Social Entrepreneurship and Arts Education

Recently, I have made the decision to redesign the tagline for my company. The new tagline is:

Filling the world with positive and original designs to help provide arts education for all schools.

This choice was made for a few reasons. I was reading Blake Mycoskie’s book Start Something that Matters. Blake is the founder of Tom’s Shoes, a company whose philosophy is to give a pair of shoes away for every pair of shoes it sells. While reading the book I received clarity about things I was already doing.

I had already started a charitable portion of my business, The 12 Gates. I was already scheduled to do an “Empowerment Through the Arts” class with Chicago Public Schools. So I just received clarity about how to articulate the purpose.

Last year, I had a business partnership with Chicago Public Schools. As a result, I worked with the 5 different 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms just about every Friday that school was in session. As a result of this experience, it came to my attention that the school did not have an art teacher or a formal art program. I personally know and believe in the healing power of the expressive and meditative nature of art. So I was disturbed that a school where the children are overcoming high rates of poverty, gang culture, and a local economy with the drug trade embedded into it did not have a positive arts outlet for the children to express themselves.Do I blame the schools? No. Do I blame the leadership? No. it is not about blaming, it is about fixing a problem. I know and believe in the healing power of creativity. So it is my responsibility to make a difference.

 

Google Inside Search – AMAZING!

Google has come out with a new an amazing new feature that allows one to search the web for an image by utilizing the image as the search source! How exciting!

This can enable a business or artist to be proactive in seeking if there are any unauthorized use of trademarked or copyrighted work. You could also see where your presences is on the web.

http://www.google.com/insidesearch/searchbyimage.html

Awesome Social Media Widget for WordPress Sites and Blogs

This widget is eye appealing, easy to use, and extremely versatile. I would recommend this widget for anyone seeking for a social media application for your web site.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/social-media-widget/

All Creation is Groaning

ALL CREATION IS GROANING 2011 Alcohol Ink

My inspiration often comes from experience and compassion. My art sometimes brings a visual solution to a perceived spiritual problem. It is that process of mainfesting various thoughts, observations, criticisms, and/or statements into the realm of the seen that is my voice.

For this particular piece, I was taking a 10 day respite in the country. I had driven about 45 minutes from where I was staying to take a hike. While just about to reach my destination it began to violently rain. I sat in my car for about an hour waiting for it to pass. During this time, I observed the droplets running down the windows. They were so fluid and full of emotion. There was a sadness to this storm though. I envisioned that this was the earthly reaction to all the sadness in the land. This perceived sadness and the drive to document it was the force behind this piece.

However, this is not a sad piece. It is a call to action. If we know the all of creation is groaning, then we can do something to help alleviate that sorrow!

When Sympathy Becomes Compassion

“True prosperity is the ability to look a man in the eye in his moment of impossibility and take his needs on as your own.”       Kenneth Copeland

That tender look in someones eyes. The look that says thank you with no words. It is a thank you that comes from the depth of the spirit and soul. It is a thank you that is beyond words. It is grace. It is a gratitude that comes from one human being having their needs met through another being without being asked. The awe, the astonishment, the wonder as we remind each other that there is goodness in this world. There are complete strangers who love you, notice you, and wish the best for you.

I could imagine we all have someone we see on our walk of life who we take sympathy on. Maybe it is a person who has recently lost a loved one, an elderly person who is carrying something heavy, a person who appears to be homeless, or someone battling an addiction. We need to take our sympathy to the next level and have compassion. Compassion has action. Compassion sends a card or calls the person who has recently lost a loved one. Compassion asks that senior citizen if they can help them with their bags. Compassion buys new clothes or fresh food for the homeless. Compassion continues to reach out to that person who is battling addiction and refuses to agree with the critics that say this person has no future.

Turn your sympathy into compassion. Trust that your acts of kindness will be well-received. We never know whose prayers we are answering when we take a step of faith to help another person out.

