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GRATEFUL Project

Over $8,000 has been raised to support GRATEFUL. This project is 80% funded! Thank you for your support!

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." ~ Oprah Winfrey

The subject of my third photography project, GRATEFUL is gratitude. I am inspired to create a project that explores gratitude because the more we pay attention to what is right in our worlds, the happier we are. I also hope GRATEFUL helps people connect and appreciate each other by focusing more on the good stuff in life because there is so much of it! Thank you for helping this project succeed in spreading some positivity in the larger Boise community and beyond.

I have photographed 21 diverse people (i.e., race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, class) for this project. I have asked subjects to think of something for which they are grateful. I have taken photographs of subjects and their gratitude. Subjects have also written about 100 words on why they are grateful. These statements are being placed with the images. The images will be on display in rotation at C.W. Moore Plaza (250 S. 5th St., Boise, Idaho) through July 24. For those who are unable to attend the exhibitions, the images will be available via this website when they are finished.

Ways to support GRATEFUL:

-----Check out the images on display in rotation at C.W. Moore Plaza (250 S. 5th St., Boise) through July 24.

-----Buy some art from my Etsy shop: etsy.com/shop/CarissaSindonArt
-----Make a contribution to my Go Fund Me campaign: www.gofundme.com/grateful-photography-project

-----Tell your friends and family about GRATEFUL!

Thank you to these generous people for their support:

Business Sponsors: Star Garnet Media, Yoga Tree of Boise

Project Supporters: Auld Investments, Linda Becker, Michael Bianco, Colleen Braun, Jeff Buttars, Nancy Cenell, Du Ann & Michael Chambers, Kim Drake, Dick & Betty Erickson, Connie & Steve Evans, Jim Foudy, Eric Gibson, Kayla Gleason, Emilee Gomske, Jeana Graff, Jackie Gunn, Janet Houlihan, Allie Jones, Jake & Kristen Jones, Shyla Jones, Jennifer Knight, Josh Knight, Peggy & Curry Koehler, Kogler Family, Bob & Nancy Kyte, Lawcynell Gang, Nikki Leonard, John Lewinski, Makki Family, Matthews Family, Eileen & Mike McMorrow, Mike Medberry, Danielle Mitten, Alisha Morris, Chris Mueller, Ken Newman & Debbie McClendon, Karing Nial, Laurie Parker, Rae Parnmukh, Brad Potts, Sherry Powelson, John & Darlene Rotell, Joseph Schueler & Nicole Hanson, Jason Sears, Evie & Ty Sindon, Uncle Bob Sprute, Uncle Ed & Carole Sprute, Jemmy & Russell Tipping, Aunt Mary Jean & Uncle Chuck Tranfo, Becca Tranfo, Jesse & Marley Tranfo, Rochelle Troyano, Glen Tulloch, Cara Ucci, Bob Vestal & Jyl Hoyt, Peter & Norma Walker, Susan & Bryan Wilder, Carissa Wolf, Larry & Jeanette Wolf, Mati Young, and many others!

My $10,000 Budget:

All GRATEFUL exhibitions will be free and open to the public. There is no cost to be a subject in GRATEFUL. This project is funded entirely by the generous support of people like you!

Personnel/Staff

a. Administration (recruit and communicate with subjects, promote
project, organize exhibition(s), fundraising, etc.):

(240 hours x $20/hour): $4,800 (In-Kind)

b. Artistic:

(21 photo shoots x $200/session): $4,200 (In-Kind)

Production Expense (design and print programs for exhibition(s), print images for exhibition(s)): $1,600

Travel (meet subjects for photo shoots,
recruit subjects, transport materials,
promote project):

(700 miles x .65 cents/mile): $455

Marketing/Promotion (design and print business cards, posters, and invitations to exhibitions(s); five years website hosting; unanticipated marketing expenses): $1,700

Other Operating Expenses (business insurance (five years), greeting cards/prints for fundraising gifts, refreshments for exhibition(s), thank you cards for participants and supporters, postage, office supplies, copies, unanticipated operating expenses): $6,245

TOTAL: $10,000

© Carissa Sindon. All rights reserved.

I am GRATEFUL for just being alive at 82 after having several strokes and aneurysms, and for my decade of good doctors. My grandmother, who raised 13 kids, lived a few houses down from us and made my childhood wonderful. I am thankful for having a wonderful father who got a Bronze Star Medal in World War II. My mother and little sister were also the greatest.

© Carissa Sindon. All rights reserved.

I am GRATEFUL for my siblings. My siblings and I do not always see eye to eye, mostly because they are all taller than me. However, we are able to voice our opinions to each other and sometimes come to an understanding. I have four siblings. Kimanesha, whom I met in my adult years, is a strong and beautiful woman, wife, and mother. My younger sister, Lanisia is my best friend and confidant. She lights up a room with her energy. My younger brother, David stands firm in his beliefs, and is loving and kind. My sister, Shaylene is fiercely independent and loves hard. My siblings shaped me as a person and I am thankful everyday for them.

© Carissa Sindon. All rights reserved.

I am GRATEFUL for what I have in my life today. I am free, have air to breathe, food to eat, and a roof over my head with heat. My basic needs are met! This has not always been the case. I have been a victim of violence. I have been the aggressor. I have been in very dark places within myself. Drugs, gangs, and parties are what my childhood consisted of, taking me to my bottom. The struggles of learning new ways to live and the hardships I have survived are why I am who I am today! Today I thank my Higher Power for all the bad because without my past experiences, I would not be able to be a mother to my children, a wife to my husband, a student in college, a friend to others, to accept or share love, supportive, humble, and an example of how to overcome anything as I love myself to get through it all!

© Carissa Sindon. All rights reserved.

I am GRATEFUL for the encouragement, helpfulness, and compassion I receive from others: the innocuous kindness and passing words that cost nothing to give and make each day a little bit brighter, a friendly nod when passing someone on the street, and a small smile from across a room. I am especially grateful for the reciprocal nature of these things - the more I receive from others, the more I desire to give similar gifts in turn.

© Carissa Sindon. All rights reserved.

I am GRATEFUL for the simple things: a quiet morning sipping my first cup of coffee, a yoga practice that clears my mind and nourishes my soul, and an enriching conversation I have with an acquaintance or friend at a distance. It took a pandemic to realize how important these things really are to me. The virus has isolated people from one another, and in the absence of other people, many have felt down, myself included. Even if life is a bit less exciting right now, I take solace in the mundane. The simple things help to remind me that life is still a gift.

© Carissa Sindon. All rights reserved.

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