creativity and care during times of crisis
Photo credit: Javardh Mohamed — @javardh
I’ve been struggling to sit down and write this for a while now, for a few reasons.
For one, there’s already an overwhelming amount of information out there, letting us know where we can donate, how we can support, what we can do to make a difference — and right now, I’m having a hard time feeling like whatever I do personally and/or along with my fellow collective members at funesse even makes one.
I realize that’s a sad thing to say, let alone ponder. I obviously know every small act of kindness leads to something, that even the smallest good deed goes a long way. It’s the entire concept behind paying it forward. It’s just that, with a full-fledged war going on two doors down in 2022, it’s hard to see the good with all the bad happening to Ukraine, its people and the world at large.
Secondly, I (along with my co/creators at funesse) have been beyond busy supporting our clients’ “Stand with Ukraine” initiatives and communication efforts — especially since one of our client’s product is being built in Ukraine by a brilliant team of Ukrainian front and backend developers — and we haven’t had a moment to share our own. Over the weeks, we’ve had to lean into this particular client’s crisis comms plan (a 20-something paged document we created in hopes that we’d never have to crack open and use) to be sure that our fellow contracted colleagues were psychologically and physically safe. The conflict has opened the doors for us to get to know the development team better, which is a silver lining as they’re wonderful people we consider ourselves lucky to know, but we worry about them regularly. For now, we can thankfully say that they feel safe where they are.
And finally, the last thing I want this post to do is to come across as performative or adding to the charitable rhetoric because we feel like, as a small business, we have to. That’s not it at all. We want to do more. We want to do something that’s genuinely helpful.
So, with all of that said, here's our something. With Oliver Burkeman’s “...to make a difference, you must focus your finite capacity for care” advice in mind, here’s our more — our voice, our light and our feathers to shed. Here’s how we, as a small creative collective, are standing with Ukraine:
war is f-ing atrocious
Even as a collective with fun in our name, we know that what happens in the world isn’t always such. And what’s happening in Ukraine and its people is far from fun. It’s f-ing atrocious. And so, we echo the heartfelt sentiments expressed by many other creative organizations and artists around the world: Putin’s unprovoked acts of violence against a sovereign nation and its people are f-ing preposterous and must be condemned.
creative support links
As a creative collective FUNded on the ideal that every creative deserves a platform where they can express their stories, perspectives and art in their own creative way — and to feel empowered and supported when doing so, as leaning on fellow co/creators for creative-making support can be, naturally, more fun — we’ve listed sources here that support this mission:
e-creative: є-Креатив, or e-Creative in English, is a not-for-profit collaboration by creatives for creatives, with its name translating to “there is creative work.” The war in Ukraine is having horrific consequences, including the end to local demand for creative work. Visit this site to see how your brand's next creative brief can help get money into the hands of those who need it.
Hire for Ukraine: The attack on Ukraine has left thousands of talented creative and technical professionals without jobs or income. You can help by hiring Ukranians via this platform. If you were affected by the war and are looking for work, you can create a profile on this platform as well.
Creative Boom: This free platform invites the creative community to help “give a face” to the war in Ukraine through art.
—- Seems our spirit bird thinks the f stands for flamingo. Literally. -—
co/creating is healing
Because we know firsthand the healing powers of making art and how the process of creating is more powerful alongside other artists, we’re co/creating with a stellar Ukrainian animation artist on some fun funesse branding projects. Fun fact: she created the stop-animation logo (seen above with SFX by Pedro). We look forward to co/creating with even more Ukrainian creative makers soon. That said, we invite other Ukrainian freelancers to share their portfolio and/or simply say hello here. We’re always looking to grow our collective know-how for future projects.
giving for good
We know it’s not just the people affected by war; animals and the planet are, too. And as we’re creative makers, animal lovers and environmental enthusiasts, we’ve chosen to donate to the following charities and causes:
Voices of Children Foundation: This charity has been helping children affected by the war since 2015. They provide psychological and psychosocial support to children through art therapy, video storytelling and professional counseling, helping them overcome the consequences of armed conflict and develop. Today, during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, this foundation is providing nonstop assistance to affected children and families from all over the country, providing emergency psychological assistance, and assisting in the evacuation process.
International Fund for Animal Welfare: IFAW firmly believes that every animal counts. Their experts work with local communities, policy makers, academics and many more people around the world to save individual animals, conserve species and protect habitats. In Ukraine, they’re assisting local veterinary teams and distributing water, pet food, dishes and transport boxes to refugees fleeing Ukraine with their pets, as well as supporting the rescue efforts of those pets left behind.
1% for the Planet: This leading global nonprofit is building a movement of businesses and individuals delivering philanthropic support to environmental organizations working on the front lines for our planet.
talk therapy helps
As deeply feeling sorts of folks, we understand the importance of being in touch with one’s emotions. These are exceptionally tough times. Talking it out often helps. Megan is a certified Pantarei practitioner, and she’s offering pro bono somatic therapy sessions to those directly and indirectly affected by the war through her alma mater, the Pantarei Approach School. You can book a session with her directly here or any other of her fellow alumni also volunteering for the cause here.
We believe that now is precisely the time when artists need to unite, to get to work, and we’re doing everything we can to support that.