Eunice Moyle - Be the Change: The future is in your hands--16+ creative projects for civic and community action

Being the change is a creative act. We create all the time through what we say and think, what we wear, and the actions we take. We do it through music, art, science, relationships, sports, you name it. Any time you mix your imagination with expression, you get creativity.

To create is to make something out of nothing. To be creative, you just need a little imagination. Author Amy Whitaker, an expert in creativity, calls this inventing point B. As we imagine and work toward our goal step by step, we get from point A to point B. Its that simple.

Creative ideas are all around you, waiting to be discovered! You can turn ideas into reality using your talents, skills, energy, and time. You can even tap into your friends talents and skills. Creative ideas happen when you connect the dots between ideas that normally dont go together to come up with something amazing and totally new. They can range from imagining a more beautiful world to innovating a way to get computers to kids who dont have them.

As the sister-team behind Hello!Lucky, we love the visual arts for expressing creativity because its a universal form of communication. No matter what language you speak, you can understand pictures (true fact!). Pictures can instantly connect you to others who share your vision and speed up the time it takes to make it a reality.

You might be thinking, But Im not creative! Thats definitely not true. No matter who you are, you can strengthen your creative powers through practice. A lot of times, creativity is made synonymous with artistic talent. But creativity is so much more than just being good at art.

You can connect creative ideas by daydreaming. (During school might not be the best time. Trust us, the info you learn at school will give you raw material for your creative ideas!) Be curious and look around for inspiration. Take in the world, talk about what you observe with friends, and then express it by writing, doodling, or even doing the projects in this book. With time, youll be able to tap into your creative power and make positive changes in ways you couldnt even imagine!

So lets get started. No matter where you begin, or how big or small a starting point you choose, you can use your creativity to be the change! The future is in your hands, and were excited to see what you create.

Be powerful. Be kind. Inspire and be inspired. Work alone or together. Keep going. And most importantly, have fun!

XOXO EUNICE SABRINA

If you can dream it, you can do it.
Walt Disney

As sisters, we grew up living in countries radically different from our own, all over the world. We marveled at how people create happy and fulfilling lives in conditions ranging from extreme poverty to extreme wealth. As filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand observes in his documentary Human, whether the glass is half empty or half full, its a beautiful glass.

After we started our company, Hello!Lucky, in 2003, we learned several important lessons that helped inspire us to write this book.

If you can dream it, you can create it.

When we were kids, we had no idea that someday wed be able to work together doing what we love, having fun, and giving back to our community. That said, we also didnt believe that it was not possible. Our parents encouraged us to be pragmatic while following our passions. Step by step, we built our company, and today we are still imagining the future and taking the next steps to make it happen.

Small actions can make a big difference.

In 2015, our friends at Egg Press had the simple idea to challenge ourselves and our friends to write 30 letters in 30 days during April, National Letter Writing Month. We posted the challenge and got an amazing response! The Write_On Campaign now has over 10,000 members. This amazing community helped to inspire our book Happy Mail.

When you speak out with a clear, positive vision, people listen.

In 2015, Sabrina realized that products like our greeting cards can help people connect to positive values such as creativity, human connection, and fair labor standards. She decided it should be easier for small creative businesses to sell their goods internationally. She expressed her views at a local meeting for small businesses, and through a series of surprising connections, she was invited to become a small businesses trade advocateand to have dinner with President and First Lady Obama at the White House! Sometimes, when you articulate a positive vision based on personal experience, like-minded peopleand people in powerpay attention.

Creativity can unify people and give them a voice.

Any time you gather a group of people to make change, there are bound to be differences that slow you down. This is known as the collective action problem, a.k.a. herding cats. Thats where creativity comes in. Powerful images and words can help people clarify what they collectively want and take decisive action.

We believe that creativity is a powerful tool for political goodfor fairness, respect, and inclusion of everyone. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we created