Crafting a Community: Bill Barnett
Bill Barnett keeps his office minimal and a bit messy. His desk is covered in countless papers for the various projects he’s already occupied with, and he’s continuously adding more to his workload. His large whiteboard calendar is hung on the wall, each day marked full of some sort of program to coordinate or a class to teach.
His intense work ethic began in childhood for Barnett. Growing up as a child with five siblings and a single mother in Jamaica Queens, New York, he knew he would have to work harder than most to achieve his goals. And he did, working relentlessly in his junior high school classes and against his guidance counselor’s advice to be accepted into a private art high school, The High School of Art and Design in New York City. “Above all, I had a passion for the arts ever since I could remember. Art and music were at the top of my list for anything in my life.”
It was during these formative years that Barnett experienced some of the most difficult hardships of his life. These difficulties led him onto a path of artistic expression and a faith-based mindset. The high school he attended, while prestigious, exposed Barnett to a world of drinking alcohol and taking drugs at a young age. His absent father also passed away when he was in 11th grade, leaving him with a lot of pain and unresolved turmoil to deal with. “The only thing I had to hold onto while I was going through all of those struggles was my faith.” The misfortune and pain Barnett experienced while in school led him to connect his passion for the arts with the healing powers of his devotion.
He started his own graphic design business right out of high school, completed a master’s degree in Ministry from Warner University, and volunteered in various church organizations along the way. Throughout these years there was always an underlying urge to do something more with his passions that Barnett couldn’t shake. “I just kept thinking I wish there was some way I could reach out to artists, especially brokenhearted artists that are misunderstood or searching in life.”
That compulsion to mend others was where the concept for Barnett’s art and faith-centric organization was born almost 27 years ago. It has since morphed into the thriving non-profit Barnett is President of today, Storytellers Creative Arts. “I would wonder what it would be like to reach out to broken artists because I’m a broken artist. With my faith, praying and asking God to show me what to do I decided that I would create an organization that first and foremost inspired and equipped artists to hone their craft. To encourage and inspire them to go out into the community and use their gifts to heal broken lives.”
Storytellers Creative Arts is an organization that works with the local population to encourage creative expressionism and faith-based remedies. The group puts on various social meetings and events for the artistic community of Southwest Florida, aiming to bring together creative minds. They’ve worked to formulate a community of creatives, utilizing everything from writing and painting, drumming and poetry, to fashion and film. Their mission of engaging with the community has expanded Storytellers outreach to those in need in the area, including individuals battling with addiction, homelessness, disabilities, and at-risk youth. Storytellers workshops blend artistic therapy and faith-oriented themes to bring a positive and lasting influence on the individuals involved. The group has enhanced their influence by teaming up with local outreach and rehabilitation organizations such as Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind, David Lawrence Center, St. Mathew’s house and more. The organization has expanded greatly in recent years, employing over 100 volunteers and touching the lives of over 4,000 at-risk individuals in the area to date. “We want to ignite the senses, touch the heart, and heal the soul,” says Barnett.
Even when volunteer staff is low and funds are depleted, Barnett is known for doing whatever it takes to keep the mission of Storytellers afloat. Many of Barnett’s long-standing volunteers continue to be amazed by his work ethic. “Bill’s dedicated to the cause, that’s for sure,” says Dr. Stephanie Shaffer, Outreach Coordinator for Storytellers since 2009. “What I’ve found working with Bill in helping him put all this together is that he ends up teaching these classes himself. These big groups by himself because somebody’s backed out or something.”
As to how the arts connect as a healing tool in Barnett’s organization, he believes it’s a natural and crucial part of the success of his programs. “I really feel that the healing power of the arts has to include some type of hope, some type of faith. If it doesn’t, then they’re just going to continue to paint pictures, continue to do all these wonderful creative things but then when the dust settles, they’re going to be left standing with more fears and more worries for their lives. But if you can connect something positive and healthy and life-lasting, lifechanging, I think it’ll stick with them.”
Local resident David Walker is someone who can personally attest to the influence of Barnett’s faith-related art programs. He met Barnett through one of the reoccurring art classes Storytellers hosts within the recovery programs at Justin’s Place in Naples Florida. Never having painted before, Walker says the classes introduced him to his new life-long passion of painting and helped him formulate a strong relation to God. “Since then, arts been my life. It’s a passion and love that I have for it. Without Bill, I just don’t know if I ever would’ve found that or not,” says Walker. “You can see the spirit working through Bill. People can find their way through Bill and through Storytellers. He opens up new doors for people.”
Barnett refers to one specific Bible scripture as his life-verse, which he lives by in his mission to heal utilizing the arts. He explains that Ephesians 2:10 says “We are God’s masterpiece and He created us for a special purpose. That’s my foundation.” It is this basis of faith and call to action, combined with his inherent passion for the arts, that has led Barnett on his current journey to revitalize and repair the hearts of those in the Southwest Florida community. “My gift is not your gift, and your gift is not mine. Everybody has their own journey, their own path. But we’re all masterpieces.”
