WANT CREATIVE CRED? GIVE A LITTLE - Guest Post From Author Rebecca Forster

WANT CREATIVE CRED? GIVE A LITTLE

Want to know a secret?  Volunteering can be your ticket to building a creative career platform.

Other professions have embraced the nonprofit strategy as personally fulfilling and professionally strategic. Lawyers work pro-bono, doctors cross borders to help those less fortunate, retired business people and teachers mentor those who need help getting started or getting over a hump.

But nonprofits need more than counsel, they need the kind of exposure, writers, filmmakers and artists can provide.  Whether you’re looking for that that first portfolio piece or expanding an already established career, aligning yourself with a nonprofit offers you a wealth of creative opportunities.

WRITERS AND/ OR FILMMAKERS
 Profile a volunteer
Interview the administrator
Chronicle the history of the nonprofit
Spotlight the success stories of the clients

ARTISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS
Paint a mural
Design a fundraising invitation
Photograph the clients
Hold art/photography classes
Design a nonprofit’s newsletter

CHEFS/GARDENERS
Cook for a fundraiser
Landscape the building
Provide floral arrangements for benefits

There is no limit to the benefits you will receive by volunteering your creative services. You will build your portfolio, be introduced to businesses and clients that are ready to pay for your talent, and, above all, you will have made a difference with your words, your images and your creativity. There is no lack of drama at a nonprofit, all you have to do is seek it out. . .


Eric, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Albania, writes plays about his experiences. They are produced in Hollywood and the proceeds benefit the village in which he lives.

Sam, a well-known musician, teaches children stricken with cancer how to play the guitar. The local newspaper did a front-page article on his efforts.

Cheryl, an aspiring filmmaker interviews people in an assisted living facility and runs those interviews on her website calling attention not only to rich histories but also to her talent.

Jackie painted a mural on the wall of a local library. She was credited for her work by the library.

The next time you’re looking for a way to showcase your talent, look no further than your community. Your portfolio - and your heart - will benefit from your generosity.

Remember to pick up a few of Rebecca's books below
Hostile Witness
Silent Witness
Privileged Witness
Expert Witness


About Rebecca Forster:

I marketed a world-class spa when it was still called a gym and did business in China before there were western toilettes at the Great Wall. Then I wrote a book on a crazy dare and found my passion.

Now, I am a USA Today best selling author with more than 20 books to my name - and if you ask me where all those words came from I'd be hard pressed to tell you. All I know is that I wake up with a story in my head and go to bed the same way.

My specialty is legal thrillers and The Witness Series, featuring my beach-rat, volleyball playing attorney Josie Bates and her teenage ward, Hannah, have really captured readers' imaginations. But I also like to stretch the thriller genre a bit. Before Her Eyes, for instance, has a fantasy element intertwined with a murder mystery. Wilde's Gamble is a romantic suspense.

I teach at UCLA Writers Program and work with The Young Writers Conference, a program that helps motivate middle school children to explore the power of words. I am particularly drawn to kids who want to write because both my sons have always had a passion for it. Eric is a playwright and Alex is in film.

When I'm not writing I'm traveling, on a tennis court, working a sewing machine or reading. Thank you so much for taking a look at my author page. You can find out more about me - and leave me a note - at www.rebeccaforster.com