Hey SuperPeeps! Today we need to talk about art, and about how sometimes becoming a hero means celebrating someone else’s dreams. NGOs are discovering this, too–rather than handing out charity, or a one-time save, how can you help someone save themselves?
#ArtfulSpoons is a hashtag and account on Twitter that celebrates the art of #spoonies, or people who are suffering chronic illnesses. We had a chat with Alex, who runs the account.
What got you started in celebrating spoonie art?
Hello I am SethFan4EVA and I am the host of #ArtfulSpoons.
I had started to become more active on Twitter and wanted a way to connect with other chronically ill artists. After cruising #disabledartist, I decided to start my own hashtag. I was inspired by other people doing similar work, like @DisVisibility and @SpoonieCult. I also learned some ideas from other hashtags that spoonies were using to connect, like #spooniesnaps and #chroniclife.
What’s your favorite piece you’ve been able to feature lately?
So far we haven’t featured any particular artist. The hashtag itself functions as a gallery, where artists choose for themselves what to share on Gallery Night. I used to try to retweet all of the original artwork on #ArtfulSpoons from my personal account, but now I will use the official @ArtfulSpoons account to do so. #ArtfulSpoons benefits from participation, both from the artists who participate as well as the people who browse, like, and retweet the artwork. People can follow @ArtfulSpoons on Twitter for more updates.
What kinds of changes has featuring spoonie art made in the lives of the artists you’ve featured?
I think #ArtfulSpoons encourages people to make more art, and helps artists connect to one another.
What tips would you give to others who want to start organizations to help others?
I do not know what advice I can give, since I am still learning myself. I can say that asking for advice is definitely a good idea. What I do with #ArtfulSpoons is relatively simple, but I still needed a lot of help from other more experienced organizers to get started.
The most important lesson I have learned from this journey has been, sometimes when you have a good idea, other people will show up and help you make it a reality. I have also seen that this is not always the case. A lot of people have to collaborate to make something like this work.
What’s the next step in “becoming a superhero” for you guys?
The next step for #ArtfulSpoons is establishing itself at the new account @ArtfulSpoons and continuing to attract artists and audience to the monthly Virtual Gallery Nights.
Thanks for chatting, Alex!
I know some of the SuperPeeps will want to check out the hashtags linked above, and try to support some of the art of folks with chronic diseases. If you’d like to read about a superhero with multiple sclerosis, you can get Origins: the Guardian Anthology over at Indiegogo.
And SuperPeeps, as usual, subscribe to #superheroalerts to get more tips on becoming a superhero, free books, and little tidbits of my superhero journey. Or just look for more of alerts here on this site.
