RP: What made you want to start The Art of Elysium?
JH : I started The Art of Elysium because a childhood friend was diagnosed with Leukemia our senior year of high school. He had a bone marrow drive and went into remission but relapsed several years later. During his battle with the disease, he never thought of himself but the children he saw in the hospital while he was being treated. He simply asked, “Do not pity me. Will you please do something for the kids who have no one while they are in the hospital?”. That was the call to action and now 20 years later we have been able to take the healing power of art to other areas of need.
RP: What is The Art of Elysium ?
JH: The Art of Elysium is an art based non-profit. We work to build a community of artist who support those in need through sharing their creative projects. We work with musicians, artists, fashion designers and filmmakers to create programs for children in hospitals, special need schools, hospice care facilities and inner-city schools. We also work with the elderly, veterans and the homeless community. Each workshop is unique to the artist leading the program. The scope of work we do is infinite because it is based on the creativity that each artist brings to the organization and the desire in their heart to serve those in need of inspiration.
RP: When you started TAOE 20 years ago did you ever envision it where it is today?
JH: In the beginning, it was just myself and the volunteers that were going in to do the programs. It was divinely guided and grew organically. I think when people genuinely connect to service that it changes them. They are passionate when they tell others about their service and their inner light really shines. That light is inspiring and illuminates the way for others to sign up, volunteer and connect through the act of creation. So in some ways I’m not surprised where it is today as it was guided by artists sharing their light with one another.
RP: What is your main focus in 2018?
JH: My biggest goal to achieve before January 2019 is to appropriately tell our story and get people to understand all that we do. The blessing and curse of being a creative arts charity is that people are always looking for a very simple explanation to understand the work we do. There is not a simple explanation because a musician who come in to share their gift of music with children at a special needs school is completely different than a sculptor who comes in and creates a sculpting workshop for elders at one of our eldercare facilities. There are so many different ways of engagement at The Art of Elysium that I think people get confused about what we do. In the simplest terms, we give the gift of creation to those in need of inspiration. Finding a way for people to easily understand our mission is my biggest goal at the moment.
RP: What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job? What get’s you through the hard days?
JH: There are so many incredible experiences I’ve had with the children and people that we serve. The shared moments both happy and sad, the inspirational stories, the events, the artists, my incredible staff – all these things have kept me going. But, I’d say ultimately the most rewarding part of my job is knowing that we try our best every day to encourage people to truly connect with one another. To be fully present in creating with another person, to serve another person without ego, to collaborate with others for something bigger. When things get challenging, I remember this is not about me, this is about striving to build a community of artists serving the world through creativity – that is the gift of my job, that is what gets me through.