Do Good To All!

Thank God it's Friday. For real. It's been a hard week in California, with people picking up the pieces from the wildfires, breathing bad air, and the general feeling of what's next that we'll have to deal with? Then we shot a wonderful, beautiful homeless family for our documentary 90291: VENICE UNZIPPED this week, and I found myself wondering how come there's an outpouring of help and support for the fire victims in the Malibu area (as there should be), but those same people coming out of the woodwork to help the (generally wealthy and insured) folks affected by the fire (when it's trendy) generally just walk on by the thousands of people living on the street with nothing every day. It bothers me. Especially when a call for help went out asking for "Only new, not used" items, like Malibu people could only accept new fashion brands for help, keep your used stuff. Like, really? There are people who would be THRILLED to have ANYTHING, but please, for Malibu, only give new, preferably name brands was the vibe (plus, what a waste in the already super-polluting fashion industry). I believe we are meant to help EVERYONE, with any and every thing we are able to, when and if we can. And we usually can.

DeShawn, Nikol, and their babies, Jade and Diamond live on the streets of Venice. They are college graduates. They are artists. And they are homeless, due to multiple circumstances. The couple met on the Boardwalk, and their devotion to each other, and their children, is tear-jerking, if you weren't already emotional from just the fact that they live in a tent with two daughters under two years old - which I was.

Even with all of their harsh realities, DeShawn and Nikol have the best attitudes and spirits of almost anyone I've ever met. Just wait until you watch our film and hear their beautiful philosophies on life,  and you won't be able to help feeling a little guilty about any little complaint you might have about your own, most likely comfortable, lives. It's truly awe-inspiring that they can move through this world with such grace and calm, when so many are so much less with so much more. I checked myself, as should we all, really.

When the family was tucking in for the night in a tent on the cold sidewalk by public storage, I was a mess inside. I was also freezing, and I wasn't about to sleep on concrete with two babies. Yet once again, DeShawn and Nikol were just practical and doting on their babies, making sure they were warm and cozy far more than themselves. They are not the typical homeless story these days. They are driven in their art, they aren't on drugs, and they are a seemingly far more happy family than many in Los Angeles who have everything they could ever need - and more. Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it does buy you a warm bed and a roof over your head, and that's the only thing this wonderful little family doesn't have. Yet. We're all working on it. (You can help too, by buying some art from them when you see them on the Boardwalk!)

There is so little affordable housing in Venice now (believe me, I know), and I fear that compassion, humanity, and empathy is getting just as scarce. Then, every once in a while, you hear of someone helping just out of the goodness of their heart, and you are encouraged to go on. To stay. To fight. To help.

After all of the beauty and emotion (and art!) of the week, we decided to pile on and experience some more, this time at the excellent Ai Wei Wei exhibit Life Cycle at the Marciano Art Foundation. I love Wei Wei, and his dedication to putting a spotlight on the human condition worldwide. This show (his first in Los Angeles!) is about refugees and freedom of speech, among other hefty topics, but most of all, it's beautiful and inspiring (and free!).

I love a good quote, and there are many surrounding this show, again full of beauty and inspiration, but also majorly thought-provoking.

I believe we can absolutely do good to all who come into our orbit, as even the smallest act of kindness can create change for the better in someone's life, and I'm sure going to try. I hope you will join me. As I often say, we're all in this together. Plus, it's almost Thanksgiving, so let's focus on being grateful - and helpful. Happy Weekend of doing good!

*Happy 168th Birthday to Abbot Kinney (and to dear Vavine, my Ai Wei Wei co-adventurer!)

Let's Be Better Humans - With The I Have A Name Project

What an excellent morning. I had my gorgeous beach walk, and wound up chatting with a dude on a lifeguard tower all about the ocean and nature and how and if we can save it. He thought that by us even having that chat with each other as strangers was a good start. It was really good to know that there are others out there thinking like you do in these times. Then, on the way back from the sand, I saw this big, magic bus parked on the side of the road, with "Let's Be Better Humans" painted on both sides of it. I had to know more, and luckily for me, the bus driver was there.

Jon Linton, founder of the I Have A Name Project was about to take off to Skid Row to go help the homeless, but invited me aboard the bus to tell me about his organization. Linton started this wonderful campaign after volunteering at a homeless shelter and being told by one of its residents that he was touched, because no one ever asked him his name. "You have no idea how long it's been since someone cared to ask me who I am. We are the forgotten, the walking invisible," said the homeless veteran, Chuck Ridgeway. That gave Linton both the idea to do something to help these people - and the name for it. (I had a similar experience myself while volunteering at PATH in downtown L.A., when a man told me it had been so long since someone had looked him in the eye. It's the little things that bond us together, and that is just basic human respect.)

Linton began photographing the plight of the homeless, which led to feeding and clothing thousands in need, photographic exhibitions, mural projects, and a book. The Let's Be Better Humans revolution began because ... just look around. We need a revolution of love and humanity. We exist for one another, we can make a difference, and we can leave this world a better place than we found it ... but only if we do better.

The Let's Be Better Humans hits the streets twice a month to do just that. They distribute backpacks filled with socks, a rain poncho, snacks, and bottled water. FYI - Backpacks and socks are the most requested items in shelters, and the least donated. There's one way to help right there. Linton had just been in Venice to give out clothes in a little pop-up shop they created on the Boardwalk, and they were cleaned out in no time flat by the grateful houseless residents of Venice.

This is the kind of thing I just love, and I was honored to accept the marker Linton handed me to sign one of the seats of the Let's Be Better Humans bus. People from all over have joined this revolution, and their autographs cover every surface of this fantastic vehicle. My heart was full as I stood on the sidewalk, waving farewell to Linton as he honked and headed off to Skid Row. It does the soul good to know that there are still good people doing good works out there ... but it does it even better to do them yourself.

You can do as Linton says ... "Whether it's advocating for the homeless or the planet, you can make an impact. Don't wait for a hero, become a superhero. Never underestimate the power of ONE. Follow your heart and step into action."

Done. Thank you for an inspiring moment of an already inspiring day, Mr. Linton. And thank you to Venice for still being a place where magical encounters like this are not the exception, but the norm. C'mon, Everybody! Let's be better humans! One Love.

https://www.facebook.com/THEIHAVEANAMEPROJECT

https://twitter.com/_IHaveAName_

https://www.instagram.com/theihaveanameproject/

https://www.ihaveaname.org/contact