An act of generosity has the potential to open a well of possibility. If we give without expecting anything in return then we will realize that the giver always receives something; the positive feelings of giving for the sake of giving. Remaining open hearted to the power of giving unconditionally allows for the greatest gifts of all to come our way: connection, joy and love. I see generosity as a way of being, a way of living one’s life, that encompasses random acts of kindness and spontaneous connections.

I am investigating ways of giving by using art as a way to connect with people through presenting them with a handmade object, or hiding one for them to find. The objects I make are letterpress prints, on my own handmade paper, of poems that I wrote about reaching out to one another, about love and connection. Each one is designed for a specific way of giving; given hand to hand to strangers, hidden inside newspapers, hidden inside books, given hand to hand at my oral presentation, a pile left for the people who come to the senior thesis art show, and giving through teaching in a booklet about generosity and the importance of giving unconditionally.