INSPIRATIONAL MONDAY

Colors of Mexico by Lisa Candela

Lisa Candela’s color saturated images are part of her Sayulita series that was on exhibition at the Candela/Decker Gallery in SoHo, NY. The gallery continues to promote emerging artists.

Visit www.lisacandela.com

Photographer Lisa Candela

A little reminder…

by Melissa Alvarado Sierra

When was the last time you did something good? When was the last time you helped someone in need? Take a look at this video and be part of this generation’s fight for change, real change. You can do a lot, you just don’t know it yet.

 

Wanna help? Read on! Then go to Invisible Children’s website to learn more.

From www.invisiblechildren.com

So you’ve heard about what’s happening and want to help. Brilliant. You’ve come to the right place. Invisible Children is all about using who we are to meet people where they are, every individual doing what they can to make a difference. While there’s no step-by-step process on how to help, here are a few proven ways to use your time, talent, and money to make an impact. 

1. Take the Lead:

Set up an Invisible Children club. Act as the leader, overseer, motivator, lighthouse. Develop your vision of how to help these children and people will follow your guiding light. Lead them well. You are like Peter Parker before he realizes he’s truly Spiderman. You have super powers that can help so many people—now you just have to figure out how to use them. Assemble a team. Join Schools for Schools. Set goals. Use your time and talent to find creative ways to raise awareness. 

 

2. Come and See.

The entire Invisible Children movement came from a movie, so if you want to start a revolution you first have to get people to come and see it. THINK BIG. Your classroom is cool; your whole school is AHHHW-SOME. Pack ‘em into your living room, church hall, or local movie house. If Britney can still fill a stadium, so can you! Show the movie as many times and places as you can. Go here to find out how to book the roadies or host a screening.  

 

3. Gab and Ramble.

Now is the time to call club leaders, co-workers, coaches, that girl in your math class, that boy from the DQ, priests, pastors, maharajas, mentors, counselors, student council, roommates, life mates, first mates, chess check-mates, even your crazy Uncle Harold who always smells like ketchup and mumbles constantly about the 1986 World Series. Write a letter to Oprah or the president or both. Go to the paper—local or school. Spread the word. Start a conversation.

 

4. Create It.

You have a gift; now is the time to unwrap it. Stir. Move. Draw. Paint. Trace. Photograph. Lithograph. Sculpt. If the film moves you, show us how. Get your art class or your artistic friends or do it alone. Hang, show, or even sell your work. Take action by having an auction. Express yourself. 

 

5. Be Faux Paparazzi.

You all see what we cannot. You’re our eyes and ears. Our tigers on the prowl. You’re proof that things are moving in your town. So dust off your super-sweet Super 8, camcorder, Polaroid, or digital camera, and get your pen a scribblin’. Run after all events and capture it. We want to post your pictures on our website, and possibly put your footage in the final cut of our movie! We would be stoked and honored to have your stuff. 

 

6. Duke it Out.

The walk of a thousand miles begins with one step. Organize that step. From dodge ball tourneys and cycling across America to dance marathons, jog-a-thons, and sponsored jump rope-a-thons, create events catered to helping others. Run Forest… RUUUUUN. Except this time, go somewhere with a purpose. 

 

7. Be Fashion Forward.

Raise awareness, financial aid, and beautify the world by creating hats, pins, ties, bags, and t-shirts. Now is your chance to help the children in northern Uganda and the fashion-challenged everywhere. Get creative; get crazy. Now is the time to bust out the glue gun, scissors, and sewing kit. Rally your friends, put on some good tunes, and start stitching. Global thinking is the new tre-chic. I.C. is the new UGG. Africa is the new pink. Exchange fashion for compassion.

 

8. Make Some Music.

Get together a couple of your favorite big local bands or your own band for a sweet concert. Lip-sync and air guitar competitions work too. We don’t care. We saw 8-Mile; we know rap-offs are out there. Call Bono if you’re feeling saucy. Invite all of them to a screening of the film or send them a copy of it. Then, get a sick venue donated and set up a benefit concert for the kiddos here to help the kiddos there. Pass out fliers. Hang up posters. Get merch to sell. Charge a small fee at the door and make the show worth it. 

 

9. Don an Apron.

Let’s all learn a lesson from the Girl Scouts and church ladies—cookies sell themselves. Set up a booth or go door-to-door if you must. Not a cook? You can still get in the kitchen! Go to local restaurants or bars and have them do a benefit where on one day, a certain percentage of the proceeds go to the kids in northern Uganda. Empower your local businesses to effect change and give back to others. 

 

10.  Sell It.

Do you find your life filled with excess clutter? When was the last time you wore that sweater? Do you really know what’s under your bed? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And don’t get us started on the possibilities with E-Bay. Your job is easy; set up a rummage sale; live simply so others can simply live. Recycle. Reuse. Resell. 

 

See? Lots to do. Come on… do something, anything.

Exotic Destination: Corsica Island

I’ve been wanting to travel to the strikinly beautiful Corsica island in the Mediterranean for some time now. Primarily because my great great grandfather was born there and that is the perfect excuse for me to have a Mediterranean vacation. You know, “to get in contact with my ancestors.”  Katie Bowman, from Times Online, visited the island recently and recalls; “the locals, it seems, know they live in one of the world’s most beautiful spots and they’re not interested in bumping up the population.” Residents wanting to make Corsica a secret is an advantage for travelers seeking a secluded place. Corsica is almost a tourist free destination; therefore, your experience is guaranteed to be authentic.

 

Honore de Balzac described this unspoiled, wild and defiantly independent destination as ”a French island basking in the Italian sun.” Dramatic mountains, sandy beaches and turquoise waters surround the “Isle of beauty”, giving visitors a combination of a beach vacation with impressive inland and outland sightseeing. Known as Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthplace, Corsica is described by travelers as one of the most beautiful places in the world, that seduces every visitor.

 

      

 

Source: Corsica Travel Guide. Visit corsicatravelguide.com for travel planning. “Corsica is an island endowed in staggering beauty. There are pristine beaches, an underwater world, and lovely wild tracks to walk. Over a third of Corsica is a regional nature reserve, making it a green, lush Meditteranean Island. There is a good choice of beaches to suit every taste in Corsica. In the Corsican mountains, rock pools and waterfalls await you for refreshing dips”. (besthoneymoontravel.com)

By Melissa Alvarado Sierra