During the month of August and September, I have been featuring stories from amazing individuals who are pursuing their God - birthed passions, to effect change in the world. I am so inspired and honoured to be doing this! Today, I want to introduce you to an illustrater named Dale who connects his passion for illustration with the fight against human trafficking. It is just so amazing that we can use every single gift we have to change lives. Human trafficking is modern day slavery and even as we sit here, close to 30 million men, women and children are living in bondage. Meet Dale, read his story, share it and allow his challenge to rise up in your heart, to make a difference and be the change!!
My
name is Dale Vande Griend and about two years ago I decided to pick up drawing
again. I found some tutorials online and
I went about practicing and teaching myself how to illustrate. Illustrating came back to me quite naturally
and I really enjoyed teaching myself a new art form. The passion I had as a child, doodling on
scraps of paper, quickly returned. Now,
my day job requires me to travel to India a couple times a year and over the
past couple of years I have fallen in love with the art and culture of this
incredible country. Indian henna and
mandala designs soon started filling my sketchbook along with Banyan trees,
sarees, and rickshaws.
As my illustration skills slowly improved, I found
myself reading a lot of graphic novels and comic books so I could study the art
and storytelling. I began to love how
stories were told using this art form.
Ideas began swirling in my mind as I searched for some kind of story
that I could tell using the graphic novel format.
At this same time I took a trip for work to
film a story in India about a group of ladies who were trafficked or born into
the sex trade in their city. I had heard a little about trafficking, but
this trip prompted me to research and learn more about it. I read a bunch
of books and articles about the subject and started following traffick-battling
organizations online. I did what I could
by sharing and raising awareness through Facebook and Twitter. An organization called Tiny Hands
International loved my passion for battling sex trafficking and saw my
illustration work and asked if I would make some art for them. Of course, I did.
Tiny hands International battles injustice in
two ways. They fight trafficking and
they have children’s ministries. They
are a wonderful organization and they are doing hard work, but they are making
a difference in people’s lives. Check
them out and find a way that you can become involved.
Suddenly the idea I had been
searching for popped into my head. It
was really a culmination of all these experiences I had had since I took up
illustration again that led to this idea.
I would write and illustrate a graphic novel to raise awareness
about sex trafficking.
I set out writing the story. It
was going to take place in a place I had come to know and love, India. It was going to be both an engaging narrative
and a lesson in sex trafficking. I also
wanted the ending to be real and hard-hitting.
I wanted it to make an impact on the reader. One they couldn’t ignore.
It was at both the easiest and the
hardest thing I've ever had to write. Easy in that I had an immense
passion to get this story out there. Hard in that this is an emotional
and heartbreaking travesty that happens in our world, and I had created a
little girl who had to suffer and endure it.
Even though she isn't real, her story
is. It's the story of MILLIONS of girls across the world, forced into
this horrible life, unable to escape. They need a voice and they need
people to understand their story and to get up and do something about it. My graphic novel will be part of that voice.
This is why this story has been easy
to write. It needs to be told and it needs to be heard. And through
my experiences, my skills, and most of all my passion, this story must come
from me. This story is part of my
calling.
This is my challenge to all of you
reading this. Find your passion. Find your calling. You do this by trying new things or picking
up old ones. Experience life and keep an eye out for that thing that
drives and motivates you. Find where your skills, experiences, and passions
intersect and there you will find your calling.
Don’t ignore that call.
I challenge you to make an effort to
follow that calling, pursue those passions and help make this world a better
place.
My graphic novel is titled ‘Doll’ and
you can follow the progress of the story here.
You can actually read the first full
chapter of the story. Check it out!
You can also follow my facebook page
and Instagram page.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/exodusillustration/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/exodusillustration/
Previously in this series - Jacqueline's story, Africa's Children
Woohoo! Thanks for posting my story. I truly hope it inspires others to follow their passions and try to make a difference in this world for the better. Do unto your neighbors as you would have them to unto you.
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