Love, Art, Faith, and Service

My philosophy is that art has a responsibility to edify the viewer and/or customer. Edification can be accomplished by taking thought to the concept of one’s work and then making a commitment to portray a positive message to others. Regardless of how internally conflicted an artist may be, we need to consider what message we are expressing to others. It is crucial that an artist is aware of the possible interpretations of their self-expression. What a viewer takes with them when they are done digesting an artwork is where the true value and the spirit of the art is.

Also, calling others and myself to make a positive difference in the world is important in my work. Social responsibility is an artist’s creative duty. Some of my pieces are directly a call to action or remembrance. While others pieces portray a concept that can plant a good seed within someone, hopefully translating to positive thought which then can lead to positive action.

I am currently working on a collaborative piece regarding gun violence in Chicago and the small arms industry. The purpose of the project is to show perspective, to put faces to statistics, and to present solutions. My personal experience has been a catalyst for this project. The purpose of the project is to help make a difference in reducing the violence.

My faith does influence my creative work. My faith is the most important aspect of my life and creative work. Faith gives my life and art purpose.

To me faith is living a lifestyle of praise and gratitude. There is so much to be thankful for in life. Yes, we all have tests and trials but faith is that force that guides us to know that the sun is still shining behind those storm clouds. Faith is what gives me a knowledge that the world is bigger than myself. I am here on this earth to love, care and encourage others. My faith lets me believe the perceived impossible is actually possible. Faith gives me empathy so I can be compassionate to burdens that others have.

All of these aspects of my faith translate into my artwork because faith is what makes me who I am. My art is a tool I use to serve others. Art is a channel to help bring a positive message to the world.

What Can I Do To Make Your Life Easier?

You know when you are talking to someone and you can tell by the tone of their voice that they are going through something? Sometimes I’ll ask “How are you?” to see if the person feels comfortable sharing what is going on with them with me.

When someone does open up to me, I feel an obligation to them to help lift their spirit.

The other week I was speaking to someone I care about and she was sharing with me some hardships that are going on in her life. Her husband is ill and her dear friend had been hospitalized. Knowing that this lady does not drive, I asked if she had been to see her friend. She had not. I let her know that in 2 weeks, I could take her.

So 2 weeks came and I went through with what I said. I had second thoughts because I had so many other things to do but keeping my word is important.

Well, I was so glad I did! We had such a wonderful day. Her friend was so happy to see us. She didn’t want us to leave when it was time to go! It was obvious that her spirit got lifted from our visit. It was such a gift from God to be able to serve another in a capacity that you get to see the positive results right before your eyes.

We need to do what we can to help each other out. We need to be able to lean on people in this life. Go that extra mile, it honors God and gives our life purpose.

SOS Chicago

We need to come together in the City of Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Our local governments are not effectively dealing with the violence that is plaguing our city. We truly need divine intervention but we can be representatives of that divine intervention if we come together in a peaceful and good-willed manner.

We have police officers being gunned down. Young people losing their lives too soon. Business owners with young children being robbed and shot down in cold blood. Innocents losing their lives.

This is effecting all races and socioeconomic levels. And if you think this isn’t your problem, I would seriously suggest examining yourself with the question, “Do I care about anyone except myself?”

You may not know these people personally but someone else does. We are sick of the violence. There are people who give their time to keep kids off the streets, give them some education, support and love. There are people who are committed to being positive ethical sober role models in their lives. And they need help!

I was volunteering in the Cabrini Green row houses yesterday. A place that is dealing with the issues of poverty and I look in the very near distance and see luxury condominiums everywhere in the exclusive River North area and my heart breaks.

What are we doing? Since when is one life more important than another? When did we become so single minded that we think other peoples problems are not our business.

When my great-grandpa came to this country, he threatened harm upon a man who he saw beating his wife. He threatened harm upon his own brother-in-law because he mistreated his child. We need to speak up.  I am not endorsing violence but displaying a person who thought it was his responsibility to speak up and defend people who are being mistreated.

We are all connected. We need to come together and make a positive difference in the violence in Chicago and the globe to ensure a safe world for our children and their children. This is our moral responsibility.

