I love to give. I grew up in a big family and sharing what we had was part of the culture of who we were as a unit. It's stuck with me through the years. I've always preferred to give presents than to receive them. I get all excited and find it hard to keep a gift a secret! "I have a gift for you!" "I know it's not til next month but I just got you the best birthday present!" "Ahhhh!!! Open it already!" My whole body literally tremors with excitement when I think about someone receiving something from me that will bring them joy. I have fed friends over the years making meals magically stretch out so that they wouldn't go without (I have a lot of artist friends who need decent meals!) I have given time, money, energy to those around me to invest in those I care about. Sometimes I have given it to those I don't necessarily care about just because giving is ingrained in my training as a human being (thanks Mum!)
Give. Give. Give.
Giving is good.
But so is receiving. In fact, if you have one without the other then you can get all lopsided and your personal spiritual bank account can go into the red.
Before receiving you really have to put what you need out there into the world.
This requires asking.
Strangely enough this is not easy for me. Giving - piece of cake. But asking? And asking to receive something? What I have to actually ASK someone for... gulp... help?
I need help with asking for help!
I have been doing a lot of self work recently which naturally is flowing into my life in all kinds of ways. First up is the practice of valuing myself and honouring who I am and my purpose on this planet. To do this I am realising I have to first give love to myself. In giving love to myself and truly valuing my souls journey I realise this has opened up the passage to asking for help. "Help! I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody! Help! You know I need someone! Help" (Thank you to The Beatles for this lil mantra).
First up I am asking myself to help myself.
(And I am writing this blog entry to help myself learn about helping myself - yes, we are falling down the rabbit hole here...)
Second I am asking the universe in help with helping myself.
And thirdly I am being brave enough to ask and to ACCEPT the help offered.
So.. What am I asking help for?
Jetblack Publishing (the company who published my first ever illustrated book The Day Jake Logan Robertson Ran Out of Hugs) has started a crowd funding campaign through Kickstarter to turn this and another four books into printed copies. 50 % of the printed books will go to the generous people that pledge over $50. The other 50% will go to schools, libraries, childcare facilities, galleries etc. Some will go to the authors and illustrators too :-)
Jumping on this help wagon is easier than I thought - because I believe in sharing stories with children. I love picture books. I love reading. I love children. And I love illustrating for them! So the thought of holding an actual physical copy of a book I illustrated with much love and care truly fills my heart with unspeakable joy.
I love the idea of crowd funding. I have often gotten behind others to support their dreams using crowd funding. I have helped launch theatre shows and films, sent people to school to train in the arts, helped artists tour the world. The idea of having a reward alongside your pledge is a fantastic motivator for both the pledger and those who set up the crowdfunding.
If you pledge over $50 your reward can include a copy of one of the five books.
I just pledged this morning and requested a copy of my own book.
But there is a LONG WAY to go to reach target.
And only eighteen days!!!
But with your help I know we can do it.
So...
Here I go:
(Please and thank you in advance!)
CLICK HERE to help: You are awesome at helping!!
With much gratitude
Lou xo
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