World Vision recognizes the power of visual art as a way to communicate, which knows no boundaries across cultures, languages, and worldviews.  It can communicate the need to respond to child sponsorship, real-life issues of extreme poverty and social injustice, the global sex trade, or the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  Visual art can inspire – and yes, even cast a vision of hope.

That’s why The Art of Helping Others has joined World Vision’s artist affiliate program, to invite visual artists, photographers and others in the visual arts to join this creative collective – to participate in group thematic exhibits and other events that advocate child sponsorship and ultimately, practice the art of helping others.  It will be a brilliant way for artists to show and sell their work, and help those that lack the ability or opportunity to help themselves in communities worldwide.

Perhaps you are or know of a visual artist or photographer that would be interested in learning more about what we plan to do and would want to get involved.  If so, invite them to connect with me at douglas@theartofhelpingothers.com for more information.

Follow The Art of Helping Others on Twitter or join our Facebook fan page.  Art.  Awareness.  Activism.

What’s the largest U.S. based international relief and development organization?  Save the Children, CARE?  While both are great mainstream humanitarian organizations, it’s World Vision, a Seattle-based Christian organization, which has 40,000 staff members in almost 100 countries – more staff than Save the Children, CARE and the United States Agency for International Development – combined.

The article also includes quotes from the head of World Vision, Richard Stearns book, “The Hole in Our Gospel” and other insights from columnist Nichols Kristof.  I want to encourage you to read the article and post your comments here. The Art of Helping Others: Art. Awareness. Activism.

Never one to mince words, Amos Ferguson always pointed out that God gave him the talent to paint, and that he painted only through God.  Amos didn’t paint what he saw, but what he dreamed.

So, what do I takeaway from Ferguson’s thinking on faith?  That faith doesn’t have to be safe, nor was it intended to be; instead it can and should have a sense of loving recklessness.  If we don’t leap – we don’t learn.

The artist’ job is to show up at the canvas and paint, to show up at the page and write, to eavesdrop on the conversation and create by faith – so ultimately, we can see.

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No doubt the world has changed since then and sometimes it feels as if it’s leaning from its axis making the gravitational pull on my heart enormous.

The world is more global and our lives more interconnected than ever before, but have our lives and what we choose to do and choose not to do really changed that much?  Perhaps – or maybe we’re content with simply being content.

But what if you really wanted to change the world or at least the world around you?  Stop this very moment, breathe deeply, exhale and take an intentional 360-degree view of your world.  What do you see that needs to change?

What difference can you make in your life or in others?  If only you’d take the first step of faith and see that nothing really is impossible.  This doesn’t involve writing a business plan or being clever, but it does involve your heart and passion – unless you only want to live a passionless life.

Changing the world could simply mean being there for someone who needs you not to give advice and just listen with your ears – and your heart.  Or gathering a group of like-minded people to work together on a project, something that could have a ripple effect in your community carrying itself to the other side of your country – or even around the world impacting others lives.

Feel the gravitational pull on your heart?  Then, I dare you to step forward and change the world.

Order The Art of Helping Others new T-shirt or other cool items like our embroidered ball cap, 2010 calendar or visit our online merchandise store for other products.  You can also purchase our new hardcover book as a holiday gift for someone or order a fine art print.

Remember; up to 25% of the net proceed from sales benefit International Justice Mission and World Vision, which positively impact communities worldwide.

The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy said, “A man who professes the teaching of Christ is like a man carrying a lantern before him on a long, or not so long, pole; the light is in front of him, always lighting up fresh ground and always encouraging him to walk further.”

No matter what, who or whom you believe in – or perhaps, don’t believe in, belief at any level takes some degree of faith.  I think Tolstoy’s quote beautifully captures that journey of exercising some sliver of faith in ourselves with his imagery of the lantern lighting up fresh ground, as we place one foot after the next moving forward on the path we travel.

While this reflects each of our own personal journeys, it also reminds me of the process the artist walks through to create, which requires an exercise in faith to put brush to canvas, pen to paper, voice to a melody.  There are plenty of persons around who will tell you what you can’t do or cannot accomplish; but few who will say what you can do.  I say – walk on.

