Pay It Forward

The premise of the novel “Pay It Forward” is one that any person can implement in his or her own life, at any time. It begins with doing a favor for another person ~ without any expectation of being paid back. Indeed one would request that the recipient of that favor do the same for someone else ~ ideally, for three other people. The unconditional favors can be large or small. As 12-year-old Trevor observes in the novel: it doesn't have to be a big thing. It can just seem that way, depending on whom you do it for. Both to inspire and to educate, the Pay It Forward Foundation posts projects, activities and stories to this website and to the Pay It Forward Movement website. There’s really no end to what you can do when you set your mind to Pay It Forward!

Tomorrow is National Pay It Forward Day! Here are some ideas of little ways in which you can Pay It Forward.

• Start your own Free Hugs Campaign!
  
• At a drive through, pay for the car behind's meal and give the cashier a Pay it Forward card to pass on...You could do this at a gas station, coffee shop, etc.
• Visit an elderly neighbor’s house and ask them if they need any help with house work.
• Donate some money to your favorite charity.
• Tell the manager of a restaurant how great your waiter/waitress was.
• Talk to parking attendants - try and get them to hand out Pay it Forward cards instead of Parking fines or top up other people's parking meters to stop them getting a fine.
• Cook a casserole for a new mom. Caring for newborns is tiring and draining. Mom will appreciate the ability to eat something home-cooked without having to cook it herself.
• Clip a $5, $10, or $20 bill to a “Pay It Forward Card” and as you pass by someone’s table on the way out of the restaurant, drop or slip it on the table or simply hand it to someone sitting there. If they refuse to take it, give it to the next table.
• If you are washing your own car or mowing your own lawn, do the same for your next door neighbor.
• At your office, thank the “little people”. Everyone’s part is essential and no one’s job is purposeless. Thank the mail guy, the girl who orders supplies, or the door person.
• Drive an older person in the neighborhood to the grocery store (they will love the opportunity to get out of the house, as well) or if they aren’t able to go themselves, take their list and go to the store for them. If at all possible, pay for their things.
• Be a mentor for someone who needs some support.
• Give a homeless person some food vouchers along with a Pay it Forward card.
• Do some work for a client or one that can't afford your services free of charge - just ask that they Pay it Forward.
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There are so many ways to brighten someone else's day. One gentleman donated $10,000 for a lady to have a liver operation she couldn't afford - he was a stranger and remains so to this day. What an amazing random act of kindness and what a difference it has made to that lady and all the people with whom she comes into contact.

It doesn't need to be expensive.....it just needs to be from the heart. What random acts of kindness will you do on April 30^th and beyond?

Alan and the Strange Light

Alan and the Strange Light: A Photographic Diary by Michael Weisbrot is an online exhibition from The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art that chronicles the experiences of Alan, the photographer's newphew, as he falls through the cracks of the American health care system. One of the most incredible collections of photography with a heart wrenching story to accompany it. Any further description I could provide would be completely inadequate. You must see it.

Problem Solving

So I have a few projects in the works--more unresolved prints than I can count. I thought that perhaps, in writing a bit about the series I have developing, it might help me sort through some creative problem solving process and potentially point me in a better direction to develop my concept for my senior thesis. I feel it looming already, such an intense wish to be a credit to everyone and myself. I still have to get through this semester!

A friend of mine took a picture of me wearing a dust mask I dragged out from my days as a metals student. It's a really interesting photo--a glamor Chernobylesque image. I printed the photo using color separation photo lithography onto vellum. Kind of a torturous process. The paper rolled, wrinkled, smudged, etc. any time I tried to manipulate it. Out of about 20 or so sheets, I have about 8 that were successful. I've been layering computer print out images from the media of disasters happening all over the world (earthquakes, fires, murder, etc) behind sections of the portrait on vellum using PVA glue applied with an airbrush gun. I celebrated my success prematurely as the adhesive worked for about a night. A friend suggested I try applying matte medium and sending them through the press again but I'm bit nervous. Any suggestions?

The other work I have in progress at the moment is expanding off of a color separation photo silkscreen I did of Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ. It's turned into a few mixed media prints with inclusive cutouts, collaged photo litho figure, pen and ink map, and some actual sandpapering into the print. I'm printing an edition of 30 much smaller prints (8x10) for a portfolio exchange that's pretty settled. I've been doing a lot of scavenging--pulling unwanted prints from the trash, cutting, collaging, and working into them to develop something new.

I'm completely stalled on what I want to do for my final project in photo silkscreen. My professor really pushes for us to work 3D which I don't mind but I feel so directionless!

I did a collection of paper wedding/engagement rings with divorce stats on them last semester. I thought they were humorous and an interesting look into a social institution and it's rules of governance. My professor thought it was sad. I've done body casting where I interviewed a close friend about his life/medical procedures that have produced extensive scars on his body and projected the video onto the cast. I'm not opposed to creating an involved piece with serious emotional subject matter or an extensive process. I like creating socially conscious work I just lean towards creating two dimensional socially conscious work.

On a personal note: I think what I really need is to go for a walk, curl up on a couch in a corner of a coffee house, and enjoy a good cup of coffee.

JHU's Center For Talented Youth

This past week I received a phone call from a Project Manager for Johns Hopkins University's Center For Talented Youth Program saying that I an employment opportunity opened up for me as a Senior Resident Assistant at a site in Pennsylvania. I was originally told the enrollment rates were so low, they had been forced to cut a number of spots and that the likelihood of new ones becoming available were slim to none. You can imagine my surprise when a Baltimore area code appeared on my phone and I found myself accepting the position immediately!

I am a former student of the program back when it was called IAAY in '96 and then CTY in '97. I came back to work for their Civic Leadership Institute (developed with a sister program in Chicago) as a Resident Assistant. Grateful for what my experience had been as a student, I was eager to play a dynamic role in creating a similar positive experience for my own students. The three weeks I spent in Baltimore were truly remarkable and I cannot wait to join the staff at my new site this summer. As a Senior RA, I will be in more of a supervisory position, responsible for training and leading the staff, handling any disciplinary issues, and maintaining a close line of communication with administrators. The hours are crazy and I get maybe two days off in seven weeks. I will be distracted beyond belief and for that I'm even more grateful.