Helping Upcoming Artists & Autism
Donation protected
SUPPORTING ARTISTS, AUTISM & INDEPENDENCE
This page is to raise money for Artistic_UK an organisation which supports and shows the work of artists with autism.
I interviewed one of the Founders of Artistic_UK about who they are, what they do, and why. Watch the video below to hear from Colin Sugden:
My target is to raise £5000 (and ideally more) by 23rd August.
Whether you can donate £1, $2, or more, all donations help and add up and are gratefully received.
I asked the mother of a child with autism 2 short questions, one of which was about the power of art and how it helps. The first part of her reply was:
"Autism is a spectrum disorder, you soon realise that life as a parent of a child with autism is also a huge spectrum. I have days of euphoria realising that my child has just done something amazing to the other end of the spectrum where life can be unbearable and full of pain . . . . It (the art) also brings together communities to examine things collectively where nothing is taboo and expression is everything."
You can read the rest of her touching beautiful moving painful and inspiring reply at the end of this page.
You will also find your invitation to the Gallery Closing Party below.
Who Are Artistic_UK?
Artistic is a non-profit Organisation staffed by highly qualified volunteers who mentor and support exceedingly talented young artists, some of which have been diagnosed with Autism. It provides support and a form of expression which might otherwise be missing from their lives.
Even though I’ve never done a fund raiser before I was so inspired by my time with them I found myself committing to raise £5000 this month, and ideally £10,000 or more.
Whether you can donate a £1 or $2, £50, $100, or a £1000 or more, all contributions are welcome and greatly appreciated.
And if you can't donate I would appreciate it if you could share this page with your friends and networks by using the 'share' buttons above of copying the link: https://www.gofundme.com/autismandart
Objectives of Artistic_UK
Short Term: To develop the artistic abilities, commercial awareness, communication and social skills of our Foundation Artists whilst developing the career opportunities of our various Guest Artists.
Medium Term: To build on the success of our sixteen previous successful exhibitions by organising our next major show.
Long Term: To Finance an Independent Artistic Community with public spaces, where our Artists can live, work and exhibit in a secure and supportive environment. Our ultimate goal is to enable our Foundation Artists to become truly independent contemporaries and not to be reliant upon State Benefits.
The objectives of the organisation are clear, and with your help we can support them in the long, medium and short term.
My initial thought was helping to raise money to part-fund the current exhibition running throughout August at the Crows Nest Gallery London w10, however the more I learn about the Artistic, the more the idea of helping those who would otherwise often struggle to be independent and carve out a place for themselves in society is now a greater driver.
Meet Some of the Team
From l to r:
Bivek: One of the talented Artists exhibiting at Crows Nest.
Tally Nothey: An Autism advocate and campaigner, and the woman responsible for organising the free Workshops being run at the Gallery of which my Unleash Your Creativity day was one.
Marilyn Devonish (Me!): The NeuroSuccess Coach and Trainer. I'm also about TranceFormation and changing lives even if it's doing it one healed mind at a time.
Colin Sugden: A retired leading teacher who specialised in the arts, he is an accomplished artist in his own right and has over 30 years of experience, working with children and young people with Special Educational Needs through the therapeutic arts.
Depending upon how much money we raise it will contribute to funding art materials, provide spaces for artists to work together, collaborate and learn from each other, pay for Gallery spaces such as the one we are in here, and in some cases help put food on the table while the Artists work and create.
And I'll be honest, it is also turning into an exercise of restoring my faith in human kindness and you doing something just because you can.
The Artists pour their heart and soul into their work, it gives them direction and purpose, but they need funds.
That’s where you come in. If every one of my Facebook friends gave £1 we could smash the target in 24 hours, and also fund other vital Projects for 50:50 and Artistic_UK.
The current exhibition and series of Workshops runs from 3rd August - 23rd August 2018 at The Crows Next Gallery, Crowthorne Road, London W10 6RP from 12.30pm.
Entry is free of charge and Colin who you met above is there most days to greet you alongside some of the contributors, volunteers and artists.
LIVING WITH AUTISM & HOW THE POWER OF ART HELPS
Below is the full answer in response to my 2 questions about living with autism and having a creative outlet such as art:
"Autism is a spectrum disorder, you soon realise that life as a parent of a child with autism is also a huge spectrum. I have days of euphoria realising that my child has just done something amazing to the other end of the spectrum where life can be unbearable and full of pain.
Occasionally you find respite in the eye of the storm in the centre of the spectrum. Every moment can be a challenge, but you look for beauty and wonder in those moments and if you take the time to really explore you will discover a whole New World.
