By Jensen Horvath
Before Julia Morris ever picked up a piece of chalk, she was inspired by the temporary messages she saw scattered across downtown St. Petersburg. Now, as a dedicated participant in the Global Love Project, she’s made it a weekly ritual to share uplifting messages through chalk art, impacting the community one sidewalk at a time.
“I want my art to be a mirror,” Morris said. “To reflect something back to the people looking that they didn’t even realize they needed. If it stirs up playfulness, intention, curiosity or even just a smile, then I’ve done what I came to do. Love doesn’t always have to be loud. Sometimes it’s just chalk on the sidewalk waiting for you to look down and feel seen.”
Founded by Justin Lucci, the Global Love Project meets every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the roundabout on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, and every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Vinoy Park.
Community members are encouraged to join in by creating chalk art and writing messages designed to spread peace and positivity.
The project began when Lucci first started sharing his sidewalk art with the public. What started as his own personal expression has grown into a consistent community tradition, now 166 weeks strong, where Lucci is surrounded by friends and neighbors, adding their own creativity to the collective message.
For Lucci, the project began as a meaningful way to cope with the personal loss of someone close to him, utilizing chalk as an outlet for healing, he said.
“Over the past 166 weeks, I’ve come to take greater responsibility for what, and who, I attract into my life,” Lucci said. “The people who show up in this project have offered me countless lessons. Sometimes they reveal things I’d rather not see, but almost always, they’re exactly what I need to see.”
As promoted on their website, the Global Love Project welcomes a wide range of participants, from local neighborhoods and artists to environmental advocates, educational programs and global audiences. Everyone is invited to take part, inspired by the project’s mission to unite diverse communities through acts of creative expression.
For residents like Avery Siwinski and her mother, the project has served as an “important emotional and creative outlet.”
“It was in November that we first stopped,” Siwinski said. “I wrote ‘give thanks’ to emphasize the importance of gratitude. My mom added a drawing with the words ‘choose your happy face,’ copying something my dad had written on his bathroom mirror when undergoing chemo treatments.”
Though it started as a simple outlet for creativity, the Global Love Project has since expanded to raise awareness for International Day of Peace. By promoting actionable steps toward the 17 sustainable development goals, GLP unites creatives to collaborate on solutions for global change, while fostering love and community connections.
On April 22, the Global Love Project gathered at the St. Pete Pier to celebrate Earth Day with chalk art highlighting environmental awareness. The messages, created by participants, encouraged reflection on the importance of protecting the planet.
“This project continuously invites me to show up in the world as the most authentic version of myself,” Lucci said. “That version is always evolving, shaped by new experiences each week. Creating art that disappears has helped me practice letting go of attachment to outcomes and instead focus on how I move through life.”
What began as a weekly meetup has grown into a steady ritual of introspection and connection for returning participants. For regulars like Lucci and Morris, the Global Love Project offers an outlet for creativity, right in their own community, on the sidewalks of St. Petersburg.
“This group has brought me more than I can ever explain,” Morris said. “It’s been my therapy. It’s brought new friendships, much-needed laughter, playful wisdom and a weekly date with myself that makes me excited to wake up on a Tuesday. It’s a space that reminds me life is still full of color and magic.”