Approximately 15 minutes ago I finished an interview with Shepard Fairey, and the amazement still hasn’t left my face. He’s a street artist whose bold political art never fails to impress upon the viewer a strong message. He started out by branding his art everywhere; from street walls to T-shirts and skateboards. He’s worked with a clothing company called OBEY, which coincidentally, I happened to be wearing on the day of this awesome interview. Even those who aren’t familiar with the brand, would certainly recognize his work on the HOPE Obama poster that was used in his campaign.

I am so impressed by Fairey’s work, and the message behind it. We interviewed him just as he was finishing a mural on Houston & Bowery. Many talented artists have graced this particular wall before him; Os Gemeos (and before that someone depicting a Keith Herring work) just to name a few. Fairey’s current mural weaves in ideas of global warming and letting one’s own voice be heard. When asked about what message he would give to aspiring artists, he said that the most important thing is to not overthink it, and to let your instincts guide you. He also mentioned not caring about how your work is received, which I think is really hard to do these days when critics rule the art world. I was also impressed by this guy’s determination. As a street artist, his branding is technically illegal, but he continued with his art, and eventually became really well known for it, which is a big inspiration for all artists with a message.

On Sunday morning, I dragged my brown suitcase to the front of the Girls Club building where there were already a bunch of little girls expectantly waiting to go to camp. They were holding colorful bags of luggage and sleeping bags and were chattering exciting about lakes and cabins and bears. As I walked inside, I wondered where they got their energy from, or what kind of coffee they were drinking, because I definitely wanted some too! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was looking forward to being surrounded by trees as far as the eye can see, but the six hour bus ride didn’t seem appetizing at the moment.

I didn’t have to worry too much about the ride though, the book I was reading took me far away from the tumultuous journey. When we actually arrived at Camp Fowler, I felt refreshed and ready to take a hike somewhere or explore the camp site. The first thing we did was get to know the camp counselors, who were overly friendly (in a good way), and asked them to call them uncle or aunt.

I soon became accustomed to the way things were in camp. We’d wake up early,(practically before the sun) and do a morning prayer gathered around with everyone before eating breakfast. After breakfast there was a planned activity for us , that involved anything from hunting for clues to “solve” a camp mystery or going to see a waterfall. At night we’d go up to the chapel and learn about different religion practices and faith.

The best day of camp, was probably the last. All the older girls and I went Kayaking. It was by far, one of the coolest things I’ve done. To completely surrounded by deep blue water, with a panoramic view of the Blue Mountains was breathtaking. As luck would have it, when we arrived a woman named Pat was filming a movie, and she wanted us to be in a scene where a lake monster would emerge and send us shrieking. Oh, did I fail to mention the place where we landed was an artist retreat center?!? It was like something out of a dream , I swear. There was a charming colonial house that had an awesome view of the lake. I actually sat down near the docks to sketch a bit in my book. I wished I had more time there though. Great experience overall!

For our Spring Break this year, the Lower East Side Girls Club is having something called Wonder Woman Career Week, which is where members of the Girls Club are introduced to women in diverse job occupations. One of the many places we visited today was a small trendy cafe/boutique called Sustainable NYC and the owner, Dominique. What makes this place so interesting is that all the products and goods are eco-friendly. They have everything from sneakers with recycled tire rubber soles, to handbags made of those little tabs on the tops of cans. It’s pretty amazing actually. Apart from eye-catching bracelets made of recycled plastic from Prayer Mats, they also sell products that put a spin on helping the earth. Take for example a solar powered charger made exclusively for devices like iPods and Cellphones, that’s conveniently small and is adaptable for 20 other devices. Sustainable NYC tries to purchase their products locally and makes sure its organic and bio-degradable, but on top of everything, good for everyday people.

Today proved to be another incredible day. I met a lot of people from different organizations all over the country that were passionate about so many different things, yet were united in the idea of making the earth a better place.

The members of The Lower East side Girls Club and I met Nina Simons, the Co-Founder of Bioneers who is an amazing woman and really passionate about women’s leadership. We learned many things about her and what she does. During the interview with us she explained that her husband Kenny had a history as a journalist. They started the organization Seeds Of Change. It’s an organization that deals with something that’s a seemingly small deal, but it has a big mission. It discovered bigger problems concerning biodiversity.

Nina is also known for being passionate about women’s leadership. It became something of great importance to her when she was young and she wanted to find a women mentor, but couldn’t find anyone willing to mentor her. She told us she wanted to “change things for women”. When she was young she saw a movie called The Burning Trees that also radically changed her. The movie is set around the Puritan times when women were persecuted and even burned after being accused of being witches. She said, “We live in a time when women are tamped down, in a subtle way, and I wanted to help women of all ages.” She is involved in Cultivating Women’s Leadership which is a place where women get together in a retreated setting for five or six days. This program is intended for women to understand their own sense of purpose. She said is happy she can offer help at a time when women are in pain.

Some of the most memorable things she said were, “I felt like I had a calling to do women’s leadership,” and when she said we all experience unfairness as women by things done unconsciously to us by other people. She also said something that I will never forget, “The way people have treated the earth and women are symptoms of the same disease.” I feel like learned a lot from this interview, but what will always stay with me is remembering the determination it takes to realize your dreams.

Hey, this is Gissaury.

It was when I was actually IN the plane that the reality began to sink in. Whoa! I was actually going to California…I’ve always wanted to go there… but right now, I have intangible thoughts that have little to do with the state I’m going to. The only thing that’s on my mind right now is the sunrise that’s to my left. It was so bright that it was practically painful to look at, but it was hard not to look away at the same time. I don’t know exactly why I thought it was amazing, but I could think of a thousand reasons, all that might sound irrational to anyone but me. The first reason might be that once I saw the gold and orange hues that made the rest of the sky a pale pink I nearly choked on the beauty of it. The way I was faced, directly towards it, it doused me in an orange light, in the short but blissful moments the plane was at a stand. Just looking at it made me wonder…it’s just past seven in the morning, a time when most people are asleep … one of the times when people miss the small miracles of nature.

Bt that was all while I was still on the plane. Right before lift-off, actually. I wasn’t even prepared for all the amazing things I was soon to see.

Once in California the first thing I saw that made an impression on me was probably the scenery. In the city of San Francisco, in the midst of passer-byers and palm trees, what I found interesting was the culture. The walls of the Women’s Building, which already have an intriguing history, is covered by an amazing mural by seven different artists. It’s something that has to be seen to be truly appreciated. The alleyways also added to my amazement. They were decorated by original intricate paintings, cartoons and messages that were immensely inspiring.

We visited many other places, like Mission Pie, and spoke to people who had many stories to contribute. But unfortunately, like all good things, the day came to an end. But it ended in a beautiful sunset. I learned a lot today, but I was left thinking that maybe, just maybe, if people noticed the beauty in nature, we’d learn to appreciate it, and in the long run know how to make the earth a better place to live in.