As a parent, I would love for everyone to see how amazing our people are, how much you can learn from them and what they have to offer. Look beyond the meltdowns and you'll see the most amazing the most talented and the most loving people. For me, creativity has been a cure for my pain and has been my saving grace through the difficult times.
I have been able to see beauty in art and sometimes even find answers to tough questions. To create my own art takes me away from the challenging times. It helps me explore what I'm going through. It also brings together communities to examine things collectively where nothing is taboo and expression is everything."
GIVE & RECEIVE
I know that some prefer to get something back when they give so for the next few days I've also set up some special offers on my most popular Trainings, eCoaching Programmes, and Skype Coaching Sessions.
I've called it the Triple TranceFormation because you get to transform and enhance your own life while practically contributing to the lives of others and supporting this very worthy cause.
Go to: https://tripletranceformation.eventbrite.com
. . . AND HOW DID I GET INTO ALL OF THIS
It's a question asked by a friend, Anne Jirsch, heard about my crowdfunding and was curious to know what it was for. Below is my reply:
"Anne I can't even begin to tell you how I got into it. I agreed to run a free 1-Day Unleash Your Creativity Workshop at an art gallery on Sunday.
The art I saw there was just beautiful and much of upwards of £4000. I was talking to the Gallery owner about the artists and work and how they get funding etc., and of course one of the reasons they have the show running this month is to sell stuff and make money.
He suggested that I do some crowdfunding a painting as a way of making money for the Gallery. At first it sounded like a crazy idea however as the creative exercises unfolded during the day it became clear that if I were to buy the painting there were ways we could use it to continue to generate income for them, and that's where it went from crazy idea to something that had possibilities.
I've never crowdfunded anything however by Monday morning I had set up the Go Fund Me page and was off. I figured I couldn't run a Workshop about Unleashing Creativity and then not follow the creative inspirations and ideas born of the day.
Today is day 2 and it has been quite a journey to say the least and I am figuring it out as I go along and refining and learning as I go. A key piece I think is 'reach' and finding people who resonate enough with the idea to support it in whatever way they can. If you know anyone interested in supporting the Arts and/or Autism please do share this page with them.
The target currently feels a long way off and I do have a time constraint however as the saying goes, every journey of 1000 miles still has to start with those first steps."
Marilyn Devonish
JOIN US FOR THE GALLERY CLOSING PARTY
The party is on Thursday 23rd August from 6pm - midnight. Check out the flyer below for further details!
This page is to raise money for Artistic_UK an organisation which supports and shows the work of artists with autism.
I interviewed one of the Founders of Artistic_UK about who they are, what they do, and why. Watch the video below to hear from Colin Sugden:
My target is to raise £5000 (and ideally more) by 23rd August.
Whether you can donate £1, $2, or more, all donations help and add up and are gratefully received.
I asked the mother of a child with autism 2 short questions, one of which was about the power of art and how it helps. The first part of her reply was:
"Autism is a spectrum disorder, you soon realise that life as a parent of a child with autism is also a huge spectrum. I have days of euphoria realising that my child has just done something amazing to the other end of the spectrum where life can be unbearable and full of pain . . . . It (the art) also brings together communities to examine things collectively where nothing is taboo and expression is everything."
You can read the rest of her touching beautiful moving painful and inspiring reply at the end of this page.
You will also find your invitation to the Gallery Closing Party below.
Who Are Artistic_UK?
Artistic is a non-profit Organisation staffed by highly qualified volunteers who mentor and support exceedingly talented young artists, some of which have been diagnosed with Autism. It provides support and a form of expression which might otherwise be missing from their lives.
Even though I’ve never done a fund raiser before I was so inspired by my time with them I found myself committing to raise £5000 this month, and ideally £10,000 or more.
Whether you can donate a £1 or $2, £50, $100, or a £1000 or more, all contributions are welcome and greatly appreciated.
And if you can't donate I would appreciate it if you could share this page with your friends and networks by using the 'share' buttons above of copying the link: https://www.gofundme.com/autismandart
Objectives of Artistic_UK
Short Term: To develop the artistic abilities, commercial awareness, communication and social skills of our Foundation Artists whilst developing the career opportunities of our various Guest Artists.
Medium Term: To build on the success of our sixteen previous successful exhibitions by organising our next major show.
Long Term: To Finance an Independent Artistic Community with public spaces, where our Artists can live, work and exhibit in a secure and supportive environment. Our ultimate goal is to enable our Foundation Artists to become truly independent contemporaries and not to be reliant upon State Benefits.
The objectives of the organisation are clear, and with your help we can support them in the long, medium and short term.
