Ten letters
I wrote to a mailman. I wrote to a group of kids who shined a laser at me, which made me laugh. I wrote to the obstetrics staff of the hospital where I was born to tell them how my life was going. I wrote to the owners of a house I liked.
My friend Alex invited me to a party one day while we were having lunch. A coworker had invited him, and he said I could be his plus one. Alex didn’t know anybody who would be at the party, save for his coworker, but he said it sounded fun. “It’s for a group called the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy,” he said. “Tell me those aren’t going to be our kind of people.”
I had to admit his offer sounded good. As an artist, I’m very positive about creativity and philanthropy. And secret societies? Well, let’s just say I can’t talk about that here. He explained the SSCP as best he could over lunch, that it consisted of giving away $100 as creatively as possible. A night of listening to people telling stories about giving away $100 sounded like a good idea.
Tape a cheery note on a bag o’ cranberries
There's plenty of great buzz on the interwebs about the 30-Days of GOOD creative microphilanthropy challenge, inspired by none other than this very Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy. Check out the latest post of ideas, drawn from our own secret agents.
This is my favorite comment from the first post:
About a year ago, I found a dollar bill taped to a bag of cranberries in a grocery store in Portland. On it was written the following message:
May you be blessed with pure JOY in your life everyday!
I was inspired by the ability of such a simple gesture to express kindness. I keep it on my wall to remind me how easy it is to be a good person.
Oh, and did you know that Secret Society has a Twitter handle: @sscpsuperagent? Follow us today and we'll start keeping you updated on how this awesome collabo unfolds.
GOOD 30-day challenge on creative microphilanthropy
Gotta love GOOD Magazine's 30-Day Challenges. This month, inspired, in part, by our crew of rabblerousers and big-hearted givers, they are challenging their readers to give away $30 in some creative, kind way. Check out the launch post, and get involved. You can tweet your support, ideas, experiences at #30DaysofGOOD.
Color philanthropy
Everyone knows, or should, that Jessi Arrington is sort of the visual patron saint of The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy. She and her amazing team at WORKSHOP, "where design and social responsibility meet," designed this here site.
Jessi is known for lots of amazing things--starting with her exuberant personality, legendary second hand clothing fashions, and, of course, her affection for bright, bold colors. That's why, if you're friends with Jessi, you will likely, at some wonderful moment, find yourself marching, dressed head to toe in a monochromatic outfit, smiling your face off. She's become sort of the master of the "rainbow parade"--an act of generousity if ever there was one. As you're marching around DUMBO, for example, in color order, feeling much camradare with your fellow yellows or oranges, swinging your sparkler, you notice the happiness infect truck drivers, baristas, moms pushing strollers, and even old fellas along the way. Exhibit A:
This moment transpired at the latest incarnation of said parade, enacted one beautiful Brooklyn day this month as Jessi took her rightful place on the long list of awesome NYC Creative Mornings speakers. Thanks for all that you are, Jessi.