Taking Rocks…Building Castles
“The last dejected effort often becomes the winning stroke”.~ W.J. Camero
12-19-09
This has been a mad, touch crazy, crazy year, filled with much befuzzlement, bewilderment and bewailing. And of course the year has to go out in a bang with the rug being pulled out from underneath me for the last time by George!
It is not an easy thing for me to reach out like this in such a public way & f I had alternatives that have not already been explored & were feasible, I would not be doing this now if there was an alternative I would have done It. Yes many are in dire straits working furiously to finding creative solutions, thinking out of the box, to make it happen.
Like others, I am being proactive as in this Polish proverb:” You cannot wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time”, to making my challenge a resolved reality.
My prayer in reaching out with hope & determination, anyone or a group of someone’s would see fit to help or reach out into their networks to help… My circumstances is fixable and can give me the necessary boost so I can indeed help myself and then stable reach out & help someone else.
So this is what is happening:
Thrown Stones... Building Castles fundraiser
I am throwing a "cyber- rent party".. .
This is why:
I have to move from where I am living.
(No it is not an eviction)
My current dwelling is unsafe to live in & landlord who seems to be unconcerned & thinks its ok to live in an unhealthy environment & pay for that "privilege".
He was somewhat misleading in or discussions prior to my moving across country & it wasn’t until several weeks after I moved in that I came to realize he had no inclinations to correct & repair things that make the property safe to habitat (like mold in the ceiling, broken stairs, unreliable access to utilities etc)...
This is not about vanity and I am choosing no to disclose the unsafe and sanitary issues I am challenge with. I do know however I have to get out of here before it gets any worse then what it is...
I do not believe he was out to get me personally though it does little to aid me knowing that in this dilemma. My need to move is for my physical safety & health as I said I have been ill for over the last year & now readying for badly needed surgery. . Almost from the beginning, he has taken to using his keys to enter my home with prior knowledge or warning and then letting two men come in on me last week. Legal boundaries have been crossed but he seems to really believe he is not doing anything wrong.
Happily, I've found my former landlord who I enjoyed a wonderful relationship leaving in 2004 who has 2 spaces available that I can have. In every way, it will be near perfect for me if I can secure the funds. If my funding had not been delayed it would have been a no- brainer, I simply would have moved. But my previous endowment funds are now exhausted. I am not being evicted, but my choices are extremely limited at this point and the clock is ticking.
This is the 1st time in over 25 years+ that I've been with no income and have not collected unemployment in 20 years. Yes I’ve been very fortunate, worked hard and have been in the right place at the right time to have the accomplishments, I’ve enjoyed. But this time it is different…I am schedule for a badly needed surgery by the end of January 2010 and I have to be moved b4 then as I will not physically be able to move for a couple of months after that.
Like many I've been slammed by the recession. One thing for sure I have not nor will not give up. Coming home to New Orleans and seeing on an almost daily basis people pulling ways out of now way keeps me buoyed.
What I propose to do:
I’ve wracked my brains for solutions when in a moment of creative insight I came up with this: A “cyber rent party”! If you are over 40 you probably know what that is, if under 40 you may have read of it or seen reference in a movie.
Nonetheless I figure if I could by walking out there on faith and network with 200+ kind souls would hear my plea and aid a working artist to regain her footing. I will not let them down. I am delighted in the last few days I have come to enjoy some of those kind & caring souls and even among hose who want but are unable have come up with support & help in other ways.
What I propose is that the 1st 200 “patrons” will receive, post surgery & recuperation, a limited edition lapel pin design by me.
You can Google my name,Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney and see I am no slacker. I have an extensive body of work that has enjoyed even an international flavor & vibe at one point.
Now the future:
In 2010, I will have my first solo show opening in March & I go upward from there.
This is my 1st in 2 years with that and several other events lined up I could be fully functional & engaged before the end of the year, but for that to happened I have to be proactive and move and get my house literally & figuratively in order..
I’ve reached out via Face book, other networks groups as well as my blog to link to those generous souls who could help this struggling working artist. I humbly asking different ones to reach out in their network & pass on the request. You never know...
I recall a story from a speaker years ago in the early stages of my career who said in essence “when you go fishing do you cast the line out once if no fish bites, do you pack up and go home? Or do you keep casting out the line or even move to another part of the lake?”
Or as another artist said to me, “if you ask not… you have not”.
Right now is not the time for false pride. If there was another way I would have done it before now...
I am asking people if they can put this call out & I respectfully ask all who read to please not judge or condemn or send me negative comments which are counter-productive. This was not an easy thing to put out here, but I am fiercely determined to return to self sufficiency with as much dignity in tact. In fact, I am planning to in passing forward to reserve a percentage of all my future art engagement Second Harvest & Habitat for Humanity which has really been vigorous in aiding my beloved home town.
I know many of us are treading water in difficult times, but I do know as George Frasier puts it: "Net does work"
People can reach me via Facebook, my email :rhythmnhes@gmail.com, blog: www.iiammoon.blogspot.com . I am hesitating in giving out my phone number or address online, understandably so for safety reasons, unless one of you contact me 1st.
I do have Pay Pal and there are others like Money Gram/Western Union, snail mail etc. I would have to have folks' addresses so they will receive their gift this spring***
Thank you for your help, contributions or network assistance in advance. I believe in people, I believe in miracles & I believe in me
Taking rocks to build castles...
Jacquelyn
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