Uniting as One: Art and Giving Back
By: Shradda Adhikari
Tags: Unity, Giving, Painting, Art, Volunteering

Photo by Josh Sorenson

The Uniting Factor

Whether it be cooking, playing sports, writing, or even watching a movie, we are immersed in art, both creating it and appreciating it. It is the one aspect of life that we all have a very close relationship — art. Art is the common denominator between all types of people, cultures, and ethnicities. The reason why we see art transcend generations, borders, and social constructs are because art goes well beyond the traditional visual art such as paintings and dancing. It is a wide array of multifaceted activities and you can even argue that it is in every essence of life that is meaningful. The relationship with a person and their art is intimate and oddly similar even with completely different kinds of art. It is a key part of everyone’s life and everyone is participating in their own art. Knowing this increases the compassion we have towards others and even lets us appreciate our own art, even when we are hard on ourselves.

Photo by Viktoria Goda

“You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.” -Robert Prisig

The quote from above is from one of my favorite books, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Art is not just the final product that is made, it is the entire journey, from the initial inspiration to the vision, to the progress to finally the product. It then becomes not just separate the person, but It is a direct extension of the person, it is the being expressing and coming to fruition from the inside. The key and what makes art beautiful is that it can be shared with others, the extension of yourself can be shared with others and felt by them in a deeper level.

We at OneGivv see the platform as a work of art, an expression of ourselves that can be shared with others for good.

Photo by PublicDomainPictures

The Chronicle brings up that art is not only a uniting factor for people, but also an economic booster, helping the whole community and having a lasting effect on it. Events such as concerts, music festivals, and museums as all displays of art. They attract people from the community and the people that it attracts end up giving to the community by participating and facilitating economic growth.

More people are increasing their awareness of the different art forms and how art is the key to real, sustainable progress. The Conversation highlights that ‘STEM is going to be ‘STEAM’ (the A representing Art) even scientists, engineers, and mathematicians are now realizing that they need art. Having the technology is one thing, but art introduces innovation and ideation that transcends through even the toughest barriers, which is why art is key to sustainable progress.

Arts and Nonprofits

Art is very important to the progression of both society and individual people, and many nonprofits are working to make it more accessible for everybody. For example, nonprofit art galleries provide accessible space for artists to showcase their work. 1708 Gallery right here in Richmond provides space and exposure for new contemporary artists.

It all comes down to first acceptance of self-expression and second, providing a safe space, whether it be physically or mentally, for people that need it the most. It is often difficult for children that are in challenging circumstances to find creative ways of expression because it is not readily available to them. Expression through art is not a skill, but a practice. It is ongoing and the more you practice the art the better you get! That is why it is so important to provide a space for children to practice their expression through art. A nonprofit here in Richmond called art180, is dedicated to providing a space for children to freely express their creativity.

Another local nonprofit, Art for the Journey provides art classes to a wide variety of people, including people in prison and underserved youth, even the VCU Medical School.

This just shows that everyone can find their own place in art. It is only a matter of providing the means to find that place. In a world of differences and contradictions, art remains the factor that makes people think, question, wonder, hope, and most importantly, unite as one.

OneGivv aims to provide a platform that breeds self expression for good. To provide a means for people to truly unite as one to help one another. ❤