What action are YOU being called to?

Yes, “bonus” post ahead…

When I was growing up, if I mentioned being cold, my mother would quote her father as saying in response to such a complaint, “Well then, jump up and do something!”

Today it’s cold in my apartment. It’s chilly outside, and there’s a strong wind blowing against my side of the building, which always makes it a tad nippy in here. And so I’ll be taking my grandfather’s advice, and regularly “jumping up” from my computer to do something active in the apartment.

There are other calls to action in daily life though…

I say that I am an advocate for the arts. That’s a nice “warm fuzzy” kind of statement, but what does it mean practically, in my daily life? What actions do I take to do this advocacy?

Besides regularly blogging about the arts and about amazing programs for kids in various facets of the arts, and supporting local arts-for-kids projects when I can, I am doing more and more advocacy using social media as my speaker’s platform. I have google alerts set up for various search terms to do with the arts and children, currently focusing mainly on theatre. I seek out and follow blogs and websites that deal with the arts, again currently focusing mainly on theatre. I also follow numerous theatre’s and arts program’s pages on Facebook.

That’s just the start, though. I haven’t done anything active yet. I haven’t really advocated for anything, that’s just compiling information. The key for me is the dissemination of that information. When I find a blog post, or a Facebook update, or a website that impresses me, that makes me want to invite others to participate, I share it. I share it on my own Facebook timeline, I share it on my public Facebook author page — and that automatically shares it on my Twitter — and now, I also have the option of sharing it on my Linked In page.

It seems like a small action on the face of it, but if people see that post or that tweet, and think about the importance of the arts in their own life; or retweet or share it on their own page; or find some way to support the arts and kids’ participation in the arts in their own community, then my small action will have a ripple effect, as so many small actions do. Who knows what force those ripples may become?

One example. Yesterday I found and shared an article that gave 10 reasons to support the arts. The reasons ranged from the purely aesthetic, to the educational, and even to the economic benefits. That article was from one of the many blogs I follow, the ArtsBlog of Americans for the Arts. You can read that article here. I shared that article on my personal Facebook, on my Author Page, on Twitter, and on Linked In.

I do this daily, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on my time, and what shows up in my feeds that day. I like to think it has some effect on the lives of those who read my posts.

What action are you being called to? How will you achieve your aim?

To find me, and follow my actions as I advocate for the arts, you may

“Like” my Author Page on Facebook, BethStilbornWrites

“Follow” my Twitter tweets, @BethStilborn

Connect with me on LinkedIn, Beth Stilborn

or, of course, follow this blog, By Word of Beth. There are a plethora of possible ways to do that in the sidebar.

 

Now, let’s all jump up and DO something! ACTION!