We FINALLY have the privilege to share our new logo by local designer-maker Ellen Rosalie Designs.

Back in the day when The CBR Gals was no more than an Instagram page to connect like-minded women, I found Ellen’s work and was immediately inspired by how her shapes and colours captured the Australian landscape. I knew I wanted to work with her and we set a date to meet.

Even in those early days, I really admired Ellen and her work, and truly, I was looking forward to meeting her. That said, whenever I meet an artist or creator of any kind, I am filled with a terrible, nervous energy that I think stems from my conceptions about the art world: while it’s a place filled with beauty and creativity, it’s also gruelling and filled with people who will reject not only your work, but they will reject who you are as a person, too.

Because of the sheer gumption an artist must have to pursue her passions, the art world breeds the most powerful people, particularly women, and even more particularly, women of colour, who have barriers that men and white people do not have. For anyone, the road to becoming an accomplished artist is a hard one that I myself could not travel. And so I am filled with a profound something for all artists that makes me feel like I’m teetering between awe and thrill, and as the date to meet Ellen (an artist, yes, but an artist I truly admired, to add raise the bar of impression one ring higher) approached, I was excited — to be sure. However, the hands that clutched my purse were shaking, visibly.

When I arrived to the lunch spot we had agreed upon, we both burst into laughter as we greeted each other — we were both wearing black boots, leopard-print skirts, black turtle necks, and similarly-coloured jackets. The same outfit!

We agreed that not only did we have more in common than we may have originally presumed, but clearly, the universe had brought us together for a very specific reason.

Over the coming months, Ellen and I would work together on a number of projects, including a collaboration with Lost Vintage in Braddon on a customised CBR Gals denim jacket that we gave away to honour a woman in our community who shares the vision for a more inclusive Canberra. When I asked her to design the logo, Ellen agreed, even though logo design is not a typical product she creates. That said, I still believed she was the gal for the job because Ellen understood the vision of The CBR Gals Network.

Sketches arrived, and after a number of weeks, THE Canberra Gal showed herself, and both Ellen and I recognised her when she appeared. She is who you see in our new logo.

For Ellen, this new logo captures THE Canberra Gal. She holds her head strong and is never afraid of a challenge. She lets her hair down to enjoy the fun things in life. She is humble, and evoking Australian colours show she is down to earth and free spirited—a gal who wants to KNOW you. She is the CBR Gal!

Thanks, Ellen Rosalie Designs, for capturing our shared vision so well.

By Rae Knopik