Thursday, November 25, 2010

Updates!

thousandforathousand is off to a slow and steady start, but looking good. Starting on the first paintings in the coming days, and I've even gotten some updates from participants about the awesome things they're doing! Cornelia from Germany is going to the (overcrowded) local dog shelters a few times a week to walk and play with the dogs, Sharon is volunteering her time at her son's preschool, Krystofer from Arizona gave 100% tips when he ate at a local pizza place, and Sarah from Pennsylvania started a fundraiser selling wristbands to raise money for the flood victims in Pakistan. (If you want to help Sarah, you can go to the UNICEF link right here.)

Take a Fear, Leave a Fear boxes are being readied and will be sent out soon (AKA as soon as I make some money/finish my finals.)

More to come, guys. You're great.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Project: Uncomfortable.

I hate having my picture taken. In any context, the idea of my image being captured and put on display makes me anxious and nervous and wildly....uncomfortable.

As part of a new lifestyle I've tried to adopt, I want to be fearless. I want to do all the things that scare me, and I want to conquer those fears. This is where Project: Uncomfortable comes in.

What I need from you lovely people is a simple e-mail (to saynomorgan[at]gmail[dot]com) of something that makes you uncomfortable. ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable. Standing in long lines, being naked, sex in public, your personal space being compromised, whatever. All of your disclosures of discomfort and your participation in the project will be anonymous, so don't be afraid to be honest.

This is a two part project, and once I receive one hundred responses of what makes people uncomfortable, I will both attempt to dissect and conquer these discomforts in a multimedia art series. As the project progresses, more will be written about it.

If you're feeling brave enough to tell a stranger something that makes you uncomfortable, please e-mail saynomorgan[at]gmail[dot]com with "Project: Uncomfortable" as the subject. Again, this will be anonymous to the public, and I have no judgement, I promise.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Take a Fear, Leave a Fear participants.

1. Rachel H.- Arizona, USA.
2. Amanda G.- Arizona, USA.
3. Samantha L.- Arizona, USA.
4. Trexii- Maryland, USA.

Friday, November 5, 2010

thousandforathousand

I'm selling a thousand paintings. The cost? The promise that you will donate your time, energy, or money to an organization, charity, or person you feel is deserving.

This could be taking a homeless person out to dinner, overtipping the next time you eat out, planting a tree, spending time with a charity that's important to you. The deed can be as big or as little as you want it to be. This project is based on the honor system, so you don't have to provide proof that you did it in order to "purchase" one the paintings. However, if you're particularly proud of your good deed and want to share a story, by all means. Send me some info (saynomorgan[at]gmail[dot]com) and I'll post it here.

If you have a specific request for your painting's subject, please include it in your participation e-mail and I'll do my best to accommodate. If you'd like to see some examples of the work that I've done in the past, check the links section.

I know what you're thinking. What's the catch, right? There's no catch. This is my very small way to say thank you for being a good person. What do I get out of this? Hope. I'm receiving no monetary gain from this endeavor, and all supplies and material costs are coming out of my very empty pockets. I've just never really been able to say thank you to my dad for teaching me that it's okay to be an artist. I'm hoping this gets me a little closer.

Sometimes we forget how beautiful the world is. With thousandforathousand, I hope to remind you (and me).

If you'd like to participate, please e-mail saynomorgan[at]gmail[dot]com with thousandforathousand as the subject. Share this with everyone you know. I'll be thrilled to face the challenge of creating a thousand paintings to say a thousand thank yous for a thousand good deeds.

A list of participants will be listed below to help us all keep track of how far this project is reaching.

Thank you for existing. Every single one of you are what make life awesome.

thousandforathousand participants

1. Lou Lou- Middlesbrough, England.
2. David Z.- New Jersey, USA.
3. Mary W.- West Virginia, USA.
4. Dustin B.- Michigan, USA.
5. Rochella V.- United Kingdom.
6. Laura S.- New Jersey, USA.
7. Nathan S.- Arizona, USA.
8. Mark K.- Sheffield, UK.
9. Kari N.- California, USA.
10. Kendra W.- New Jersey, USA.
11. Felicia T.- Arizona, USA.
12. Stephy M.- New York, USA.
13. Suzanne F.- Arizona, USA.
14. Eduardo N.- Portugal.
15. Joan J.- Arizona, USA.
16. Julie W.- California, USA.
17. Daphne P.- Texas, USA.
18. Joyce B.- California, USA.
19. Cornelia S.- Baden-wuerttemberg, Germany.
20. Sarah C.- Pennsylvania, USA.
21. Krystofer V.- Arizona, USA.

Take a Fear, Leave a Fear

We're scared people. We all are. Be it heights, spiders, clowns or commitment, we've all got 'em.

The Take a Fear, Leave a Fear project exists to remind people that it's okay to have fears, worries, and regrets. It's a reminder that we can't do it alone, which is why I need you.

If you want to participate, e-mail your mailing address to saynomorgan[at]gmail[dot]com with "take a fear" as the subject. In a few short days, you'll receive a Take a Fear, Leave a Fear kit. It consists of:

-a bowl
-a pen on a chain
-a pad of paper
-nails
-instructions for you
-instructions for the audience
-a thankyou note from me for being awesome.

You might know the whole "take a penny, leave a penny" concept from restaurants, convenience stores, et cetera. Same concept, but not. At all.

The Plan
When you receive your kit, you set it up (using the provided instructions) in a public place. A tree, a community board, a wall, wherever you think it belongs.

The Goal
The audience (i.e. strangers and passers-by) can write a fear, a worry, a regret, fold it up and put it in the bowl. Once you put your worry in the bowl, it's not yours anymore. You're giving it up and letting it go. You're acknowledging it and accepting that it's not yours to fret anymore. If you choose to take a fear/worry/regret OUT of the bowl, you get a valuable opportunity to learn about a complete stranger and what makes them tick/keeps them from ticking. It's a chance to gain a little empathy for your fellow human.

This project might fail. BUT if it does, it will fail awesomely because I refuse for it to go down any other way.

If you'd like to participate in this social experiment, please e-mail your mailing address to saynomorgan[at]gmail[dot]com.

And just in case no one's told you today: You're awesome. Keep it up.