do journaling on a daily basis, so I started collecting all my affirmations that I have been using in the past few years. The deck focuses on self-confidence, self-determination and self-love, which is why  it’s called Badass Manifestor! It’s all about being a badass in your personal life and when it comes to making decisions. Personally, I pick a card every morning and it helps me a lot to refocus my energy on what’s really essential while being aligned with myself in that moment. Being guided by a tool or something physical and tangible is a good place to start for anyone who is new to the whole universe of self-love practice. All you need to do is to pull a card and let it speak to you. It doesn’t have to necessarily be the words, it can also be the visual, the colours or the energy from each card. That’s what the 62 cards of our oracle deck are primarily intended for, to let your inner spirit read into the symbolism and guide you in your journey to become the most badass version of yourself.

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Win! A $134 La Pimbêche Prize Pack!

Congrats Cyndi I. of Burlington, ON, who will receive a $134 La Pimbêche Prize Pack, including a Badass Manifestor oracle deck in the language of their choosing and a 100 per cent silk scarf of their colour choice! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.