Zen Brush Art Book: Help Japan Disaster Relief With Art
Zen Brush Art Book ($0.99) by PSOFT gives us chance to make a difference in Japan through art.
Remember the old, supposedly Asian, curse; “may you live in interesting times?” Well, we certainly have been so dubiously blessed lately.
There are uprisings all over the Middle East, crazy weather, global financial meltdowns and now the death of Osama bin Laden. And, the ongoing tragedy in Japan following the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent reactor leaks, is another headline grabber that isn’t going away anytime soon.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do, as an individual, to help victims of disasters of this proportion. We wish we could help, but many don’t have a lot of money to donate. What we always have, however, is our hearts and we have art.
That’s where Zen Brush: Art Book comes in.
If you have an artistic bent you found the right app to use your talent to help Japan with your art or words.
If you just want to help raise money, this app offers an easy way to do that too. The fact that the art is, for the most part, beautiful is icing on the cake.
PSOFT, makers of Zen Brush, featured in the new App Store “Essential Art Apps” list, and a favorite of mine, have a big stake in this.
The company is located in Sendai, the heart of the afflicted area.
Their operation was damaged, but thankfully no one at PSOFT was injured. And, rather than just rebuilding, they are using their iOS fame to do some good for their neighbors.
They have put together a simple, but elegant e-book comprised entirely of works made using Zen Brush to feature art and words on the theme of peace, recovery, prayer and hope for those still in harm's way. And, to buoy spirits during the hard dangerous cleanup ahead.
These are user submissions, some are genius, and some not. Don’t spend the $.99 expecting only fine art, or a feature-rich GUI.
Showcasing fine art is not the point. The point was (and continues to be, as they are still taking submissions) to create a global network using art to heal. Some are spectacular, but even upside-down children’s works are incorporated.
If you don’t own Zen Brush, but make art on iOS, get it based on its own merits. It’s an incredible calligrapher and painter’s tool.
Grab it and make something beautiful, and have your own wish for Japan memorialized in an app. Or, just download the book, check it out, and give your $.99 to a worthy cause.
The iOS community is amazing; let’s prove it again.
Here’s a quote from iTunes to explain the charitable aspects of the app:
Following this disaster, PSOFT MOBILE started our project to support the affected area.We collected illustrations and words of support to the victims of the disaster, made by professionals and amateurs alike, using our "Zen Brush" iPhone/iPad app.
The goal of this project is not to profit our company, but rather to support the affected areas.
We will regularly publish on our website the results of the support made possible by this project: http://www.psoft.co.jp/apps/en/fukko.html
Apple is also doing its part by featuring the book in Staff Favorites.
Go grab Zen Brush to make some art to submit, or buy a copy of Zen Brush Art Book for a friend.
