Chicago Love

Support the GO FUND ME (CLICK HERE)

A space for everyone who loves Chicago.

Launch Date: October 29th 2025

Your donation will directly help fund the first-ever CHICAGO LOVE™ products—and the more you donate, the sooner Ryan can get them out to the world:

• Limited-edition collectible bracelets (Series 1 “Vivo”)
• The coffee table keepsake (Product A), planned for release in Spring 2026

By helping Ryan reach—and hopefully surpass—his $15,000 GO FUND ME goal, you’ll do more than fund production. You’ll help him cut down on his current 7-days-a-week, 12-hours-a-day grind as an independent contractor just to self-fund this project. Instead, he’ll be able to dedicate more of his energy to:

• Completing and releasing Product A on time (currently scheduled for Spring 2026)
• Launching the first-ever CHICAGO LOVE™ bracelets (Series One, Limited Edition, named Vivo). Ryan has already chosen the exact bracelet design, finalized the artwork, and lined up the manufacturer. Production is ready to begin, and the first bulk shipment of 3,000–5,000 bracelets can be placed the moment funding is secured. With your support, these bracelets can start being distributed across the city much sooner than expected—spreading CHICAGO LOVE™ hand to hand. If you’d like to see the final design Ryan created, just email him—he’ll gladly share it with you.
• Expanding the CHICAGO LOVE™ community
• Designing future collectibles and keepsakes Every contribution matters. Whether it’s $5, $10, $25, or more, every dollar helps bring this vision closer to reality.

1. Spread the Word
   Tell friends, family, co-workers, and anyone who loves Chicago about this project. The more people who know, the stronger the movement grows.
2. Become Part of History
   Every backer—no matter the amount—is part of the very first chapter of CHICAGO LOVE™. This is a once-in-history moment that you’ll forever be tied to.
3. Collect Ryan’s Art
   Ryan’s original abstract paintings and fine art prints are also available. Each piece carries the same spirit of connection and celebration that powers the CHICAGO LOVE™ vision.
4. Join the Community Online
   Follow and engage with Ryan’s pages on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook (@ChicagoLovebyRLart). Your likes, shares, and comments help build a digital hub where everyone who loves Chicago has a voice.
5. Be Part of Giving back to this city we all love-A 25% portion of all profits from CHICAGO LOVE™ will be donated to anti-violence organizations and community initiatives across the city. Supporting this brand means supporting Chicago’s neighborhoods—North, South, and West.

INVESTOR OPPORTUNITIES

CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER

Be part of CHICAGO LOVE™ history forever. This is your chance to not only invest in a brand, but to become one of Ryan’s official business partners.

Ryan is currently seeking one or two investors for a small capital raise in exchange for equity. These funds will directly launch the first Chicago Love™ products—laying the foundation for a movement that combines art, culture, and community impact.

This is more than an investment. It’s an opportunity to:

• Be written into the origin story of Chicago Love™.
• Help bring to life a brand designed to celebrate the city and give back to local communities.
• Partner with Ryan at the very beginning of what will become a Chicago legacy.

If you’re interested in making history, contact Ryan directly to learn more about the investment amount, structure, and details:
312-639-9425
ryan@ryanlessamart.com

GO FUND ME – CROWD FUNDING

SUPPORT THE VISION • SHARE THE LOVE

Help Ryan bring CHICAGO LOVE™ to life while giving back to the city we all cherish. As a self-funded artist working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to make CHICAGO LOVE™ real, Ryan is now asking for donations of any amount to crowdsource the capital needed to produce the very first CHICAGO LOVE™ bracelets and products.

Go Fund Me Link (Please Share)

Launch Date: October 28, 2025

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ryan-lessams-chicago-love-vision

• Every contribution makes a difference ($5, $10, $25, or more).
• The first 400 donors ($25 or more) will receive one of the first CHICAGO LOVE™ bracelets ever made (donors must provide their
  email to qualify). Ryan plans to produce only 5,000 total bracelets in this limited-edition Series 1 release. In addition, each of the first 400 donors of $25.00 or more will also receive the first CHICAGO LOVE™ collectible product (“Product A”), personally signed by Ryan, for their donation equal to the sale price Ryan plans to offer Product A for ($25.00).

How Your Support Will Be Used:

• Producing the first CHICAGO LOVE™ products and bracelets.
• Hiring and paying the creatives Ryan needs to help him make Product A — the first-ever product released (designers, illustrators, developers, photographers, videographers).
• Giving Ryan the time and ability to focus on building the brand instead of grinding 12-hour days.

