Simon Sinek had a theory – contributing to a cause it’s a transaction – it makes you feel good. But #LOVEANDLOBBY would argue that’s precisely what makes that transaction special. Everything in life is a transaction, after all. Even a smile offered to someone we like. For this “feeling good by contributing” is not to calm down or neutralize a consumerist consciousness (only), it is also, equally (if not more), rejoicing and injecting energy around the beauty of potential.

THE GIVING GIFT

When we give time for people in huge distress, as it happens those days with the world helping in zillion ways the Ukrainian cause or when, as business owners, we offer part of the sales percentage to underprivileged women and children, as Azza Fahmy Jewellery x Kesmat did, by supporting “Art matters” or when we buy a gift – be it a jewelry or anything else precious, knowing it’s from the series of “the gift that keeps on giving”, we do it as a form of faith in the power of potential. It’s a message saying: “here is my contribution. It might be small, but it’s certainly not indifference”. And not being indifferent makes a world turn around on a splendid frequency. For it’s the sum of the collective “I care” that can move mountains and actually serve as the yeast to transform potential into reality.  

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

Yeast is an egg-shaped single-cell fungus that is only visible with a microscope. It takes twenty billion yeast cells to weigh one gram. This completely insignificant fungus is, however, the base for all known bakery products, beautifully grown, from around the world, since immemorial times.

Sometimes we disregard the power of those little things, so small they are invisible with the naked eye. As small as they are, they can literally build worlds.  

Sometimes apparently random moments, as exposing a kid to a world of art and beauty, for an afternoon, as it happened at the Kesmat concept boutique in Arkan, Cairo, on March 17th, can be the yeast cells of inspiration, the ones that would open doors and set dreams to sail into reality years after. As two weeks ago the editorial was about fatality, this one is about hope.

Nihal Mahmoud, Art Matters founder.

Pictures courtesy of Azza Fahmy team. Editorial inspired by “Art Matters” event by the NahdetAl-Mansuriya NGO, supported by Azza Fahmy alongside Kesmat.