Crystal Meth Addiction in South Africa

I was just watching PBS News Hour. There was a segment about Cape Town South Africa and the coming World Cup. The journalist asked mostly the poor if they felt the World Cup being in South Africa would improve their lives.

The answer was no. The story transitioned to focusing on the crystal meth epidemic, or tik, that is plaguing Cape Town right now.

There was an interview with a mother who had a son that was addicted to tik. She wound up strangling her own son at the climax of his addiction. The son had lost himself. The mother had lost hope.

It is a heart-breaking story. We need to fight to keep our hope. The Bible says we fight the good fight of faith, 1 Tim 6:12. It is a labor to keep ourselves encouraged. We have to watch what we say, what we do, what we see, what we listen to. But this is work we must do to keep ourselves encouraged so we can therefore help encourage others.

The Soul of the Modern Artist

Concept. Line. Color. Layout. Juxtaposition. Contrast. Texture. Movement.               Dominance. Space.

These are crucial elements of design. By putting them to use, we artists hope to shed a revelatory light upon the viewers of our work: the revelation of a breakthrough concept. If our audience walks away refreshed, contemplative, reflective, and even changed, we have succeeded. We’ve made our impact.

Today artists have so many amazing media choices. We have, at our disposal, the tools that Michelangelo used to paint the Sistine Chapel and to sculpt David. As graphic artists, we have computers offering countless tools and effects. We rely on these computers, design software, and ink to produce our work, thus making production extremely efficient. In many ways, though, the artist is no longer a dynamic figure in society. In the commercial world, we are seen as skilled producers but not necessarily sources of boundless creativity. We have mastered software, but this can be limiting to our expression and imagination. As a result, our creative capacities are often overlooked and instead, the focus is solely on our delivery as skilled workers. We have libraries of pre-made symbols and shapes to make production move along more quickly. Yes, these tools are wonderful, and yes, we can still be expressive as digital artists, but can we be expressive and profitable? Sometimes when working with all the filters, drop shadows, and effects, one legitimately wonders: Where has the concept gone?

When contemplating the deeper meaning of a piece, sometimes we find out that there isn’t much of a concept there. Other times, the concept is as clear as can be, reflecting the artist’s purpose and commitment to the project. I often wonder if some artists are even thinking of their audience. In this current digital age, it seems easier to copy than be original. It’s easier to steal an idea rather than work many hours to create one. Now there are scanners and the Internet to assist in thieving. Originality takes time. Concepts take time: to develop, to grow, and to be revised through the input of others. With the growth of the concept comes the richness and depth of a design.

Often conceptualizing is strengthened through collaboration. At my business, Graceful Works, I take an extremely collaborative approach with my clients and make it a priority to get their feedback every step of the way. For example, recently a client and I were finalizing her logo and tweaking the background color. She knew what she wanted but was not familiar with Adobe Illustrator. In this circumstance, I had to change from artist to teacher. I showed my client some navigation basics of Illustrator, then she got on my computer and finished that logo wonderfully—in a way I never could have done. It’s really important to me to not dismiss my clients and their creativity but to take them on as equals in the creative process. By doing this, I think artwork becomes so much richer. I keep in mind that I am creating a piece for my customer’s business, and they know their business better than I do. Thus, I must submit to their expertise in that area. My goal as a business owner is not to prove to my clients what a great artist I am but to prove to them what a great artist they are. As for my fine art, in most pieces I strive to take a concept and communicate it through design fundamentals, and in my latest work, I’ve been more diligent at seeking to educate while creating.

We, as artists, need to stay in touch with design fundamentals. As the number of resources at our disposal grows, so must our commitment to the core of good design. Even while we embrace change and constantly evolve, we should also keep in mind the power of an original concept.

Katie Keller is the Creative Director of Graceful Works, a business  specializing in fine art, design, clip art, photography, and consulting. The philosophy of Graceful Works is to take customers on as equal partners in the creative process. www.gracefulworks.com.
(taken from Chicago Artists Resource http://chicagoartistsresource.org/visual-arts/node/26369)