healing hearts and transforming lives
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- Location:
- South San Francisco, CA, 94116
- Phone:
- 415 572-3159
Fans
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Photos
2 of 4 albumsSee All
Wall PhotosUpdated 12 hours ago
Youth Services Center ~ Girls program #2Created about 5 months ago
Events
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- Express Yourself!
Roe Restaurant
Friday, March 6 at 6:00pm - “Express Yourself”
Roe Restaurant
Friday, March 6 at 6:00pm
Brush Fire Painting Workshops
This week, Brush Fire’s topic for paintings is What are you thankful for? We’ve had a wonderful array of responses, from holiday dinners, to love of family and friends. One young painter said she is particularly happy for some time off to do her own thing.
We all need that down time in order to nurture our creativity,... but isn’t down time hard to come by with all the obligations of the holiday season? Edward Unger provides some great tips to prevent any type of creative hinderance so you can keep moving forward:
1) Comparison – If we’re too busy looking at what the next person has, we can forget to be thankful for what we have. There’s always going to be someone who has more and someone who has less than us. But what makes your life special and unique to you and only you? Be thankful for those things…
2) Attitude of Entitlement – Lots of times we can believe that we deserve this or that and as Americans it easy for us to slip into being ungrateful for what we have. The reality is…there are billions of people in the world that don’t have clean running water, safe grocery stores or a government that doesn’t steal from them. If you’ve ever done some traveling to 3rd world countries you’d be truly grateful to be an American. Lets allow this season to permeate every area of our lives…and truly give thanks for the bare necessities that we all can take for granted.
3) Think about What You’re Thinking About – Anyone who’s worried all day long knows how to meditate. So what have you been meditating on lately? Are you keeping your mind on positive things as soon as you get out of bed…and throughout the day? Or are you sabotaging yourself with your own negative thoughts? Think about what you’re thinking about…and maybe just for this week…turn your negative thought around to thanksgiving and see how much better you feel.
4) Relationships – In my opinion, good relationships are the true meaning of life. Relationships make or break the holiday season. Focus on bringing new life and love into your relationships this Thanksgiving. Surprise that special someone with flowers or jewelry…bring your mom a sweet potato pie. We can’t go through life with catcher’s mitts on both hands. You’ve gotta be able to throw something back once in a while.
5) Watch Your Mouth: – The Hebrew word for Thanksgiving is Yadah…as in, yada, yada, yada. So what do you hear yourself speaking about? Do you gripe and complain to anyone who will listen or are you talking to people about what you are thankful for? Maybe over turkey dinner this year you can go around the table and ask everyone to list 5 things they are thankful for.
Find the original post at http://www.computerproducer.com/unblocki
And have a restful, creative holiday!
Brush Fire Painting Workshops
Amanda, a long-time Malcolm X volunteer, shares her experience painting with the kids:
One of my favorite parts of volunteering with Brush Fire was seeing how the kids’ personalities always came through in their distinctive painting styles. I see this as a testament to the success of Brush Fire’s process-not-product foc...us: rather than competing to produce the result that fit a teacher’s expectation, the kids seemed free to explore their own ideas and techniques.
It was especially exciting to watch kids who were originally unenthusiastic or lacking in confidence discover that painting can be really satisfying. I remember watching something click in one fifth grader, who was sullen and skeptical the first day I volunteered, when she realized that painting an explosive, angry tornado to depict her bad day helped her release those negative emotions. She came in to class bitter and silent and left giggling, and the next week she came in excited to get her “anger management out.”
Brush Fire Painting Workshops
J. is a soft-spoken 3rd grader at Malcolm X Academy with liquid brown eyes, round cheeks and a beautiful smile. He’s a serious, thoughtful boy, who gives a lot of attention to his paintings, so I looked forward to seeing what his painting would look like on the day’s topic: if you could be any type of animal, what woul...d you be? He grew restless and agitated during the brainstorming portion of our last class, which surprised me, but he didn’t let his bad mood stop him.
Instead of picking one animal to represent himself, he painted square cages across most of his painting, with a dog and a lion standing outside. He told me that people had locked most of the animals in cages. When I asked him about the dog and the lion, J. said they weren’t caged yet, but they were about to fight each other because the people who caged the animals made them. He said it wasn’t possible for them to disobey; they had to fight even though they didn’t want to. Across the page, J wrote: Jail. I’m ready.
It seems clear to me that this is what his future looks like to him. I’m just heartbroken. We have to do better for sweet, beautiful children like J. What can we do to give them hope for the future?
Brush Fire Painting Workshops We've posted three new videos of our painters in action on our web site. Check them out and let us know what you think!
www.paintbrushfire.org
As part of our work with Lick-Wilmerding High School and Tenderloin Elementary School, the high school had to create a video project to share with their school. This video represents their efforts for 2009.
Brush Fire Painting Workshops If you would like to volunteer for any of these classes, send Naomi at email at Naomi@paintbrushfire.org And thanks again for your support!
Brush Fire Painting Workshops Here are the classes in San Francisco we have scheduled so far: William De Avila K-1 School, 1351 Haight St Tuesdays, 9/29 - 11/17, 3:30 – 5:30 pm Rosa Parks Elementary School, 1501 O'Farrell St. Thursdays 10/1 – 10/22, 2:30 – 4:30 Sloat Elementary School, 50 Darien Way Thursdays, 10/29 – 12/17, 4 – 6 Malcolm X Ele...mentary School, 350 Harbor Road. Mondays & Wednesdays, 9/28 – 5/10 from 4-6
Brush Fire Painting Workshops Brush Fire is expecting a big year! We’ve added 10 new schools to our list of partners for 2009-2010 and we expect to reach over 400 students! This increase in numbers means we have many new volunteer opportunities each week. Volunteers help set up for classes and clean up when they are done. In between, volunteers ar...e encouraged to chat with the students about their paintings.
Brush Fire Painting Workshops More honest, heartfelt paintings from the young women who participated in our second round of paining workshops in San Mateo's Youth Services Center and what they have to say about their work.
10 new photos
Brush Fire Painting Workshops Join us for drinks and treats at our annual volunteer and supporter thank you party! We simply could not run our youth arts programs with out your love, time, and financial support. Roe Restaurant, 651 Howard St San Francisco, CA 94105 Friday, June 12 f
Brush Fire Painting Workshops
Visit our Blog!!! http://www.paintbrushfire.org/category/b
www.paintbrushfire.org
" My painting is about how I feel me feeling antsy plus all my emotions mixed together...." S.S., March 2009, san Mateo Juvenile Hall
