Video Update

 

Finger. Lakes. Film. Festival.

On a complete whim I decided to enter the One Bead Project Video into the Finger Lakes Film Festival. 

I was burning the DVD and writing an address and directions for my parents to mail it in for me Five minutes before walking out the door.  I knew that the video was a rough draft, and would be made better, but for the time being, why not see if I could spread the word just a little bit more. 

EVERY little effort is important. Every time you talk about our project, every time you walk out of the door with a bead around your wrist or neck you are making a difference. So please talk! This is honestly the best way you can help be a part of this project. 

I was honored to find out that my film was selected to be one of the final films screened last thursday night. My friend Dana went to see it since I could not be there and she said people were really enthusiastic about the whole thing. That makes me so happy. More soon...

Tag, You're it!

   My lovely sister, Margot, working on the tags. We have had some technical difficulties making the stamps work. I have learned that it is a game of luck when ordering such a detailed stamp and hoping that design will look the way you want it. With that being said, the creation of these tags marks a huge turning point for us! The tags, which are cut from a brown paper, have the logo in white on one side and the link to the blog on the other. Along with our catch phrase "One Duty. One Life. One Bead." Each bead will come with it's own handmade tag. Now that the tags are finished we are ready to send out bracelets and beads to our representatives around the country! Keep an eye out for more on this later..

Too Many Circle's for ONE Night

Blurry Picture of Beads and Posters

Another late night! (as demonstrated by the blurry quality of this picture...)
      For those of you who don't know me, I am a junior in college, and this semester I am actually studying abroad in England at the University of East Anglia. AND I LEAVE TOMORROW. Yes, it was all exciting when I signed up and was accepted, only now it seems like almost the bad timing! To tell you the truth, it has not even really sunk in that I am leaving for England in less than 24 hours, because I have had so much to do.  Cutting leather, tying knots and gluing paper takes a lot longer than I had anticipated. Of course this is all good and exciting stress, but stress nonetheless :) 
      Anyway, this is a poor quality cell phone upload I took after working all day on kits for my amazing representatives. Each kit includes 15 bracelets, 10 necklaces, 3 beads, extra leather, about 30 posters, tons of ribbon, and tags. The representatives will be in charge of selling and spreading the word about our project at their own schools. I am so excited to see how everything turns out. Keep an eye out for a page about the representatives in the near future! OH, also made it to the bank today and opened my very own business checking account! So now people are able to make check's out to "One Bead Project" when purchasing a bead or making a donation. I decided against uploading a picture of the checking account as it would definitely not be a good idea, so you'll have to trust my word on its existence!
    Ok, it's about time I look into my own luggage!

158

Pictures for you of the first 158 beads from Kenya. 

This set will be sold at $20 a bracelet as it is the original collection. 

 I'll let the pictures do the talking on this post...

Beads with black leather in background

So many beads! 

Close up 

Beads on leather 

Detail of the Bead

BEADS ARE HERE!

Most exciting package in so long. Express delivered and repackaged at some point from Kenya. 

 (more to come)

Not Your Average Poster

 Instead of normal rectangular/square posters. I decided to play off of the circular shape of the logo and bead and make these ornament looking things. They will hang in groups of 3 or 4 at all different sizes. On the front is the logo and on the back is our slogan "One Duty. One Life. One Bead" with the blog/email address. Because the project has an artsy aspect to it I wanted the posters to reflect that as an almost installation piece. I am actually uploading these cell phone pictures from the Staples Copy and Print center where I am currently waiting for more of the "ONE" logos to be printed. Yesterday I was able to find a place that sells circular cardboard in bulk in all different sizes! Dream Come True. It was the best find as using a razor blade is both not fun and time consuming. 

**In the pictures above and below the ribbon is blue and silver, but I ultimately decided to replace the silver with black.**

It's almost 3 a.m here in Ohio...

...and after 3 Craft Shops, 10 spools of ribbon, over 100 circles of cardboard, 148 beads, 3 hours of cutting leather, 1/2 hours of measuring, AND 1.5 hours of learning to tie knots....I am sitting at my kitchen table with 44 completed bracelets. :-)

Our First Donation

 This envelope deserves it's own spot on the blog don't you think? At the end of my presentation, Kees handed me this envelope with money collected from the students. Before handing it over to my mom, who is an accountant and is currently helping me with all of the banking, I decided to snap some pictures. It is an unbelievable feeling to know that we are already helping people. And that seems like a feeling I want to remember.

 

You Have to Start Somewhere...

Nothing like a Mupload (mobile upload) to capture the moment. Taken
moments before my first talk EVER in front of a group of peers.
Sherrill Basement, HWS, Sunday, Sept. 11th, 2011

...And this was a great place to do it! This past weekend I drove to HWS in order to meet with various teachers and school representatives throughout the weekend about my project. Then, on Sunday, my friend Kees was able to set up a presentation for me in front of a group of students. I learned a LOT from this experience. 1. I have the one-on-one description of my project (aka the "long" version) down pat! However, a five minute talk in front of a group of kids... that I need to work on! 2. It's a lot harder to talk about something you are passionate about simply because you care more.  3. People surprise you. I am so grateful to all of the people who showed up Sunday night in that dark basement, in many cases completely out of the way, to hear me talk nervously for five minutes. 

