THE LITTLE BLESSING PROJECT - IN LIGHT OF COVID -19

I have been wanting to get this out to you all for some time now, but I am just now starting to feel some normalcy again- hallelujah for that! 

I hope that you and your families are all well and safe as you read this.

I am excited to share this little collection that I released titled “Little Blessings” - The Little Blessings Project!

Rewind to this past March…..

After an long-anticipated A-mazing week in Palm Springs, California to attend the ALT Summit Conference and to spend my first-ever girls trip with my mom and sister, I returned to Indiana for a quick stop home to freshen up my suitcase for a short trip to Florida to visit family and attend the season-opener IndyCar race. 

That is when the world came to a halt so-to-speak. Although things looked and seemed just fine in Florida, the media stated otherwise and many large-scale events were canceled and schools closed - including the IndyCar race and my son’s college dorm in Texas. Our visit to Florida was cut short and we returned to Indiana. Once back in Indiana, like everyone else, we self-quarantined and began practicing social distancing - What!?!?

Despite the general uncertainty and the inconsistency in the media, I knew that what-ever was happening, having a fear-based mindset was NOT the answer for me. Instead, I wanted to DO something to make a difference during a time when many were feeling uncertain, fearful, hopeless and isolated- feelings which I was feeling as well.

During this time, I decided to respond in a way that would make a positive impact. I literary had a dream where I envisioned this beautiful circular spectrum of light radiating all the bright colors of the rainbow, which compelled the idea to create healing-charged paintings as a free offering on Instagram. I would create a painting for anyone who responded to my Instagram post during the last week of March.

The premise of the project was to create a “little blessing” painting for each person that requested one for either themselves, another person, a community, or an organization. The act of creating each little blessing was also an intentional act of healing/prayer for the requestor and the recipient of the Little Blessing. This in-intern also created healing within myself, hence the full circle spectrum of light - the rainbow- that encircles each painting. 

This project allowed me to see that art and community really do need each other. Artists have the ability to create what the community needs to uplift, heal, connect, and grow and like-wise the community has the ability to do the same for artists! It’s a beautiful exchange love that reveals how we are all connected.

As writer, Suzanne Gerber puts it…

Putting art at the heart of a community enhances our lives by stirring hard-to-articulate feelings and inspiring us to look beyond what we believe to be possible and imagine a more vibrant, exciting future. It also reminds us that we’re all creative beings — and that whether we’re making art or music, telling stories or cathartically sharing in the experience, we’re all connected.

Suzanne Gerber
Why Building Arts-Based Communities Is So Important

This project was a way for me to connect and support the world around me as we all endure these trying times together. I feel very strongly that the act of creation and art itself has a tremendous healing power for the artist and for the viewer. The evidence of art and creative expression is vital to any thriving community and is an indicator of a healthy community – the kind of place that is likely to be loved and admired.