The book "PANTONE 3537 UP" explores a brief love affair between two males in Los Angeles, California. Sean August Horvath, author and illustrator, navigates the emotional tidal wave that crashes and destroys all after falling for someone "too fast" with a dark lyrical grace.
The young artist built a career in emotional storytelling, having spent the larger half of his 20s in social media for animal rights organization, PETA, where he was nicknamed "The Cry Maker" for introducing Facebook to make-your-mom-cry-about-a-pig viral videos. Yes, you can blame (or thank) him for those.
Through 180 pages and 40-some illustrations in "PANTONE 3537 UP," Horvath leverages his emotional experience to dig into universal issues of human nature regarding how we approach love and loss, perception of time and consciousness—and of course, online dating.
The work as a whole represents commentary on larger issues encountered in Horvath's struggle fitting into the LA gay culture. It is an attempt to help wash away toxic masculinity and bring light to a more balanced collective consciousness—one of both the divine masculine and divine feminine that resides within us all. One that is more inclusive.
In his own words, Horvath notes, "I wrote this about [him] because he's different. Harder to figure out, which can be so rare. He's the first guy who didn’t fit the toxic masculinity mold I'd been hiding from. Instead, [he] holds this artful appreciation of masculinity. It's something softer that made me feel understood. He holds an energy that makes me feel safe.
My hope in publishing is to share love in a time of so much hate—we can only destroy shadow with light. Men must collectively learn if we want to grow into our new societal role. The essence of this book highlights many of those lessons—vulnerability begets strength, there are many forms of intimacy, desire is not love, your ego is not self, affection is not possession.
More personally, sharing this art is how I kill fear. It brings you to a place where pain and pleasure become one. It's helped me to be able to say, "Falling too fast is okay, too!" The world needs more love. Period."
So—love at first sight, falling too fast, opening your heart completely—whatever you want to call it, "PANTONE 3537 UP" is what a hopeless romantic can feel in just two months. And there is beauty in that.