Art and Giving Back

Please take time to read this post from a wonderful lady Celina Wilde. She really is pushing her boundaries!

Last month I decided that nothing was going to stop me from living life on purpose. At the beginning of January I set up the Mortal Coil Project on my website, to challenge myself and others to do and try all those things they have always wanted to, big or small.

One part of this for me was a short film script that I have been toying with for 6 months: 6 long months of procrastinating, faffing and putting it off. So when I finally decided to get serious last month about everything in my life this was the first port of call.

I got ridiculously focused, wrote and rewrote and rewrote, sent it off for professional analysis and rewrote it again. I got it to a point where after 20 rewrites it will be a powerful socially conscious film that can contribute to creating real change in the world.

Due to the film being about providing understanding about the emotional impact of Rape on a victim and the people that love them, it is a topic that is bound to cause controversy, but also unite with a similar cause. I personally am tired of living in a world where 1 in 3 women are subject to rape, abuse or violence in their lifetime. The only way to create change is to work for it, join together and make it happen.

One of my other life goals is to become a film director. I have a passion for creative arts and the entertainment industry, and I truly believe art and film has the power to change the world through education and understanding.

So after writing the script, setting goals, and doing all my budgeting research it’s time to find finance. I set up the website and Facebook and the Indiegogo campaign launched on 1st of March. For those not familiar with Indiegogo it is a crowd-funding platform where people can contribute a little or a lot to a project and receive special gifts or ‘perks’ for it. Lots of people contributing a little bit all add up.

The best part of this though, is because it will be a group effort to create the film its only right to give back. So 50% of all the film profits generated once the film is released will be donated back to Rape counseling and support charities around the world.

If this is a cause you are passionate about, please pop over to the film Facebook page, join us and share. Together we can make the world a better place.
https://www.facebook.com/violationfilm

http://violationmovie.wordpress.com/

Savour the Flavour Prt2 (Money saving tips)

So, our night of gorgeous food and chat continues!  We got to hear from a lovely lady called Karen from Love Food Hate Waste telling us about food wastage in Scotland. Did you know we throw away 566,000 tonnes of food in Scotland each year and this costs each household an average of £430 a year! The good news is there are things we can do to reduce this waste.

1) Portion size.  Love Food Hate Waste have a great spaghetti portion gadget to help you to cook the exact amount you need and not be left with loads to chuck in the bin. The same goes for other pasta and rice.

2) Love Food Hate Waste also show you how food date labels can be your friends getting the most out of your food.

3) Planning each meal for 2 weeks so when we do our food shopping, we buy ingredients for those meals and then write the meals out on a list and stick to the fridge. It's great! - it saves hubby or myself getting uninspired and lazy lulling around saying "WHAT'S FOR TEA????"

4)Checking your cupboards to see what you have in the house so that when you are in the supermarket you don't end up buying essentials that you still have in the house.

My favourite tip of the night - our chef who was cooking for us on the night only needed half a tin of Asian Kitchen coconut milk and someone suggested that she poured the rest into ice cube trays and pop them into the freezer until they were needed. BRILLIANT!

If you want to save yourself money and let's be honest you woudl be crazy NOT to want to save your money, please check out this page Love Food Hate waste at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com or www.scotland.lovefoodhatewaste.com !

CLAN (the small tasks add up)

Well just wanted to let you know about my experience at CLAN Cancer Support centre last Friday.  I started off that day feeling a little bit sorry for myself, had a bit of a cold and felt tired.  I even thought it amusing that I finally had a few hours to myself (child-free) and yet I had volunteered my "services" to CLAN Cancer Support Centre.  I was very glad I did and felt a lot better when I left the place!

A couple of months ago, the first time I was inside the CLAN building, I fell in love with it! An ex-church building that was finally being used for a constructive purpose!  When I saw Daybreak advertising Donate a Day, CLAN instantly popped into my mind and I e-mailed them straight away. When I arrived at CLAN, I was welcomed with warm faces and smiles, a feeling of peace and calmness (even though some of these people were battling cancer). The time flew by as I unstuck labels, laminated, guillotined, stuck, more sticking, writing ON stickers, assembled cards & envelopes in plastic.  All in all, nothing took great skill but these little things meant members of staff could keep focussed on other tasks.

What you may think is not very much in terms of help may be a godsend to someone else who just can't seem to get to that small task. As you may know small tasks build up and after a while can seem unsurpassable. I challenge us all, if we get the chance, to give an hour , two hours to a charity. I was touched by how grateful CLAN were to my tiny little giving of time.

Pam
Con-fused Arts