Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
• Community:
Our organization exists because we want to emphasize community and promote artists while also helping Veterans through art
• Art Therapy:
During our journey we have discovered art therapy as significant channel to aid in the healing process of our Veterans with PTSD and other trauma.
• Education:
By encouraging a different perspective on what is generally advertised in the media
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"
To support, honor and empower our True Top 1%er's (military) through Art Therapy, using a beer bottle as a tool of positivity and self-expression, which is often tied to the self-destructive action of self-medication for those experiencing PTSD.
Our largest program that reaches across the Country to provide FREE art supplies to Veterans. This is a need not being filled that we provide across the Country in an effort to provide a non-verbal option for an expressional outlet. that ties into Mental Health. If you are a Veteran desiring to start or interested in Art supplies for whatever reason, please email the list of supplies to info@truetop1percent.com with proof of military service.
A FREE growing program that currently is done as a 4-5 hour ‘pop-up’ art class for Veterans wherever we have staff, teaching them to paint using a beer bottle and quickly growing to involve all art facets including poetry to music. Our goal is to set up weekly classes within the VA hospital network as a volunteer service, that will allow us more control of the program.
This a developing network of resources from Stop22 to Goodwill and Red Cross specifically for Veterans. It is well known that the military community is a tight support network. However, within that network of resources and non-profits are valuable groups helping other Veterans, but it seems that they are all secluded. We seek to gather all these organizations to work together to battle these problems as 1 team not, separate.
All we believe talking about what haunts you, is just reliving the story. However, in some ways we have come to understand it can help understand some underlying issues not seen before. Through our process we have created an additional program that combines art and talking for those who would wish to share and feels art is not for them. Share your story with a group of artists or one on one and let us help you create an image of what is bothering you and turn it into a masterpiece.
After we are done; you can choose to share it with the world or like that angry letter eveyone tells you to toss before you send it. You can donate it back to the foundation for which we can use as a fundraiser.
We will hold annual Community events to honor our military from our B.Y.O.P.B. painting parties to the Annual True Top 1% Military Exhibition and other partnered events and concerts.
As a career artist, the son, grandson, great grandson, nephew, and brother of veterans, I have over 200 years of military service in my family. I am passionate about our military and veterans and feel compelled to recognize our True Top 1%, those who sign a blank check to the government, for up to and including their lives. I am grateful for their service.
So I created this organization geared to the empowerment of our Veterans, especially those with Post Traumatic Stress. Our focus is on the Mental Health of our Veterans, something I believe is not on the forefront as it should be, especially for our Veterans. based on pure percentages, there are more mental health issues plaguing the military than the Country's communities.
So, we not only have created art therapy courses, now we ship out art supplies to Veterans, developing a network of resources for Veterans and then creating events all across the country to support and honor our Military.
When you hear the term “top 1%” most people think about the richest Americans. However, when I think of the “top 1%” I think of our US Armed Forces. Historically only 1% of the population choose to join the military
Everything was birthed from the pandemic. The greatest pivot of my life. 2020 I was out a job and working with the animal welfare a 501(c)3 organization; Rescue Magazine. It was their 5th annual Pet Extravaganza and I get a call Friday at 4pm the day of set up for their event that weekend. They reconfirmed I can draw and asked for a 'Little" help. Next thing I know I am at a table filled with poster board. I am asked to recreate their banners they should of picked up that day, however come to find out the banner shopped closed early that day. I was tasked to hand draw on poster board about 9 different banners with logos in full color from 5pm all the way up to the gates opening the next morning at 9am.
Needless to say I couldn't stop drawing, my creativity was kicked into high gear. However physically drawing was not going to happen. SO I dabbled with painting. I wanted to paint like the painter Justin Gaffery, and that failed. I tried painting a star fish on the seas. and that ended up looking like puke. Then I remember Georges Seurat Sunday Afternoon pointillism piece and watch Looney Tunes Back in Action movie, and I was hook. I researched his work and kind of fell for dots.
Now, my amazing wife and greatest supporter always asked for me to be creative for her presents, for me to create works of art to give her. Come our anniversary 2020, I created our music heart family crest in all dots, with a music is our love quote. The minute she fell in love with that, I knew I wanted to start creating using dots. So, I started by drawing some animals for Rescue Magazine to use a fundraiser, that i Ultimately created 15 different hand drawn images using the technique, Stippling.
Come 2021 I was asked to due a military memorial for a solider and that changed my entire direction. A friend saw my work and asked for me to do the memorial as a Christmas present, after hearing the story I could not say no. My mother is military and so is 90% of my family on all sides, so I started on some military pieces including one of my mother. I have not stopped since.
July 2021 I had accumulated about 4 different military hand drawn military pieces and was approached by Clyde Miller Ret. Army Vet to sell my prints on Fort Hood base with his military kiosk. After a few conversation we came up with an idea to create a 5 piece drawing of each branch of service and to call it the True Top 1%er's. After dwelling on the idea, I couldn't stop thinking about it and our meaning of it.
In the meantime I was strolling through Facebook and noticed another artist in France, Nicolas Thallot-Arsc III and loved his art style, painting with a bottle. After some communications and some tips, I created the American Military Sniper painting with a beer bottle. Nicolas approved and I haven't stopped painting since.
While looking at the Sniper Painting in October, I was thinking of the True Top% and that's when it clicked and I created the True Top% project. BY November 2021 it was going to be an art Exhibition of 10 pieces painted with a bottle to benefit Wellness 4 Warriors in San Antonio, TX. By December after a few conversations with my mother, it turned into 31 Pieces of military servicemember time in the service and a Art Gallery with some historic pieces turned to an educational event. Jan 2022 I meet with Hugh from J2 Marketing and that small vision was thrown out the window and my creative juices were sparked with Jet Fuel, igniting what you see before you.
Come June 2022, After we added the 2 venues and started talking to the Studebaker National Museum, I realized I can do more to help our Veterans, I did some research and started talking to some psychology students and others in the psychology, art and Veteran mental health field and came up with our Art Therapy with a Beer Bottle program. Now that you are all caught up, I hope to see you at our event.
I look forward to adding to this story....
Until Then, Thank a True Top 1%er
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