Thursday, March 13, 2014

The Journey is the Inspiration: Call for Contributors


THE STORY

Some stories need to be told and retold. Such is the case with Dan Eldon. Born in London in 1970, he moved to Kenya with his family at age seven, where he remained through high school. He embraced his new life fully and quickly became an explorer of the world. Dan began taking photographs of his adventures while accompanying his mother on her travels as a journalist. These pictures became the basis of his visual journals, in which he documented his life, beginning at age 15. Extremely charitable and concerned about the world around him, Dan traveled extensively and returned to Africa repeatedly. In 1993, having become the youngest photojournalist employed by Reuters, he and three other journalists were stoned to death as they covered the famine and escalating violence in Somalia. He was 22 years old.

His life has had a profound impact on a countless number of people and though nearly 21 years have passed since his death, his legacy of inspiration continues to gain momentum. His mother Kathy and sister Amy have since co-founded Creative Visions Foundation. CVF fosters positive change through its support of creative activists - people who use the arts to raise awareness of social, environmental, and humanitarian issues. His family has also shared his journals and their message through the publication of a series of book, beginning in 1997 with The Journey is the Destination.

Dan was a pioneer and a visionary in so many ways: as an activist, an adventurer and an artist. His journals were created long before the current trend in visual journaling began. And yet his approach - raw, real and very personal - presaged the style of many journalers today.


THE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

People who know of Dan Eldon always describe being deeply impacted by his life. That is the basis for this call for creative contributions. We want to hear how you have been inspired by Dan's story and your story will be shared on the blog at DanEldon.org. In this way, a new visual journal can be created and Dan's legacy can be brought to more and more people.

In words and/or images, please tell us what Dan and his experiences have meant to you. Share your own personal memory of reading the books that document his life, of seeing his journals in print for the first time, and/or realizing how much this remarkable man accomplished in his short life. Perhaps you are a journaler and have created pages, directly or indirectly influenced by his approach. Or perhaps you will now as part of this call. Either way, we want to see what Dan's legacy has created in you and what you have created as a result. And much like with visual journaling itself, there are no rules here about what to include or not to include. We want real, raw and very personal.


THE FINE PRINT

You do not have to be a journaler, an artist or a writer to participate. You just have to be willing to share. Please send your submissions and any inquiries to Seth Apter at shap97@gmail.com. For entries, please include your text as an email attachment and your images in the form of jpegs as attachments as well. Submissions are being accepted at anytime. More detailed information about the postings will be sent to those who submit and will be posted online for those of you interested in viewing the entries.

14 comments:

Jo Murray said...

I'd love to participate in this, but unfortunately time has the better of me. It's a wonderfuil [project and I'll bet you get heaps of submissions.

Brian Kasstle said...

As we've spoke about Seth, count me in! What a wonderful project!

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

Good luck!

Unknown said...

Great project Seth, love the idea!

tgarrett said...

This is very important to me as I have mentioned- it is because of his journals that I started to keep a visual journal

Chesley said...

Hi Seth,
I'd love to participate here as I do feel that Dan had a great impact on my desire for art journaling. He definitely has led the way! I'm using a MAC though, so I don't have Word. I have Pages which will attach and send also…is that alright? Thanks!
Sue

The Creative Beast said...

Thank you for posting about this Seth - I just went to look at the website because I know many activist artists who could benefit from the foundation. Also, I am intrigued to look at Dan Eldon's journals so this is a great resource! Maybe I can submit for the next rounds when I have seen more of the journals and absorbed the art of them =-)

juliaD said...

Hi Seth,
I would love to submit something as I feel great joy and inspiration when I look at his work. It was so free!.

layers said...

I have 2 books on Dan Eldon and his wonderful collages... his death at such an young age is heartbreaking. Through his collages you could see his love of the life around him.

Laura Spano said...

Raw, real and personal? I didn't think I was ready. This story is so compelling and moving, how could I not at least try? Thanks Seth.

Darlene K Campbell said...

I'd love to be part of this honorable project!

Martice Smith II said...

Wow, Seth, this is a wonderful way to keep his legacy thriving. Not only in the "art world" but as a humanitarian. I've, recently, learned of Dan's story through you. I find it remarkable that such a gifted young man thought it necessary to bring awareness to the 'unknown' epidemics of our world. It goes to prove that Dan was ahead of his time...So, with that being said: I'd love to participate! Looking forward to hearing more about this inspiring project! Thank you Seth :)

In the Mix said...

Hi Seth. I have been interviewing individuals from Somalia for several years and would love to participate in the next round to help honor Dan Eldon. Sorry to have missed the May 1 deadline. But, I found a piece of "trash" that spoke to me, and would like to hear about the next call for work as I get started with its transformation. Thank you for launching this project. Julia

Anonymous said...

I bought the book The journey is the inspiration and that was what started me really keeping a journal and making mixed media collages. Where can I view the submissions online?