My initial thought was helping to raise money to part-fund the current exhibition running throughout August at the Crows Nest Gallery London w10, however the more I learn about the Artistic, the more the idea of helping those who would otherwise often struggle to be independent and carve out a place for themselves in society is now a greater driver.
Meet Some of the Team
From l to r:
Bivek: One of the talented Artists exhibiting at Crows Nest.
Tally Nothey: An Autism advocate and campaigner, and the woman responsible for organising the free Workshops being run at the Gallery of which my Unleash Your Creativity day was one.
Marilyn Devonish (Me!): The NeuroSuccess Coach and Trainer. I'm also about TranceFormation and changing lives even if it's doing it one healed mind at a time.
Colin Sugden: A retired leading teacher who specialised in the arts, he is an accomplished artist in his own right and has over 30 years of experience, working with children and young people with Special Educational Needs through the therapeutic arts.
Depending upon how much money we raise it will contribute to funding art materials, provide spaces for artists to work together, collaborate and learn from each other, pay for Gallery spaces such as the one we are in here, and in some cases help put food on the table while the Artists work and create.
And I'll be honest, it is also turning into an exercise of restoring my faith in human kindness and you doing something just because you can.
The Artists pour their heart and soul into their work, it gives them direction and purpose, but they need funds.
That’s where you come in. If every one of my Facebook friends gave £1 we could smash the target in 24 hours, and also fund other vital Projects for 50:50 and Artistic_UK.
The current exhibition and series of Workshops runs from 3rd August - 23rd August 2018 at The Crows Next Gallery, Crowthorne Road, London W10 6RP from 12.30pm.
Entry is free of charge and Colin who you met above is there most days to greet you alongside some of the contributors, volunteers and artists.
LIVING WITH AUTISM & HOW THE POWER OF ART HELPS
Below is the full answer in response to my 2 questions about living with autism and having a creative outlet such as art:
"Autism is a spectrum disorder, you soon realise that life as a parent of a child with autism is also a huge spectrum. I have days of euphoria realising that my child has just done something amazing to the other end of the spectrum where life can be unbearable and full of pain.
Occasionally you find respite in the eye of the storm in the centre of the spectrum. Every moment can be a challenge, but you look for beauty and wonder in those moments and if you take the time to really explore you will discover a whole New World.
As a parent, I would love for everyone to see how amazing our people are, how much you can learn from them and what they have to offer. Look beyond the meltdowns and you'll see the most amazing the most talented and the most loving people. For me, creativity has been a cure for my pain and has been my saving grace through the difficult times.
I have been able to see beauty in art and sometimes even find answers to tough questions. To create my own art takes me away from the challenging times. It helps me explore what I'm going through. It also brings together communities to examine things collectively where nothing is taboo and expression is everything."
GIVE & RECEIVE
I know that some prefer to get something back when they give so for the next few days I've also set up some special offers on my most popular Trainings, eCoaching Programmes, and Skype Coaching Sessions.
I've called it the Triple TranceFormation because you get to transform and enhance your own life while practically contributing to the lives of others and supporting this very worthy cause.
Go to: https://tripletranceformation.eventbrite.com
. . . AND HOW DID I GET INTO ALL OF THIS
It's a question asked by a friend, Anne Jirsch, heard about my crowdfunding and was curious to know what it was for. Below is my reply:
"Anne I can't even begin to tell you how I got into it. I agreed to run a free 1-Day Unleash Your Creativity Workshop at an art gallery on Sunday.
The art I saw there was just beautiful and much of upwards of £4000. I was talking to the Gallery owner about the artists and work and how they get funding etc., and of course one of the reasons they have the show running this month is to sell stuff and make money.
He suggested that I do some crowdfunding a painting as a way of making money for the Gallery. At first it sounded like a crazy idea however as the creative exercises unfolded during the day it became clear that if I were to buy the painting there were ways we could use it to continue to generate income for them, and that's where it went from crazy idea to something that had possibilities.
I've never crowdfunded anything however by Monday morning I had set up the Go Fund Me page and was off. I figured I couldn't run a Workshop about Unleashing Creativity and then not follow the creative inspirations and ideas born of the day.
Today is day 2 and it has been quite a journey to say the least and I am figuring it out as I go along and refining and learning as I go. A key piece I think is 'reach' and finding people who resonate enough with the idea to support it in whatever way they can. If you know anyone interested in supporting the Arts and/or Autism please do share this page with them.
The target currently feels a long way off and I do have a time constraint however as the saying goes, every journey of 1000 miles still has to start with those first steps."
Marilyn Devonish
JOIN US FOR THE GALLERY CLOSING PARTY
The party is on Thursday 23rd August from 6pm - midnight. Check out the flyer below for further details!
Organizer
Marilyn Devonish
Organizer