ENCOUNTER

When you encounter creativity, you can be sure it will be filled with joy, love, and inspiration. On April 14th, As We Dwell hosted an ENCOUNTER: Art Night featuring musical artists Aaron & Jane and Jordan Ruiz and our special guest speakers, Brian and Vanessa Peterson, founders of Faces of Santa Ana.

When we heard about Brian's passion project to befriend the homeless community in Santa Ana through his expression of art, our lives were forever changed. Faces of Santa Ana is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates Santa Ana's homeless population through the sale of custom portraits. Their purpose is to inspire others to see the beauty and uniqueness that's inside everyone, and they use art as a way to love, humanize and share stories of those experiencing homelessness. We are always looking for refreshing and powerful ways to impact our world, and we knew inviting Brian and Vanessa into our space would be just what our city needed. If even one person walked away feeling encouraged to express their own unique creativity and connect with our homeless community in DTLA, that is a BIG win!

Here at As We Dwell, we champion one another to go beyond inspiration. We are a community that puts things into action and commits to venturing outside of our comfort zone. Inspired by Brian and Vanessa's vision, seven willing and able love ambassadors set off to dwell in the city with our homeless community on Friday, April 21. Our time was spent munching on some popcorn, listening to the stories of our new friends, and sketching portraits of each person we encountered. This is only the start of something beautiful, and we're hopeful for what's to come.

Encounter Night Photography: Anchor Pictures