by thesavageway | May 24, 2019 | clean graffiti
600 Festival Hosts Their Annual Circle K Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte
It’s that time of year again. Speed Street is here, and the crowds are ready. There are an expected 300,000 participants to make their way through the music festival, food trucks, and games in Uptown Charlotte.
Circle K Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola has commemorated the May races at Charlotte Motor Speedway with spectacular family-oriented events since its inception. This event will be rocking the streets of Charlotte May 23-25, 2019 with live entertainment, access to racing’s brightest stars, giveaways and interactive displays. Corey Smith, Brothers Osborne, and STYX will be the headline talent for this 25th anniversary of Speed Street.
CLEAN GRAFFITI
We had the honor of working with Mary Johnson and Meg Seitz, the powerhouses behind the marketing for this year’s Speed Street, on a Clean Graffiti campaign. We put down a fun “Drive into Summer” message a month prior to this weekend’s event to help drive awareness. We placed these spots in high traffic areas around the popular neighborhoods of Uptown, Plaza Midwood, NoDa, Southend and FreeMoreWest.
The reaction from passersby has been great! We see people post on their Instagram stories all the time with this fun message. And the best part of this creative marketing is that it is just water. Using only a pressure washer and a stencil, we are able to create a contrast in the dirt and leave a clean message behind. Our eco-friendly messaging is a great accompaniment to an event’s marketing mix. You are targeting your audience exactly where they are.. the sidewalk.

Clean Graffiti for Speed Street in Charlotte, NC

Oh hey girls!!! 600 Festival is happening this weekend!

Clean Graffiti for the 2019 600 Festival.

Clean Graffiti in NoDa, Charlotte, NC. Speed Street is taking place this weekend in Uptown.

Marketing right where the customer is walking, the sidewalk.
Have fun at all of the SpeedStreet festivities this weekend. If you happen to find one of our Clean Graffiti spots around town, snap a pic, post to Instagram and tag us! We’d love to see!
by thesavageway | Jun 2, 2016 | clean graffiti
#thesavageway is once again working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation on a statewide pedestrian and bicycle safety campaign using Clean Graffiti. The Watch For Me NC campaign launched in 2012 and “aims to reduce pedestrian and bicycle injuries and deaths through a comprehensive, targeted approach of public education and police enforcement.” This is a continuation of our Clean Graffiti work in 2015 and again uses messages that are all about watching where you cross and watching for cars.

Clean Graffiti campaign by #thesavageway for the NCDOT in Corolla, NC.
Our first leg of the Clean Graffiti Tour included stops in Corolla, Dare County, New Bern & Wilmington, NC. We targeted intersections that had frequent pedestrian or bicycle accidents. The hope is that the Clean Graffiti will bring awareness to the Watch For Me NC message. Part of the reason that these cities were chosen was due to the fact that there are not many outdoor signage options available to spread a message. Clean Graffiti is a great alternative to grab the attention of a walker/runner before an accident happens. The clean message on a dirty sidewalk sparks interest and can slow people down to make them aware of their surroundings (i.e. speeding cars).

Watch Where You Cross Clean Graffiti in Wilmington, NC. #thesavageway

Check out WatchForMeNC.org for more info on this safety campaign. Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway.

Clean Graffiti pedestrian safety messages in New Bern, NC for the Watch For Me NC campaign. #thesavageway

This high accident intersection in Wilmington, NC got some Clean Graffiti safety messages from #thesavageway.
Of course, #thesavageway team cannot go anywhere without having a little fun. If you follow along with @thesavageway on social media, you saw some fun behind the scenes of our adventure (shoulder popping included). Make sure to follow us on the following:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Snapchat: search @thesavageway
Projects like this one for the NCDOT are exactly how we love to use Clean Graffiti. It’s the perfect marriage of an established institution using innovation for a public safety awareness campaign.
Stay tuned here and on social media for the next stops of Clean Graffiti Tour 2016!

