FEATURES THAT ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE – VOL 3
05-13-09 to 06-13-09
_{archives: vol 1 and vol 2}

What a month! As of this writing we now have 119 members in our group and there was an outpour of outstanding images being uploaded to our group… and let me tell you, it was difficult to keep from featuring them all ... I want to remind you that if you have been featured you are eligible to participate in an opportunity to raise $25,000 for charity, if you missed the deadline here, just bubblemail me with your interest!! I’m shooting for a June 26th submission date, with a final deadline of July 16th!!

Before I recognize our artists I want to share with you how ♥Show Me a Sign♥ was featured outside of RB on two occassions during this last month!! With one of our other artists ( below ) had a piece of his work featured in the NYTimes!!

♥The first post came from do1thing a group of pulitzer prize photographers who are getting respectable coverage (People Magazine for one) towards their goals of raising awareness on homeless youth, featured our Features that are making a difference – Vol2 on their website and Twitter blog ... so anyone clicking on the redbubble.com will come to see this page. (PS they titled the posts with “Show me a Sign”)

♥Then, after posting our ♥Show me a Sign♥ promotional widget on my college Ning site one of the journalist of the college paper the Triton Review contacted me to tell me he would like to interview me in consideration of a two page spread feature on our group! So hit the “watch this topic” tab, as it was this month of features that brought the attention to our group and as soon as it is published i will let you all know!!

(PS the ♥Show me a Sign♥ promotional widget is open for anyone to post this wonderful tool to help raise awareness!!)

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So without further adieu let’s recognize our wonderful artists this month;

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OUR FEATURED ARTIST THIS MONTH is docophoto for continually entering featurable work and being voted “Best of” in two of our challenges… but more than that it is truly because she has the heART, turns out she’s been putting her heart and soul into this type of work for over 10 years. I’ve still not managed a formal interview, (as we’ve all been busy with other interviews and coordinating our first book project—if you haven’t heard, it’s a chance to raise $25,000 for charity.,) but do look forward to that in the near future.

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♥ Our first featured image this month came to us from appel with a piece titled when no one’s looking. What i love about this image is how ann so breathlessly captured the true spirit of this young girl, you must go read the story attached. I had the complete honor to meet up with Miss “appel” and seen her in action in the tulip fields... and admired the way she was able to get lost in the elements, and truly connecting without being seen.

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Daniel Rarela brought us Measure of Judgement another image with thought provoking description with it, a photo taken in Baja CA, right before he crossed the border back into California after spending the day with the kids at Door of Faith Orphanage in Chula Vista

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Our FEATURED ARTIST THIS MONTH, docophoto brought us one of the most touching images I’ve seen for sometime… annie. I stared at this image for sometime ,as if in a silent conversation, and all I could see is the smiling, joyful heart of a five year old girl.

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FEATURED in VOL1, Kieron Nolan brought us Leski ; he writes, “This grafitti is to be found on the wall where a teenage boy was knifed to death in Adelaide. As part of my work I walked to different parts of Adelaide with young people who had been or who are homeless. Using Fuji compact cameras they photographed areas that meant something to them, either places they’d slept rough, grafitti or places they would hang out.

Their stories of survival were shocking.”

I didn’t have a proper preview to display his image in the VOL1, nor did he get a feature placed on the image itself… so I’m doing it right this month.

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A new artist to join this month, mainephotobug brought us Street life Two from her homeless series -orlando, FL complete with poetry she had written. I just want to encourage you to continue to follow your heart.

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dogfish included a profound literary piece he penned titled how dare you!

Looking at me sitting on the earth
yesterdays rags is what I deserve
watching as you go by
its you I see with my sharp eye
what do you expect me to do
why do you think I need all of them
what dreams should I have
do you need me to share them with you?
Its not their mouths but minds that pry
sitting here I needn’t be, walking by it’s you who must
for I can travel in the wind like dust
its you who has the introverted lust
living for fame and payment by coin
hey it’s my bed you walk on
the duvet I use, yes their old news
least I wake at sunrise
who’s soul do you see when you look at me?
What eye do you use as you walk by
and you think you are privileged keeping the man at bay?
So you think your god is saving you before I?

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Another new member this month, Darrel Neaves Livingart brought us the Urban Palace… and a heartwarming story to go with it… it is often in the giving that we receive the most

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Another new artist this month!! – Megan Dacy brought us The Traveler II, telling us that meeting this man who had written down accounts of his real life experiences and offered to sell copies for 10 cents, “was a really cool experience”.

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Dean Mullin brought us an image he struggled to title, Homeless & Desperate, Taxco, Mexico... and i struggle to find the words too, as sometimes it’s just the way it is (bruce hornsby) as an image fills us with emotion.

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Another image that draws you into the emotion is veritasunsaid in his wonderfully composed reflection

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Following a certain rhythym here, i guess, fuzonlab brought us an image titled emotion in motion where the artists who commented on this image say it best….

...and another image from fuzonlab just as gripping titled home of a homeless... and while this image looks like devastation it shows us the power of the human spirit

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Ritu Lahiri brought to us an image titled after an Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, an image where you can get lost in his expression; beautiful, beautiful capture!

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Miss ratatouille brought us in the Streets of Mumbai… – reminds me, i highly recommend going to see or renting slumdog millionaire ... also, i hear that many of the stars are now homeless in the name of what?

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Although a sad, hard day for this man, richardj brought us ( Un )noticed? in such a brilliant photograph showing the heart for the homeless and i know there is hope.

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Wow! Blow us away S-NOCTURNUS!! your image of scusa2 is just amazing! I so feel like I was right there listening to him tell his stories… I imagine his theatrics and what I’d learn from him.

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Lindsay Coleman writes this about her image Homeless “I really did meet a homeless man that day… His name is Emile. Meeting him stirred my heart so much and i needed to paint about it.” so moving.

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And last, but not least, Mark Tull *was featured in the NYTimes with his image Lunch for Some you can read about it here – the inspiration is heartfelt and contagious Mark, i couldn’t be more pleased.

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So, WOW! what a month. Thank you all for sharing your heART, for contributing to our forums for seeking out worthy blogs to read, organizations worthy of recognition and for just being you! I look forward to seeing more work, as little by little, we are making a difference!!

blessings and inspirations,
♥tonja and terri

PS our latest challenge closes in one hour!!!

by the way…. we have the winner of our challenge to congratulate!!!

martinilogic with just staying warm

congrats to all who participated and placed!!!
♥tonja

Tonja – you are doing wonders for this group – we all appreciate it very much

Dean

I am amazed by the amount of exciting work in this group. It’s good to know there are so many who care. Thanks Tonja, for your hard work for this group.