Official Logo

     I have spent the past few weeks anticipating this and it's finally here! Designed by my friend and amazing artist, Sarah Beth Hulver. I love all of her work and she is super inspiring so check out her stuff HERE:

http://sarahbethhulver.tk

http://the-nutritionation.blogspot.com/

This is the logo that will be featured on our official website, posters, and tags that ultimately will accompany each bead.

Rough Draft Video: Be Prepared to Smile

 MUSIC: John Butler Trio     

     Everything happens for a reason, and this summer, before I even knew I would be working on this project, I made the decision to take my dad's digital camera with me instead of my own Nikon with me to Africa. One of the differences: a video camera. I am not much of a video person so little did I know, this camera would become one of the most important tools I brought with me.  When Anselm told me I would have the opportunity to take pictures, I immediately thought back to a intro film class I had taken called "Time in Art". I knew with my dad's camera I could take short clips that I could then possibly fit together to make a larger video. And so I started gathering footage. First around the studio by taking short clips of details, then of the actual bead making process, and finally of the children themselves. I had no idea what I was doing technology wise and I even had to manually focus every shot, but I knew that the more footage I had, the better. When I got home I put this piece together in only one night as a visual tool to go with my own words while giving a presentation. I knew that I did not have the right equipment/programs to make anything professional looking, but I wanted people to be able to see the smiles that keep me up at night thinking of what I can do to make a difference. So this is my video! It's too long. But it's a start. I just recently sent all of my footage to Sarah, who will be making a more refined/tightened video for the official website. We are looking for someone to write an original score, so if you know any musicians, please contact me! Enjoy.

In My Own Words- The One Bead Project

So what exactly am I doing here? I hope you weren't expecting a short answer. Regardless, here it is:

    This summer I had the opportunity to go to Africa with a friend, Becca, and spend time working at a glass blowing studio in Nairobi. One of our jobs was to come up with a fundraiser involving a local school. Anselm, the owner of the studio, dropped us off and we spent two days working with and learning about the children at the Oloosirkon Government Primary School. Aside from a brief pep talk in the car we were basically unprepared for what we would be doing/seeing. We spoke to the principal of the school for a few minutes in which he told us simply that we were free to roam around and talk with as many students as we needed. (I should mention that he was not aware at the time that we were looking to help his school, but was told that we were just a couple of students doing a project on Kenyan schools.) It was an incredible experience to be around these kids who did not have electricity, papers, pencils, and proper restrooms, but were still eager as ever to learn and laugh with us, regardless of any language barriers that existed. The little kids surrounded us from the start. They new little english but wanted to be in every picture I took. The older students were a bit shy when approached, but quickly warmed up. The warm feelings and laughter is something I am certain I won't ever forget. 
     From this experience evolved the One Bead Project. We decided to make a glass bead, one half thick and one thin to symbolize the idea of having a lot vs. having a little. In the center connecting the two halves will be an "O" for the name of the school that we were supporting. The bead will hang on a piece of leather like a small glass charm. Anselm has agreed for now to cover the production cost involved with making the beads, so as of right now, 100% of the profits will be going directly to the school. Profits will be used to fund expensive, yet necessary projects such as building a fence and installing bathrooms for girls and boys. Although raising money for the school is an important aspect in this project, awareness is another element high on our list of priorities. Our idea was that in buying a bead, you are not only helping the school, but you are also acknowledging your desire to help another individual. Buying a bead should symbolize an act of selflessness, of doing something for another person who is not in an ideal situation, of doing something for that person not because you have to but because you can. This concept is very important. Additionally, for many students the idea is that in buying a bead you are acknowledging how grateful you are to go to a school with electricity/paper/pens/etc. 

And Now?

     I am diving into this project at full speed! I have 100 beads coming to my house shortly. These are the original 100 beads. I will use them as samples, however they will also be sold, but at a higher price. I just spent the past two weekends a HWS talking to students and teachers and getting ideas for ways to move forward. I recently received the finished logo from my friend and amazing artist, Sarah Hulver that I have been using for posters and marketing. I also just finished a rough draft video composed of clips I took while in Kenya. Sarah is going to re-create a much more tightened version of this video for our future website, and I am currently looking for a musician to write an original score for the piece. Between all of the meetings and exciting leaps and bounds we are making I feel like my life is in a permanent "fast forward". And I LOVE it. This of course is not all I am doing, but hopefully now you have some idea! 

Want in? please?

   You can help! There are so many things involved in making this work, and I want you to be a part of it. It is important to me that this is a collaborative project. Please contact me if you want to help or if you think you know someone who can help. (Like I said, looking for a musician). E-mail me at: onebeadproject@gmail.com.

A Beginning

Hi!

Me this year- Always with camera in hand

This is basically my first time ever using a blog site, but I have currently been given the incredible opportunity to do something awesome, and I want to share it with you! My name is Sara, I am from a very small town in Ohio but I go to school in upstate New York at Hobart and William Smith. I am actually going to England this semester, so I am going to have to get really good at this technology thing because I will be using the internet a TON to keep up with my project. Also about me: I love photography and running. I have a bunch of sisters and dogs. Most importantly though, I am in the process of starting a non-profit organization called the One Bead Project that raises money for a small school in Kenya. This blog represents my journey but I am also using it as a way to get motived and stay on task. This project is so important to me and hopefully through my experiences it can become important to you as well. Thank you taking the time to read this and I will be posting many things in the next few days to catch you up on what's happening. Enjoy!