Kristoffer Klock

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Academic Writing
Professor De Piero
3/1/15
Celebrating Emotional Connection Second Draft
Communication is arguably the most valuable thing we have
as humans. It allows us to transfer information, ideas values. We use
it all the time to make ourselves heard. It is important in all aspects
of life, both personally and collectively. Yet, as wonderful as the
means of communication is, it can also be treacherous and act as a
source of great confusion; especially when there is no allowance for
discussion. In marketing and promotion of business it is particularly
important to convey the right message and to make sure that you
are communicating the vital information, and even more so for ideal
organizations. Arts for Humanity! is a Santa Barbara based nonprofit organization with the mission of empowering marginalized
community members through the creative connection of art.
Powerful written material is essential in the hunt of surviving
financially and to communicate the ideas and values of the
organization. Arts for Humanity! has found its niche of
communication by reaching out through the seeking empathy and
emotional awareness. Arts For Humanity! makes effective use of
pathos in their writing to raise awareness about their cause. This is
also the most effective style of writing to illuminate the central
notion in the organization; celebrating humanity through the arts.
Living in Santa Barbara is for many a mere pleasure and it is
easy to overlook present issues in the community. In fact, it is

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shocking to think of the social gaps that exist between privileged
community members and the marginalized. Im not implying that
people should feel guilt because of these harsh facts, but we can be
aware and help organizations that are working actively to close the
gaps and fight for a healthier community. Arts For Humanity!
experienced an unmet need in the community to enrich lives and
empower at risk youth, people with disabilities, and the elderly
through visual arts programs. The objective is to build unity and
their tool of choice is creativity. The organization was founded in
1997 by Karsen Gould and has since its birth managed to achieve
many great things. However, it is a constant battle to communicate
how creativity is elevating marginalized people beyond their
struggles and disabilities.
I got the opportunity to interview the organizations founder
Karsen Gould about their mission and how they attempt to attract
anyone who is willing to help. In addition to the interview I retrieved
four grant applications, a brochure, and a newsletter. The grant
applications are products of many hours of Karsens writing and her
idea of how the organization should be presented. Karsen has no
expertise in the area of writing, but the many years of operating has
taught her a lot and she has been forced to develop her writing in
order to reach out to peoples hearts. Although she can support
many of her arguments and ideas with ethos (credibility) from many
years of operation, it is evident that pathos embodies Karsens idea
of how the organization should be discovered and understood. After

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conducting the interview with Karsen I recognized her strong
emotional connection to the central ideas of Arts for Humanity! The
main issue is to promote how creativity actually enriches disabled
peoples lives and let them elevate beyond their physical
capabilities and feel like they contribute to the community.
Before I get to the analysis of the retrieved material, it is
worth mentioning the tag line of this organization: Celebrating
Humanity through the arts. This phrase is of the outmost
importance for the organization and reflects what the organization is
trying to achieve. Its impactful in many ways because it leaves the
reader to his/her impression of what it actually means. However, to
celebrate is an effective choice of word because it symbolizes what
Arts for Humanity is doing. It appeals through pathos because it
appeals to humans emotional bond of celebration. Celebration is
done in happiness, unity and passion. The celebration is applied to
the arts and lets people understand that Arts is used as a tool to
reach these feelings.
Arts For Humanitys brochure is available for download at their
website. Its purpose is to briefly inform about the organizations
mission, what they do fulfill their mission, and how the readers can
contribute. The brochure follows the common theme of appealing
through emotion. The struggle for Arts For Humanity! is that they
cant tailor this type of material to a specific audience. They are
reaching out to anyone who is willing to listen and support. It is
evident that the brochure embodies a lot of pathos, supported by

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some ethos in form of testimonials. The impact of this brochure
relies on the stability of pathos, as the testimonials are fairly weak
and diffuse. We can think of the balance between Ethos, pathos and
logos as a three-leg table. Every leg has to be solid Every element
has to strong. However, as this brochure is very weak on two legs,
the third leg has to be very strong and stable in order to create any
security. Evident is that the pathos has to be very strong and
impactful which it is. The brochure combines visual elements with
strong writing that effectively communicates with the audience. For
example, we are informed about how the organizations programs
break through social barriers and raise community awareness
about the gifts and talents within our diverse community. With a
lacking appeal through logos, the effectiveness relies on the impact
through pathos. People have to interpret what could be these social
barriers, and why these gifts and talents could be valuable to reveal.
In the Arts For Humanitys newsletter the readers are
introduced to the term creative connection that is supposed to
embody the philosophy of the organization. Now this term is not
only a descriptive term. It is used as an argument. Karsen who
composed this newsletter claims that creative connection is the,
connection we have with ourselves when we engage in the artistic
process, the connection we have with others when creating
together, and the connection Arts for Humanity! creates for the
community through the many groups we serve.

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