Join the mission. Be part of history. Support CHICAGO LOVE™ today.

About the Creator & How the CHICAGO LOVE™ Vision Was Born

SUPPORT THE VISION • SHARE THE LOVE

In high school in Cleveland, Ohio, Ryan Lessam dreamed of moving to New York City and working in the music business. After graduating 2nd in his class at Full Sail University in 1997, he moved to NYC just days later to begin as an intern at the world-famous Quad Recordings in Times Square — cleaning studios, running errands, and learning from the best. From 1998 to 2005, Ryan worked at legendary studios including Quad, Unique, and The Hit Factory, engineering sessions with artists such as Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, DMX, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, The RZA, Isaac Hayes, and Brandy. His success led him to open his own Manhattan studio, The Padded Room, where he focused on developing and producing artists of his own.

After leaving the music industry, Ryan bounced around before visiting a friend in Wicker Park/Bucktown in 2010. Experiencing a Chicago summer for the first time — seeing U2 at Soldier Field and realizing how welcoming and affordable the city was — he was instantly hooked. Within six months, he made Chicago home.

By 2014, Ryan felt the creative itch again. He picked up acrylic paints and began pouring, throwing, and experimenting with color and motion. He was mesmerized by how the paint moved and blended, creating something alive — and he knew he had found his new calling. That same year, he began taking classes at Lillstreet Art Center, discovering a deep passion for abstract painting.

Ryan’s inspiration to become an abstract artist comes from many places, but one of the pivotal moments that sparked his curiosity to experiment with paint came around 2011 and 2012, when he would spend his weekend nights at Danny’s — the iconic Bucktown bar and nightclub located inside an old apartment building at 1951 W. Dickens Ave. The vibrant graffiti murals covering the walls of the men’s bathroom lit a creative fire in Ryan, inspiring him to start experimenting with abstract art and to capture that same raw, expressive energy in his own work. Danny’s quickly became one of his favorite late-night spots to get his groove on — and a place Ryan will always hold dear in his heart for sparking the passion that ultimately led him to become an artist.

From 2014 to 2020, Ryan continued to paint while supporting himself through various roles in the craft-beer industry. That same year, some friends who had founded the Chicago-based brewery Hopothesis Beer Company invited him to invest and take over as Head of Sales. He jumped at the opportunity, invested immediately, and helped grow the company’s footprint and sales across the Chicago market by more than 64% between 2014 and 2017.

Hopothesis became known for its creative branding, bold flavor profiles, and connection to Chicago’s culture — values that deeply resonated with Ryan’s own artistic spirit. But when the majority owners decided to be acquired by Finch Beer Company in 2017, things took a different turn, and like many independent breweries post-acquisition, Hopothesis eventually closed its doors.

The experience gave Ryan invaluable lessons in entrepreneurship, brand-building, and creative marketing — all of which would later shape the foundation for CHICAGO LOVE™.

From 2017 to 2020, Ryan supported himself as Sales Manager for other local Illinois breweries including Wild Onion, Kinslahger, and Prairie Krafts, continuing to build relationships throughout the city’s vibrant craft-beer community while pursuing his art in his free time.

In 2020, Ryan had to leave his Ukrainian Village apartment in Chicago to care for his mother after she suffered a stroke. The next five years turned into the most challenging and difficult years of his life. Together they moved cross-country, living in three different states to obtain proper care.

By the summer of 2024, his mother had finally recovered to the point where doctors said she could live on her own again — a freedom she desired badly. She now lives near her daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in Cleveland, where Ryan visits regularly.

Ryan returned to Chicago — the place he loves more than anywhere — in November 2024. After going through such a difficult period — if it wasn’t bad enough having to live with his mother again for almost five years, having to do it while living in Florida for two of them was probably the worst of it all — Ryan came out the other side determined to reclaim his life.

Since returning to Chicago in late 2024, he has been working toward his long-term goal of becoming a full-time artist. This new chapter began with the release of limited-edition prints of his original artwork, available as of August 1, 2025.

Over the past eight months, Ryan also developed the vision for CHICAGO LOVE™ — the brand, mission, and community inspired by the city that has given his soul life again. As soon as he returned, CHICAGO LOVE™ was born. Coming back home to Chicago has sparked and filled Ryan with so much joy and inspiration to continue creating. CHICAGO LOVE™ is his way of sharing that feeling — a place where everyone can be part of celebrating this great city.

There’s much more art to come — stay tuned.