Torrie Savage & Paula Bartlett of #thesavageway on the Clean Graffiti Tour of 2016.
by thesavageway | Oct 21, 2014 | services
Balance. It’s the one thing in life that we are all seeking. It’s a sense of peace when it comes to work, relationships, family and life. Balance is quintessential to happiness, especially when you own your own business.

#thesavageway doing work!
#thesavageway has been in business for 2.5 years now and man how time flies! Owning a business is a highly stressful thing at times. Though rewarding, there are times when things are overwhelming. Thinking about your product, sales goals, PR plan, accounting, receipt tracking, client relations, bills, 5-year growth plan, and much, much more is a 24/7 job. There isn’t an IT department to call or HR when there is an issue. You are dealing with EVERY aspect of the company. It is extremely easy to become addicted to your work – putting in 14-hour days, running on fumes and drinking way too much caffeine (thanks to NoDa for having so many amazing coffee shops!).
As a result, every 6 months or so, #thesavageway team does a “Get Your Mind Right” Challenge to bring back the balance to our lives. We both (Torrie and Paula) make a conscious effort to take a few weeks to clear our minds, treat our bodies as we should, and in turn become more productive and happy.
Now what exactly does getting one’s mind right mean? Don’t worry we have a very scientific formula. 😉
Parameters of “Getting Your Mind Right”
- Healthy, Clean Eating! AKA No processed foods
- Eat tons of vegetables
- Be active everyday (exercise, walk the dogs, yoga, running)
- Drink at least two liters of water per day
- Save money (by cooking meals at home and not eating out)
- No alcohol (but hey, let’s be real, red wine once a week is healthy, right?!)
- Take time each day to focus on yourself (meditate, breathe, write in a journal, verbalize something you are grateful for in this awesome world)

Farmer’s market haul by #thesavageway ladies. Eat local whenever possible!

Torrie & Paula hanging at AIR for some much needed exercise!
The beauty of “Getting Your Mind Right” is that there is nothing difficult about it. No tricks. It is simply making the time to treat YOU in the best way possible. This will be the third time that we have done the challenge. Every single time that we finish, we learn something new about ourselves. When you pause and pay attention to the nourishment you are giving to your body, it is so easy to see why we don’t always feel our best. When you put good things into your life, good things will return.
Being an entrepreneur is one of the greatest challenges yet one of the most rewarding experiences either of us has ever experienced. It is so easy to forget to take care of yourself because you’re the boss. There isn’t someone there to tell you to take a break or that it’s okay to have a sick day. When you push yourself to your mental limits everyday, it is easy to overindulge. Taking a few weeks to recharge and get into a balanced place in life is well worth it!

#thesavageway ladies (Paula & Torrie) doing what they do best.
We have found success through this method and encourage you all to go out there and
“Get Your Mind Right” too!
by thesavageway | Jul 1, 2014 | clean graffiti, services
How many people ever have the opportunity to meet the leader of their industry? The “Steve Jobs” of what they put their heart and soul into? Well #thesavageway had the opportunity to do just that this past weekend. We (Torrie & Paula) headed to Nashville, TN to meet the European “Godfather” of reverse graffiti, Jim Bowes.

Jim Bowes , Sustainable Advertising Pioneer, has been practicing natural media in the Netherlands and throughout Europe for over a decade with his company Green Graffiti. They offer a huge range of natural techniques including sand stamping, moss graffiti, milk paint, reverse graffiti and more!

When #thesavageway started doing Clean Graffiti over two and a half years ago, we did some research online to see if other people were doing this around the world. Sure enough it was an established art form in Europe . There were not many companies to be found, but one of the biggest and most active online was Green Graffiti. We would see Jim comment on articles and give his insight ANYTIME reverse graffiti came up in an online post. He was obviously knowledgeable and had a voice in this “green” movement. Seeing natural media from his perspective was very insightful from our location in Charlotte, NC.
Finally, after admiring his work from afar we decided that we were going to reach out. We said, “Screw it, let’s email him and see what happens.” Sure enough, he emailed back, we set up a Skype session and Jim started interacting on all of our social portals. We were blown away at how receptive he was to what were doing here in Charlotte.
Oddly enough, Jim, who is based in the Netherlands, was going to be in the States at the end of June – Nashville, TN to be exact. There was not even a question for us; we were about to take a road trip! We were going to meet the “Godfather.”
Road Trip.
7 hours outside of the Queen City, we get into the heart of Downtown Nashville and settle in for what was sure to be an experience. It felt a little strange to be in another state, meeting a person that we did not know nor did we ever think we would have the opportunity to meet. Imagine meeting Richard Branson or Bill Gates – that just doesn’t happen everyday. He lives and operates on the other side of the world! Regardless, we knew that we were there for a reason and that we were going to embrace whatever knowledge this man was about to drop on us.

