9 Weeks and Counting

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www.reenchantingtheworldthroughart.org

Last week we had a wonderful meeting. In the end we went around and said what we were going to take on, everyone said something. Our team now is about 24 strong and we are making this happen.

We have three PDF files for fundraising now available for downloads for anyone to help with our project. Corporate, Individual, and a One Pager.

Corporate Sponsorship
Individual Sponsorship
One Pager

I chalk drew with another elementary school last Friday, excellent experience. I had an amazing experience with an autistic boy. He just sat beside me, really 1/2 on top of me while I was drawing. I sensed something special about him, like my dog likes to be close to me. We drew together while he talked away, it was a unique and special few moment, felt like a blessing, probably the best thing about the day. Only later did a teacher point him out to me and I realized that we had already meet.

We worked on this piece together.

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What an Amazing Learning Experience

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another concept sketch

www.reenchantingtheworldthroughart.org

There is a good chance we just got our satellite photograph donated to the project - Sweet! Got a BIG meeting tonight where many men from the larger community are coming into help support the project and help with the details. I had hoped and imagined that the local community of Alameda would of been more supportive and involved but I sense that especially for parents, most people have their time booked tight. What an amazing learning experience this has been for me. I am certainly being trained for something, what that is has not yet been revealed.

10 Weeks

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There has been much going down on the project lately. We are still dealing with technical issues like our license and insurance. We have also restructured our finances so that our budget is down to the essentials with all salaries taken off the table. The reason for the later is that we need help from the community and from several men's groups in the area. People have been reluctant to volunteer if other people were getting paid on the project. So after working on this project for 1 3/4 years and getting paid a few hundred dollars I have decided after listening to the wisdom of the people to have this a 100% community service volunteer event. I share this out of valuable information producing an event and understanding the bigger picture of how best to make it all happen.

There is a mythological character named Coyote, he's a trickster god. I like him, he's got class, he's not afraid to make a fool of himself, so he's powerful because he can fool anyone. He often gets in trouble for doing things he shouldn't and he's an amazing teacher for this very reason. He teaches us what NOT to do by doing it! I have to laugh about the money thing. Being an artist in these times is a challenging thing for every artist I know. Remember one of the reasons I am doing this project is because there are NO art teachers in any of the elementary schools in the local school district.

I feel like I got tricked by Coyote. I thought that I was creative enough to make a job for myself, to get paid for working on this project. So I worked and worked hard making this dream come true, manifesting a vision. If I would of known that I actually was not going to get paid on this project I wouldn't of, couldn't of worked on it. My responsibilities as a father and family provider would of had me doing something else, but NO.... I got tricked by a trickster and now it's happening and now we have a lot of support and this thing has legs of it own and it's already a beautiful thing. I only wish you could see the people who are showing up and wanting to be connected to it - sweet!

Re-Enchanting the World Through Art

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www.reenchantingtheworldthroughart

"Re-Enchanting the World Through Art" is a phrase that came to me several years ago when I was working with a friend and professional coach Patrick Summar. We were looking into what the heck I was doing here on the planet and what did I really want to do. Out of it all came my mission statement, to "Re-Enchant the World Through Art." This chalk project is the first of many project that the newly forming non-profit will create. That's pretty exciting!

Today, we chalk drew in front of Alameda High for the "Day of the Arts" celebration. Yesterday we chalk drew with the entire school body of Paden Elementary School. They have the nicest playground right on the water. I was able to pull my truck right up to the drawing area and use the stereo, and tailgate for chalk. Amazing connections with kids, they are so right on, interested, available, eager, little animals around color, and awesome artists.

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Three Trillion Dollars

*Concept Sketch for the Chalk Drawing
www.reenchantingtheworldthroughart.org

This morning I sat in on the Alameda district VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) meeting. Surprise budget cuts came down from the state at a price of four million dollars. There was a great deal of fear and anger in the room. Talks of closing down several elementary schools (one that my kid goes to) and taking away the elementary school music teachers from K - 3rd grade. And as a reminder here.... there are NO art teachers in any of the elementary schools here in Alameda.

I heard on the radio that there is a 3 trillion dollar military budget trying to get passed. Anything wrong with this picture? Big sigh.... I am interested in ways to initiate our youth so that they grow up past being adolescence in men's bodies, generating fear, waging war, and using valuable resources - instead of taking on the responsibility for the well being of themselves, and for everyone and everything else on this planet. Why? because they know we are all just one big great beautiful creative family whose home is the Earth.

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13 Weeks Till We Hit the Ground DRAWING

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Here is the area on the base that we will be drawing on. The Navy ships are in the back ground, the aircraft carrier floating museum US Hornet is there. Our space is 468 x 415 ft. which is under 200,000 sq. ft. The world record for largest chalk drawing is 60,000 sq. ft., we'll go for 100 - 120,000.

You are not suppose to tell people that you are freaking out about a project, wondering if you can even pull it off. You are suppose to tell only a few selected inner circle friends and dump to them. So I am "not" saying this here, everything is moving along just way it should!

This week is reorganizing the "todo" list. I have a new journal and will sit down with the old one and review it all, taking notes, and updating everything. It's a great way to see where we have been and to see where we still need to go.

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Colored Chalk

Fleeting, Passing, Non Permanent
Drawing on the Ground