The X Shop

In the Village of Czar, Alberta, Treaty 6, population circa 200, Nicole and Edward enjoyed many wide-open spaces to explore freely and safely.

At age 10, Edward scored 140 on an IQ test. He excelled in everything he did, including classical piano, musical theatre, science fair, and track-and-field. While he was dubbed "different" and affectionately called “Edweirdo,” he also readily connected with the hearts and minds of everyone he met and was very popular.

At age 16, Edward was accepted into the International Baccalaureate program at Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (UWC-USA) in Montezuma, New Mexico, about 3 hours from Roswell.

While the populations of Czar and Montezuma are similar (circa 200), their diversities and perspectives are worlds apart.

Today, there are 18 United World Colleges that comprise “a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”

Currently, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is President of UWC (1995-now) and Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, was joint President of UWC (1995-1999) and then Honorary President of UWC (1999-2013).

While Edward was discovering his path, so was Nicole: She obtained a Bachelor of Education Degree in secondary mathematics, teaching in rural and urban areas, including a creative arts school and a tallship, Concordia, that sailed around the world.

She also obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemical engineering (P.Eng.), starting out in the energy sector, travelling throughout Turtle Island and the United Kingdom.

Combining her degrees and experiences, she left the energy sector to work as a management consultant for one of the "Big Fours" before branching out to other adventures.

In varying roles, Nicole has worked within diverse lines of business and sectors, including a short stint at the largest bank in Canada. Collecting certifications from design thinking to project management, she continues to follow her heart wherever it takes her.

Edward is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and substance use disorder. Unlike before, Edward’s new version of “different” is no longer embraced by society.

Despite receiving a full scholarship to attend Trinity College at the University of Toronto, Edward is unable to complete his program... and so began the winding journey through Edward's new-found reality.

“One per cent of all people will have schizophrenia in their lifetime. Among people who have schizophrenia in their lifetime, 47 per cent will have a substance use disorder in their lifetime."

"Schizophrenia is a mystery, a puzzle with missing pieces. This complex biochemical brain disorder affects a person’s ability to determine what is reality and what is not. People with schizophrenia are affected by delusions, hallucinations, social withdrawal, and disturbed thinking.”

Source: Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)

With hopes of helping her brother to better help himself, Nicole hospitalizes Edward for treatment and becomes his primary caregiver. While hospitalized, Edward starts creating pop-graffiti art for the first time.

Edward's first design, among 100s, is called "X" and is 1 of 20 within an otherworldly art exhibition called "Alien Realities."

Edward’s artwork introduces us to his variable world of “X,” which is much more than a math symbol or letter of the alphabet.

“X” has a range of special meaning for Edward, primarily known to him as a way of communicating with aliens to learn about their “big message.”

Edward explained to Nicole that aliens embed ones and zeroes inside multimedia for him to decode, revealing bits and bytes of their “big message.”

For example, in the word “question,” Edward would decode the letter “i” to be the number “1” and the letter “o” to be the number “0.” Together, these numbers made “10,” which is also an “X” in Roman numerals.

These alphanumeric translations were significant for Edward, and it was a constant process for him. Edward said he didn’t know what it all meant but was convinced it was “big!”

Inspired by Edward’s life and artwork, including her own version of “different,” Nicole starts the colourful path that leads her to officially create Superstar X, a collective for social change.

Nicole is convinced that Edward’s art is the “big message”… a medium to celebrate being humxn and destigmatize being “different,” catalyzing connections and conversations for humxnity to share their "X." 

The X Shop is one of the channels by Superstar X, bringing X Artists together to share their stories through multimedia art for the betterment of all.

On behalf of all the X Artists, you are invited to explore The X Shop and purchase some goodness, knowing your purchases directly support the X Artists (60%), altruism (10%), and Superstar X (30%) to celebrate being humxn and destigmatize being different.