Jen Kindbom: Creating For a Cause
At Dressember, we love to see advocates take their role a step further in new and creative ways. One of our Dressember advocates of several years, Jen Kindbom, has created fresh ways to catch people’s attention for her campaign. We had the pleasure of catching up with her this week about her advocacy and her creative ideas – we’re sure they’ll inspire you too!
Jen first became an advocate after hearing her students discuss how they were taking part in Dressember. She joined in and is now a consistent member of a small group of students and staff from the school at which she teaches who are Dressember advocates. When asked about what specifically made her want to be an advocate, Jen shared, “I think the idea of labor trafficking first entered my regular thinking many years ago when I learned what a sweatshop is. Dressember seems to be a concrete response to injustice and exploitation that falls in the middle of many issues faced by oppressed people in the world.” For Jen, it’s important to not only be an advocate through Dressember, but to advocate for the oppressed in even the smallest of ways every day.
“For some, your project will be the first time they’ve learned about human trafficking, and that’s huge. Every little bit counts!”
To make sure she is advocating consistently, not just in December, Jen is conscious about the way she shops, to the point of using her own shop to support anti-trafficking organizations. Her shop, JKindDesign, features a variety of items that showcase her creativity, including big stickers, enamel pins and greeting cards. She mentions she began sewing items to sell years ago but has recently added the art aspect to her products. This year, she has cards and stickers that feature dresses, and a portion of the proceeds from purchases go towards Dressember.
“If I truly am an advocate, how does my life show it?”
It’s easy to feel like you have to have an artistic talent to be effective creatively for a cause, but Jen is a proponent that “when it comes to creative advocacy, the sky is truly the limit.” She mentions the importance of finding something you already enjoy doing and seeing how you can turn it into a project for advocacy: “For example, for a couple of recent years I sold jars of soup for Dressember. Last year, good friends of mine baked loaves and loaves of sourdough bread. The students at school hosted a coffeehouse benefit.” There are so many ways we can take part in advocacy, even outside of the style challenge.
Towards the end of our discussion, Jen had a word of encouragement for fellow advocates. “Advocates,” she said, “your circles of friends want to hear about the things you care about, so speak up about your project! For some, your project will be the first time they’ve learned about human trafficking, and that’s huge. Every little bit counts!”
One of the best questions Jen asked when we chatted with her was one we should probably all think about on a regular basis: “If I truly am an advocate, how does my life show it?”
Check out Jen’s designs (including the globe design created by our founder Blythe and colored by Jen) and consider supporting her shop and in turn, supporting a cause she is passionate about.
About the Author
Erin Diaz Cleveland is a writer and planner from Central Virginia. Her life goal is to use her passions to inspire and encourage others to serve and better themselves and their communities. She loves spending time with her family, instructing yoga and drinking iced espresso in the afternoon.