The Meeting of the Minds.
We met in a suburb of Nashville called Franklin (think what Ballantyne is to Charlotte). The hustle and bustle of this little city during lunch rush did not stop us from grabbing a cold beer at a local brewery.
It must be noted that there’s never been an instance where three strangers were more excited to meet over beer and talk about a city’s dirt!
The conversation flowed really well. We talked dirt, concrete, city laws, billboard waste – the topics were endless. We discussed #thesavageway, Clean Graffiti, our experience and challenges and he did the same. It was nice to chat with someone who has walked in our shoes. Someone who sees Clean Graffiti as we see it – a HUGE asset!
It is not often in life that you are given an opportunity to sit down in a business conversation with a person who is not only a competitor but also a cheerleader. To sit face-to-face with a guy who BELIEVES in Clean Graffiti the way that we do was a pretty awesome feeling.
After the Dirt Settled.
We walked away from our meeting with the “Godfather” more confident and assured that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing in this life. We felt proud of our Clean Graffiti journey knowing he has gone through some of the same things and has come out stronger and more innovative in the end.
Jim brought up a fact that we have continued to reflect upon. He said, “It takes a brave soul to do what we do.”
We agree! Non-traditional marketing is not suited for everyone. It takes the right person for Clean Graffiti to succeed: it takes ethics, long term vision, a passion for sustainability, a little bit of risk taking, and most importantly gusto!
Who knows if we will see Jim again or what collaborative projects may be in our future – be we do know that we went to good ole Music City in order for our path to cross with the Godfather’s. That reason may not be perfectly clear just yet – but we do know that we will continue to live our lives with gusto until we figure it out!
by thesavageway | Jun 17, 2014 | clean graffiti
What do you get when you mix Art, Dirt and Messaging?? What you get is Clean Graffiti – or a Clean Message on a Dirty Sidewalk! #thesavageway has been given the opportunity to present our idea for a Clean Graffiti art project at Queen City Soup on Sunday, June 22!!
So what is Queen City Soup?
“Queen City Soup” is a regional micro-grant program housed under Project Art Aid, for emerging and established artists and community activists in the Charlotte metropolitan area. This quarterly event seeks proposals from local artists for projects in the range of $1500-$2500. The projects must have some tangible benefit to community, and projects that have a broad public impact are encouraged. Project Art Aid organizes the events, which include food and drinks, an opportunity to meet the artists, and a program where the artists pitch their projects to the attendees.”
How it works – you pay $10 for a ticket and join the audience. You get to watch the work from 5 artists – we’re talking dancers, a videographer, a talk show host, an art camp, and then there is us (orange safety suits and all)! After we each perform for 5 minutes – you, the audience, cast your vote!

From #thesavageway, you can expect to see five minutes of positive vibes, passion, and a mission to bring inspiring Clean Graffiti messages to some low-income areas around Charlotte. We want the community to see how something as simple as Clean Graffiti can change someone’s perspective.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Please come out on Sunday and cheer us on, laugh with us, and help us make our little dream of bringing positive, inspiring messages to places in Charlotte that need some encouragement a reality.
DETAILS
What: Torrie & Paula Present Art & Dirt
Date: Sunday, June 22
Time: 4:00pm
Location: Charlotte Ballet
Cost: $10 (includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks)
Join Facebook Event Here
Buy Tickets Here