The Art of Asking

This week, I have been reading The Art of Asking by singer and songwriter Amanda Palmer (review to be posted sometime in the next week, I hope). In the book, she writes about moments in her life when she had to come to terms with asking people for help and support instead of worrying about what they might think or say about her. From being a bride statue on the streets to holding a Kickstarter for an album when she was dropped by her record label, Palmer knows quite a lot about the embarrassment one can experience in such a situation.

For me, I don’t think this book could have come at a better time.

You see, I am in the middle of an internship with one year left, and I am behind on my payments. A couple months, in fact. Since the internship doesn’t do loans, it is critical that I get caught up as soon as possible. This means that I am going to have to ask a huge number of people to consider supporting me without receiving nothing but my many thanks a gratitude bestowed upon them. This terrifies me to no end. I don’t like to ask people for favors. I feel guilty. I fear that they may think that I am asking them for their money because I am too lazy to work for it myself, which I am not; my internship is a full-time job, and I cannot hold any sort of paying job while I am here.

But, as I think back on what Palmer writes in her book, I am reminded that there are people that are willing to help. I have to remind myself that it is okay to put yourself out there, to be vulnerable and ask for help.

Note: If you would like to donate to my internship, you can go here. Scroll down to “Donate to a CCM Intern” and put “Evan Morgan” in the “Intern Name” section, then fill out the rest of the form. And it doesn’t hurt to mention that all donations are tax deductible!

Another Note: I promise that this will be not only the first time I ask for donations, but the last as well.