Rise through CHANGE

Every child deserves to live in a world where their dreams are a possibility. 💚OUR BELIEF:

Have you ever heard of permaculture?

We're incorporated in two countries! January 27, 2014 (Orlando, Florida🌟) August 21, 2015 (Nova Scotia, Canada🍁) Our next branch will be incorporated in Australia🌊, where two members of our international board live! Follow our international page to stay updated on what we're working on both individually and collaboratively:

@rise.through.change

Contemporary art gives us a chance to reflect on current issues; to evaluate the work of people living today in our time whose inspirations are often fresh with influences that effect a range of us as viewers.

Matt  Buckley created this sculpture shown, a large African elephant. Made out of wet clay, it takes skill and accuracy to create something so polished out of a material that's messy and difficult to work with.

When I see this sculpture and relate it to the world around us; I see the issue of fragile wildlife, in this case the elephants. They're so strong and majestic as the sculpture portrays them to be.

It is clear that as light hits the sculpture at various angles, it will appear slightly changed. The wet clay holds strong but the overall image is fragile, filled with empty space, lost pieces like the species has suffered through.

It is nice to view contemporary sculptures in particular because their meaning is not always easily portrayed, which allows various interpretations and drawn meanings.

Conceptual art pieces are usually visually striking, however the underlying theme within the artist's idea for the project is considered more important. This sculpture in South Africa, created to honor the memory of Nelson Mandela, is a clear-lens pair of sunglasses; it is placed to point in the direction of Robben Island where Mandela spent three decades in prison. 

I've read numerous articles criticizing this particular statue because some people feel as though the image doesn't match the intention behind the man Mandela was known to be. At first I agreed with the criticism I was reading, but I began to think about the conceptual art pieces I reviewed earlier in the week; I think people who don't like it are too hung up on the image of the sunglasses and not focusing their attention to the symbolism a pair of glasses represent. 

Being an activist and politician who helped end South African apartheid, his vision, metaphorically, was key in his success. He was loved by so many people, and it was his ideas, values, and legacy that was admired so much. An individuals morals are derived from their experiences, their interactions and thoughts, which are all sparked from what we encounter with our eyes. What we see visually shapes us; being locked away for that long leaves a lot of time to reflect on a life's worth of perceiving. 

I stumbled upon this image and instantly thought of the universe; the cosmos, the billions of galaxies and all the stars scattered throughout. The large shards of glass were not what caught my eye right away, but instead the image as a whole.

I've always had a love of slow motion photography in the way the lens is able to capture still shot views that human eyes usually miss; of moments that happen so amazingly fast in regards to our perception of time.

I connect this in my head to the big bang, an explosion within some sort of agent, light bursting outward. In the background of the image you can see the contrasting shades of darkness, appearing as a cloud, a close by galaxy. The specs are glowing stars, expanding like the universe is said to. 

I created this meme from an image of my adorable cat, Sandwich. His attitude on life cracks me up; he has such a distinct little personality and its awesome. 

I took this photo a couple years ago after I tucked Sandwich into his favorite blanket. I think animals, especially cats, are hilarious in the way they act entitled to certain items of yours. I can't even sit at my table and read a book without Sandwich jumping up and laying directly on top of it.

He always looks at me like I'm his pet, and like I'm doing a good job of being that. Dogs' attitude is more loyal and ready to serve, whereas cats act as though you're privileged to sit next to them.

Natural disasters occur often without much warning; and take an extremely hard toll on those whose living conditions provide little protection from the elements. 

This image was taken July 2010 in the village of Salloh Walla, Pakistan, soon after a harsh rainfall left the land flooded. Jacob Ehrbahn captured this group of people in their immediate response to what appears to be utter destruction of their community. 

Similar to war photographers, journalists who are immersed in natural disasters are often able to get closer to unknown subjects; high emotions and tight bonds grow stronger during times like so. These people are reaching out to each other, and represented by their embrace of hands, it is clear they're fighting this battle as one. 

Great photography evokes reality from a still shot, making the viewer feel some way about the image, and often feel something for the subjects pictured. This image along with the rest of Ehrbahn's series from this incident are a great example of effective photo journalism.

James Nachtwey clearly has a way with the camera. In almost any given photograph of his, you can guarantee upon viewing it, you're going to feel something. 

I used this photo in particular because while watching the documentary, this family's story resonated with me. The photograph evokes the constant struggle of this family's daily routine in Indonesia, and the father's strength he possesses trying to take care of everyone while enduring his physical constraints. 

Nachtwey is able to do the work he does because of how respectful he is to his subjects; I think a key part in capturing such emotional images is to not disrupt the environment they're being taken in. He doesn't make his presence focused on, but instead they know he is there, accept it, and allow him to partake in the atmosphere. 

As mentioned in the film, it is also a different situation than average photography when the set is a war zone. People's emotions are running high, and being immersed in such a saddening environment makes people want to allow their story to be shown to others. 

A small still glance of a living, breathing scenario taken with a keen eye is all it takes to feel something from it. Talent like James' brings people together, allowing them to feel empathy for those they otherwise may have only read about. 

Not only do I use this lip balm daily and love the way they look; I think the design in EOS balms have a lot to do with why I buy them in the first place. 

I think if you're a company wanting to distribute a product which is commonly lost by consumers and fairly disposable in nature, (I've purchased many different types based on price, convenience, and what smells good as opposed to brand name) you have to be really unique to distinguish yourself. The egg like eos ball differs from the typical tube-like or canister shaped applicators; they don't instantly strike a new viewer as familiar, and when people first see mine they always ask, "What is that?".

Online advertisements are arguably harder to perfect; based on the location of the viewer and what medium they're viewing it from, it can create an entirely different experience than walking down a street and seeing a company's logo on the side of a building.

I chose this image, Ebay's former logo, because my first instinct was that it wasn't very effective. After thinking about the varietal nature of the website's content and analyzing the bright block helvetica letters, I've come to the conclusion that it is in fact an effective visual representation.

I took this photo last July while in the Netherlands; its one of my favorites because of its visual appeal.

The orange toned lighting evokes nostalgia, and the structures of the old buildings in the background draw the eye to their symmetry and architecture. I think this image would be a good advertisement to reach tourists; I think it captures the relaxing, 'take a walk' vibes during the day the city possesses.