A House for Haiti

 

Last Friday night I spent a glorious evening constructing a house for Haiti.

Not a real house of wood and insulation.   But, a house of clay and imagination.   Once our houses are painted and fired they will be for sale on the Artists for Hope Etsy website.  The money that is collected during the sale will go to support children living in a Haiti orphanage.  (To find out more-click on the button to the right of this article.)

Roberta, Artists for Hope representative, brought oodles of pictures of smiling children.   So many smiling faces.  I still can't get those smiles out of my mind.

Back to the event.   We were at The Art Mill in Omaha, NE.   We were given a cold slab of clay that had been rolled out for us ahead of time.   After Jane gave us some basic instructions about clay assembly we were told to make a house.   "A house.  You want me to make a what?"  exclaimed a husband who had been coerced into attending.   (Did  I mention that this house would also have an alternative life as a vase?!)

I am always envious of those that step forward and get with the program right away.   I stood back for awhile waiting to see what others were doing.   I didn't want to look too foolish fumbling around with the clay.   What if I made a dud for all to see.  I didn't want my little house to be snickered at by others that night.

Well,  I soon forgot about others snickering at my little pride and joy   I didn't care, any more.   I was intent on making the best little house that my imagination (or lack of) could create.  I soon discovered that what I thought I wanted to make and what the clay wanted to become in my hands was totally different.

I knew there were others that didn't know what they were going to do, either.   But, as the laughter increased so did my creative energy.   My slab of cold, gray, suede-like clay was being transformed.   I was building a little victorian house.   Victoria's Secret.   That's what I named my little house.   It was complete with triangle windows on the first floor, ornate front door, and an attic window in the back.  Lots of scroll work on the front. The perfect victorian shingled roof.   Listen to me......the perfect victorian shingled roof! 

I soon realized it didn't matter how my little house looked.   What truly mattered was I spending the evening with enthusiastic like-minded people making art to donate to a worthy cause.   It's been a long time since I've felt that good about what I was doing.   I was helping a small child in a land I had never visited.   A place that I hadn't thought about until the earthquake.   A place with children that needed my help.  Those smiling faces flashing in my head.

Check out http://www.omahaartmill.com/  blog to see the tangible results of our work.   The intangible results (those warm and fuzzy feelings) will linger in my heart, forever.  

Thank you, Roberta and Jane, for a marvelous evening!  When can we do this again?

Have you had an experience that was inspirational or just darn fun?   Please share your story with us. 

Living a Woo Hoo life together!

Til next time.  Believe.


P.S.  That 'coerced' husband made the most amazing little house!