One Artist, One Cause, One Year

In last weeks post I left you with a question, "What do you scream for?" Today I would like to continue that, by sharing a little about what I scream for as an artist. As well as basically setting the stage for what you can expect to be reading in future post.

As some of you know, I'm an artist that believes in making things that benefit others. As an artist I create a lot of different types of work in different mediums, for different clients, and not all of my work is charity based or screems for the same cause.

However, for the purpose of this blog I will primarily be focusing on a single cause that I scream for. Freedom from sexual abuse and human trafficking. Why this cause you ask? Simple, because the problem is bigger today than it has ever been and is growing! Someone is assaulted every two min. in America alone, and there are over twenty seven million people being held as slaves within the human trafficking industry today. That's more than the number of people living on the entire continent of Australia. And YES, contrary to what some of you believe, there are slaves in every major country today including the U.S and U.K.

So, How does one person bring about the end to a problem this massive? They don't. At least not on their own. I can't paint enough pictures, sell enough art, or posted enough on this blog to do it by myself. I can however help change the numbers even if just a by a little.

One of the ways I have used my art to "scream for change", is by becoming an upcycled and repurposed jewelry and fashion designer. Sounds important, not really. I make jewelry and clothing from trash.

Why trash? Because the victims are left feeling used and disposable. They often lose their sense of value and self worth. By turning something that represents that into something beautiful, it proves that nothing can take away anyones worth or value unless that person allows it.That it is not what brakes you that is important, but what you let God do with the pieces left behind that matters. Its to demonstrate that they're worth is only limited by their own perspective of it. A two week old newspaper has the potential of being trashed or an eighth hundred dollar dress depending on the artist perspective.

There are those that don't help or stand up for things they suport, because they don't think that they can do anything of impact.

This blog is my challenge to that. How much of an impact can one person make for something. I am one small town artist of no importance, as of today I have no fame, no financial backing, and barely make enough cash to pay my own bills. In this blog, I will post weekly on my efforts as an artist for this cause and organizations that are working towards the same goals.

The overall purpose of this blog? To see how much of an impact a small amount of art can make. One artist, one cause, one year of work....can art be used to change a million lives. Let's find out.

[Picture below is a dress made of newspapers, I painted it yellow to stand for"yell for freedom".]

Painting A Thounsand Words

• I was once told that if God gives you the ability to paint a thousand words; then to use those words to scream for those who could not scream for themselves. That Art was a gift to be used to give voices to those who did not have one. A picture paints a thousand words, a song or a piece of literature, a million pictures. Imagine the impact that many words in any form of artwork could make.
• All Art no matter what form, if it is at all good in any way, is created with some form of passion driven behind it. I present to you the following questions; What is the passion that drives you as an Artist? What do you scream for? Do you use your Art to scream for others or simply for self gain?
• What drove you to pursue the type of Art that you do? Have you ever been impacted by a piece of art, music or literature in your past? Well of course you have, whether you realize it or not you have been affected by Art throughout your lifetime.
• Art throughout History has changed people, our culture, how we perceive the world around us, and even our moral code. Whether it was through painting, sculpting, music, public speaking, or written Word.  Art has left a impact on not only everyone's individual lives but in history .
• It is because of this that I believe that as Artist we have an obligation to create something that will leave the world a better place then before. That a true Artist's Work will not simply leave a whisper, But a scream that can not help but be heard. So as an Artist my question to you is, How loud are you? Is your work simply a whisper that screams for nothing that can be forgotten easily? Or does what you create leave an impact?