Support the charitable work of The Art of Helping Others.  Order postage stamps or other goodies at our Merchandise store online, purchase our new book, or order an art print.  Up to 25% of the net proceeds benefit charitable humanitarian and advocacy organizations that positively impact communities worldwide.

Maybe it’s been a bad year for you, for me; but it’s been worse for those far less fortunate because they never had jobs to lose or enough food to feed their families.

While the poor will always be with us, let’s not let that become a mantra of acceptance or excuse to do little or next to nothing.  To ignore the poor and their great need only exposes the depth of our own inner poverty.

Be an advocate of influence and an agent of change.  Consider making a donation to The Art of Helping Others, or purchase an art print, T-shirt, other available merchandise or our new book to increase the funding we can contribute to charitable humanitarian organizations.  Thanks for joining with us to practice the art of helping others.

I find it interesting and at the same time disturbing that in our culture we seem to have concluded that God chooses to only use spiritual giants; the high gifted, multi-talented, richly diverse, faith-filled people of this world and not the spiritual pygmies. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, God has a well-documented history of working through the broken vessels of this world, “the scalawags and ragamuffins” as Brennan Manning puts it, or as a friend in Ireland says, “the cracked pots.” He has used questionable characters that are of little social standing, ill tempered, liars, adulterers, and murderers to accomplish His good purposes – and He continues to do so to this day.

We find it far more pleasant to be known for and seen for our strengths, and not for our weaknesses. But in His infinite wisdom, God chooses to use ordinary people like you and me, imperfect ambassadors of the gospel that we are, to reach out in faith with compassion filled hearts to those just like us, those that are as equally as needy and wanting, only in different ways.  That’s how this extraordinary God is revealed and encountered in the peaks and valleys of everyday circumstances and the ordinariness of life.

Days later, an email arrives in my inbox from him saying that obviously we see things from different perspectives and approaches, and that he will not share with his audience about what we do.  That was it – done and dusted, no other explanation.  Initially, I was a bit disappointed, but really – mostly perplexed.

I’m okay not getting a mention on his blog, but idealist that I am, what troubled me most is I had hoped that in the arts, culture, faith, current events – you know, wherever or whatever direction your political, economic, geographic, religious, cause-related compass points, that ultimately, there would be room enough for diversity and discussion.  Yes, feel free to pity idealists like me…

What do I take from this as I walk away and glance over my shoulder?  For some people, there may be room enough for diversity in the matter of opinion – as long as it aligns with their own, but unfortunately dialogue doesn’t always seem to be a part of the process, and that is indeed a shame.  Why?  Because if we choose not to dialogue, how will we ever begin to understand one another and where we’re coming from.

If you’re inclined, let me know if there’s something I’ve missed.  Idealistically Yours.

Living a Creative Lifestyle

Most of us in the fine arts and performing arts live what many consider, a creative lifestyle.  And while that’s good and great, and sometimes not so good and great, I know there are many of you that read these blog postings that see yourselves as enthusiasts – not artists.

Last week I was having coffee with a friend and in the course of our conversation (and between my incoherent ramblings…) we managed to talk about how people who aren’t or don’t consider themselves artistic or creative can actually live a creative lifestyle.  I like that because it’s inclusive and not exclusive.

For an enthusiast, this isn’t necessarily going to be through artistic endeavours nor should it need to be, but it can be through creative endeavours that don’t include picking up a paintbrush, a guitar, or other tools of the artistic trades.

It may be how and what you model to others through your life – the little things in everyday life that eventually add up so much so that they become something bigger than you, leaving a lasting impression or impact for generations to come.

Imagine that.  You – the enthusiasts can live a creative lifestyle and practice the art of helping others.  This is something we all can participate and share in – as it should be.

And let’s be honest, it’s probably best not to leave it only to us artistic types since we tend to be as organized as a herd of cats.  Hey – just speaking from experience here.