The Giving Canvas @Earthcraft Juicery Houston

For the longest time, I was afraid of launching this project because I have not developed my own distinct style yet. I first started taking art lessons at the age of 4 (thank you mom & dad), so I thought I would have “found myself” by now. When I voiced my concerns to my friend Ty, a fellow Houstonian who also moved to the Bay, he told me exactly what I needed to hear. “Angie, It’s okay to not have a single style because it just means nobody knows what you’re going to make next.”

Philanthropy isn’t just a matter of doing the right thing. The most successful donors don’t just plunge right into charity work. Bill Gates thought about his philanthropy for years before deciding to go into the work of combating infectious diseases in Africa. Andrew Carneige did the same before determining he wanted to create a national network of libraries. 

I was hesitant for so long, but my desire to utilize my artwork to benefit the community outweighed my fear of judgement. I realized that my fear of failure was the only thing holding me back. To anyone reading this - just do it. Risk launching too early. Risk putting yourself out there and being judged. 

We often wait until we perfect the product before we put it on the market, but the truth is that no one comes out with the perfect product or service the first time around. In fact, the perfect anything depends on the feedback that you receive from others. This feedback only comes after several iterations of testing. If you wait too long to launch, then you are missing out on critical learning. 

In essence, I am very open to feedback. Please reach out to me via angie@thegivingcanvas.com and let me know if you have suggestions on what I can do better as The Giving Canvas will be my lifelong endeavor. 

I am actively accepting commission requests!