Fusing Creativity and Cause

As a part of my CAS project at my school, I have long since had the idea of combining creativity and service. Personally, I think that knocking on doors for donations does not make helping out for a social cause a memorable affair– it is practical, but surely not innovative. When people have an art piece in return for their contribution, it serves as a reminder of their good deed for years to come. So why not, I thought, fuse creativity with a cause– let the artists channel their passions for a better purpose? And that is how the idea for Art for a Cause was born. At its core, it meant embracing the power of art for any worthy cause. It is, of course, the additional satisfaction from helping out in a worthy cause that fuels one’s passion further.

Here’s a bit on our first cause.

During the first week after summer vacation ended in 2018, it was all over the news–the floods in Kerala, India were worsening. At that time, death tolls had reached 400 and there were 700,000 displaced. 11 districts had been classified as a red alarm (necessary evacuation), and 10 districts as orange alert (possible evacuation). So I chose Art for a Cause’s first mission as contributing to Kerela’s CM National Calamities Fund as a helping hand.

The first thing I had to do was rummage through the piles of artwork that I’d created over the past three or four years (an experience both gratifying and mortifying). The selection was composed of mostly acrylic/oil-on-canvas paintings as well as work with charcoal, pencils, and soft-pastels. This was then followed by the creation of an FB sales portal, and a newsletter explaining the purpose. What surprised me the most was the positive response I received. My family, friends, and teachers were extremely supportive of the whole initiative. By the end of the week, I had managed to sell eleven copies of my works!

The primary aims of “Art For a Cause” thus became:

• To collaborate with NGOs in order to collect donations for areas around the world facing challenges from global issues
• Spread love and kindness through sharing
• Support causes to preserve and protect nature (it really is time to give back)
• Most importantly, to bring the global community together through creativity and art