How did you get the idea for Boy Sees Hearts?

It started with a puddle of melted ice cream.

While hosting a party at my home in July, 2009, I was shocked to see a pool of melted ice cream take the shape of a heart on my kitchen counter. As my guests gazed in amazement, I snapped a photo with my iPhone. Over the next year and a half hundreds of hearts manifested: Hearts in litter, hearts on dogs, hearts on trees, hearts in food. I captured each one with my phone’s camera.

In September, 2010--on a whim--I started sharing these captured hearts facebook. When I started making art from them, people started requesting prints. Although I had a feeling this was the start of something exciting, I couldn’t fathom what all this would lead to. Within a few weeks, I launched Boy Sees Hearts, offering unique museum-quality prints.

And the hearts kept coming. And coming. A puddle of ice cream changed the way I view the world. My intention with Boy Sees Hearts and these prints is to change the way the world views the world.

Why do you think hearts have such an impact on people?

These aren’t just fine art prints. These hearts have the power to transform people’s perception of the world. After viewing Boy Sees Hearts pieces, people are inspired to view their world through different eyes. People think the pieces are gorgeous, but what’s most incredible is how it encourages them, in their own lives, to see the ultimate symbol of love within something as mundane as a crumpled napkin or a crack in the sidewalk.

The real impact of a Boy Sees Hearts print is not when the viewer first sees it. Rather, it’s several days later when they see a heart in a garbage can or a potato chip. When a person who’s having a bad day sees a heart on the street or in a grilled cheese sandwich, it transforms their day. I still get excited every time I see a heart.

Do you ever stop looking for hearts or has it become a full time obsession?

I don’t look for hearts, they just appear in my every day life. They’re everywhere!

What was the big aha! you had while creating this product?

I had the biggest ‘aha!’ within 24 hours of launching Boy Sees Hearts. I started receiving emails from people all across the world showing me hearts they’ve seen: A heart-shaped rock a woman’s deceased son gave her a month before he died; a cancer survivor’s photo of a heart-shaped cancer cell from the day her oncologist gave her a clean bill of health decades ago.

That’s when I realized: Boy Sees Hearts isn’t about Eric Telchin. Boy Sees Hearts is about something much larger. And I take that responsibility very seriously.

What do you love about what you do?

I love love! And I love that I have the opportunity to document it and make something beautiful with these images. My favorite part is how these pieces impact people’s lives in a positive way.

How would you sum up your aesthetic/design philosophy?

Ironically, I’m not really a heart person. Yet, I strive to take a symbol that is widely considered ‘cutesy’ or ‘cliché’ and transform it into prints which are raw, edgy and frenetic. I love that a strong percentage of my customers are men, who probably have never purchased something with a heart on it in their lives.

What are you working on next?

I’m really excited about the Limited Edition Gallery Series: larger-than-life pieces created for the collector and interior designers. These door-sized prints are printed on a special paper, backed with aluminum and faced with plexi-glass. Each piece looks like an illuminated sheet of glass. They’re like nothing you’ve ever seen. I’m really proud of this series.

I also launched a line of apparel for men, women, kids and babies which translates the message of Boy Sees Hearts to shirts.

What would you like to do (dream job), other than your current occupation?

What could be more of a dream than creating unique artwork that inspires people to see love in their everyday lives? Down the road, I would love to collaborate with children around the world, encouraging them to see beauty in their surroundings. Boy Sees Hearts conveys a message that a person takes with them for the rest of their lives. I want the world to see hearts.