Creativity Creating Community Change

When the New Year rang in, I shared with you that I would be on the hunt for evidence of Creativity in 2012. I try to keep my eyes peeled for unique creative thought crossing my path. Today, I was wandering around downtown Asheville with an out-of-town friend, when we stumbled into Garage 34, one of our favorite stores which has a unique collection of artisan hand made goods. 

Today, I noticed a brand new display in the center of the store. Beautiful hand woven fabrics, with hand block printed patterns and hand sewn, well designed creations! I thought that the products were creative enough, as I love printmaking and the colors were beautiful. Then I talked with the woman working in the store and she shared with me more about the company, JOYN, that makes the beautiful handmade fabrics and designs, that they were more than just fashionable... so I looked them up online and I wanted to share their mission with you... here is the wording straight from their website:

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"At the very heart of JOYN is to see lives changed.  Changed lives – it’s why we do what we do. Our artisans live in some of the most difficult environments in the world and it is our desire to connect them with opportunities for change. Our passion is to bring JOY to them, to their families, to their communities. We bring this JOY by providing them with sustainable markets and good design for their products. We use fashion to create better lives.

JOYN gives more than markets. We are passionate about a holistic approach to change – we provide our artisans with good work environments, education for their children, english and vocational training, medical care for their families. All over the majority world you can find artisans with handcrafting skills, but very rarely can these individuals sustain their families on their own efforts. They need markets. They need connections. They need opportunities. When we provide these opportunities, we change lives. Its that simple."

Please check their website out at www.joynindia.com

This is a simple, creative and beautiful connection of life and art.

I love that throughout the process there are a variety of people using their unique creative strengths to come together to create and bring their products to the market and to bring change to communities.

When I see a unique company like this, I think through a few questions:

How can I do this in my community?

How can I be a part of something like this in my community?

What creative gifts can I share or partner with others to bring about positive change?

Who do I know or who can I reach out to partner with in new ways where I am not gifted or trained?

What is a need in my community?

What needs have I observed in my life that I could be a part of changing or facilitating change?

As an artists or art nurturers, we are often looking at problems or issues within ourselves, those things that keep us from doing the stuff we long to do. Often times, finding a problem outside of ourselves, where we want to be a part of a positive solution, is a strong impetus to get us moving. There comes a time in our creative lives where we start sharing and giving or working with our communities. Even if it is on a small scale, if you are impacting one life, it is worth the creative journey to nurture your unique art. 

Your strength may be business or internet marketing or taking really good photos. 

You may be good at networking or creating patterns or seeing patterns or seeing needs. 

There are many creative strengths and arts and collaborating is a good way to make something great.  

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