We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Wang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

VAH or Virtual Arts for Humanity is a primarily youth-led 501c3 nonprofit organization. The goal of VAH is to showcase the arts for a good cause: feeding hungry families through our partnership with Feeding America. VAH provides opportunities for performing artists all across the world all while enabling meals for food insecure families. I found out about VAH through a friend and I applied because of its mission. As an artist myself, I believe it is so important for young, budding artists to have opportunities to share their passion with others. Art has always been a way for me to express myself and connect with others. So I feel it is important to advocate for it and those who find comfort in it like I do. In addition, I loved how giving to artists allowed us to give to others in need. I believe that if you have the privilege and power to make a change you should use it. And in my opinion, VAH is doing just that by providing meals to those who need it. I found purpose in using my love for art by becoming a design director and I found a community in my fellow team members.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always doodled as a kid and when I took my first art class I fell in love. I have been involved in art ever since whether that be drawing on my own or drawing for others. Now that I am in VAH, I have been able to use my creativity and passion as a design director. My role involves creating all the graphics that you would see on our social media pages as well any merch that we give out. Of course, I am most proud of the graphics I create as they are what piques the interests of other artists and helps them learn more about VAH. For example, graphics that my team often designs and posts would be performance opportunity graphics and artists introductions. The first allows artists to know that there is an available opportunity for them to perform for if the event suits them. The second gives us the opportunity to showcase the artists that we select to perform. We usually post their picture and a small biography about them. This allows the artists to talk about what art they are passionate about and how they have honed their skills. It also allows for other artists to discover them which I believe creates a lovely community where artists can come together and find a home in each other. I love how my graphics have created a space for artists to flourish, thrive, and grow. I think what’s even better is that I know that not only are we creating this space but we are doing it for such a good cause and that’s what really makes us special.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

As the leader for VAH’s design committee it is important to me that my team is not only getting our work done in a satisfactory and timely manner but that my team is happy to do so. The most important aspect about having high team morale is to make sure that everyone feels they like they belong in this community. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that my committee members are respectful and hard-working themselves. But fostering those aspects and channeling that into the organization is what is important. If my committee members don’t care about VAH and felt alienated from our organization why would they want to work hard? I make sure to always create a relaxing and friendly environment in all my meetings. We recap our weeks, tell silly stories, and laugh every meeting. I will also always ask if my members have any complaints or areas they wish to see improvements. I think that knowing that someone cares about you and is willing to listen and change for you is so important to making sure you feel like you belong. And most importantly, it is important to vocalize how much you care and appreciate your team members and the hard work they do. I would be nowhere without my committee members and I hope they know that too.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is how other people react to your art. Of course the process of creating art is rewarding as you get to see how all the hard work you poured into your art has manifested. But it is how other people perceive your final project that really gives meaning to your creative process. What is art if not something created for others to indulge in and experience. By sharing your art with others you can see the impact your piece can have and that can create a connection unlike any other between you and your audience. Being able to see the joy in others when you make something that they identify with is the true joy of art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://virtualartsweb.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: @vahnonprofit
• Facebook: Vah Fundraiser (Virtual Arts for Humanity)
• Youtube: Virtual Arts For Humanity
• Other: Donation link to PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=WLNQ1R-Mwcsm5ob2iO7BurKhmwcfEFjQz49T1OARjmCFOV1ywpFdqjxukJa5qVQGbc4buNQwwdpFjpj6

  Donate at Venmo: @DonateVAH

  Donate at Zelle: [email protected]

Image Credits

Credit to Thiru Arumugam