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.

Earlier this month, The Art of Helping Others website was voted #46 of the top 100 sites

Nonetheless, we thought we’d share links to some of our more conversational topics for your perusal and comments.

Painting by Faith not Sight

Silence is the Real Crime Against Humanity

Defining Your Art

All Art is an Apprenticeship

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

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.

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.