A New Season for Art, Healing, Advocacy, and Scholarship
Reviving "Painting Heals" for Rise Beyond Margins Educational Crowdfunding Campaign.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” — Pablo Picasso
Dear qualitative Inquisitor,
In past editions, I discussed the value of arts-based methods, authenticity, belonging, and harnessing creativity in qualitative research.
I may have shared an initiative I started a few years ago in my efforts to marry my passion for the arts, advocacy, social justice, and academic research.
I first called that initiative Painting Heals, Pakistan. Some may recall, I launched Painting Heals in 2022 to fundraise for Pakistan during the catastrophic floods at that time. Since then, I expanded the initiative to support whatever causes are close to my heart, including Gaza, mental health advocacy, and suicide prevention.
Last week, I relaunched this initiative. I spent most of Labor Day weekend working on job applications and reviving Painting Heals.
https://paintingheals.elsatkhwaja.com/
While I wish I could once again be fundraising solely for Pakistan flood relief, the earthquake in Afghanistan, humanitarian crises in Sudan, or justice for Palestine, right now I have to empower myself, putting that oxygen mask on as I like to say...
So, for the moment, I have connected my current "Rise Beyond Margins" educational crowdfunding campaign to Painting Heals!
I want to emphasize that the campaign is not for leisurely travels. Truthfully, I never had a real vacation in my adult life. :) As I continue my focus and efforts in the academic job market, this is an endeavor that still honors those very regions and causes I have advocated for… through my research and scholarship.
My current scholarship (to be presented at APSA this week) amplifies these voices and stories, centering women’s rights, mental health and suicide prevention, and the humanitarian challenges of fragile and conflict-affected states.
This initiative isn't perfect. But each painting has its own story, some about healing, some about advocacy, some about hope and faith, and all have a bit of vulnerability, authenticity, heart, and soul.
You can explore the gallery and join me in my vision to use art, advocacy, and scholarship to create change:
https://paintingheals.elsatkhwaja.com/rise-beyond-the-margins/
With this fundraiser, I’m offering my art in gratitude to those who help me “rise beyond margins” and take my work to the American Political Science Association Meeting this week.
As shared in the last edition, this season, my research highlights:
Community-driven Indigenous development
Gender-based violence and invisibility in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Mental health and inclusive pedagogy in political science education
Suggested donation amounts are listed on the site, but all prices are flexible because this is about community and solidarity, not transactions. Paintings will be shipped within three weeks of my return from the conference.
I plan to periodically update this fundraiser with more paintings, but for now, there are approximately 36 pieces.
I am proud of this initiative, and I would appreciate your support, whether through a donation, a share, or words of encouragement.
Thank you for believing in the power of art, advocacy, and scholarship to create change and for trusting me with this message.
Connecting the Dots
Earlier this year, during a research demo on the GMU campus, I had one of my "Sunsets in Sindh" paintings on my slides. People noticed it. It meant the world. One professor said something like, “If this doesn't work out, you’ll have painting.”
My response to that is I can do both, and more.
As a dynamic, interdisciplinary, creative scholar, I recently discovered arts-based research methods, a branch of qualitative research. I may have to keep this newsletter short, but I hope to write more about that in the near future.
My passion for academic research doesn’t compete with my art, they complement each other. That discovery has been an exciting thing to navigate in recent years.
Painting became my way to process the intensity of my doctoral journey. Over time, it turned into a project that bridges art, advocacy, and scholarship.
Every painting has a story. Some are louder than others. All of them hold a part of this journey to amplify voices and create more inclusion, justice, accessibility, love, peace, and equity in the world.
You can support HERE.
Remember, there are many ways to support. I hope those in my networks who have witnessed this journey through my paintings, writings, and scholarly achievements, especially in my academic and professional circles, will see the importance of solidarity and support.
Use this as an opportunity to show solidarity, community, support, even to someone who walks or talks differently from you. This is partly what my campaign has been about.
I think it is important to be honest, especially when a colleague or friend asks for support and shows her communities how they can support her. It is precisely moments like this that reveal who genuinely believes in and stands with you.
And it is important not to invisibilize those who could use our support.
We need more Revolutionary Love nowadays; we need to accept that our friends and colleagues can serve as reminders of what that can look like, in many different ways.
"Vulnerability isn't weakness, it is the greatest measure of courage." - Dr. Brene Brown
I am happy that after many months and weeks of wrestling with doubt and exhaustion, I took this step for something so important to me.
You can learn more on my motivations for Painting Heals in the About the Artist page here:
https://paintingheals.elsatkhwaja.com/about-the-artist/
What started in 2022 as a fundraiser for Pakistan after the devastating floods has grown into something deeper — a bridge between my art, my scholarship, and my advocacy.
Supporting the crowdfunding fundraiser was to make sure I can show up — fully, present, and prepared — as my whole self, a scholar, artist, and advocate, at the American Political Science Association conference in Vancouver next week.
These are platforms where my research — on community-driven development, gender justice, and mental health in academia — can amplify the very issues that have shaped my life, my work, and my art.
And so, Painting Heals is my offering of gratitude.
Every contribution to the campaign will be helpful in advancing this critical research forward. And in return, I share a painting, a tangible piece of this journey, with those who believe in the power of art, advocacy, and scholarship to create change.
This isn’t perfect, and that’s okay. Because neither is the path I’ve been on.
What matters is that today, I reminded myself that my voice and my work deserve space.
Sharing is Caring
Preparing to present 3 original research papers at the APSA Meeting in Vancouver next week, while also crowdfunding and reviving my Painting fundraiser to help fund the costs, alongside being on the market, is very tough emotionally, mentally, and physically.
It is also difficult to process the pain of invisibility. I recognize that this initiative is unconventional and different in certain circles.
But I will remember this all as part of the necessary resilience for a brutal fight. That I tried. I showed up. I put my heart & soul into it, and I didn't give up, because I knew the barriers, both internal & external. I had to persist and resist.
And I will remember those who stood with me, believed in me, and appreciated something special, authentic, vulnerable, & different.
And there is no doubt, knowing the depths of this struggle, that I would pay it forward... in a heartbeat. That vow is what drives me to persist, even in the face of adversity.
It is why it is so important that we support one another.
What I presented here is one pathway for independent voices to continue their work without being stalled by systemic barriers, especially during times of transition between institutions or opportunities.
I am deeply grateful to those who have already given. In fact, one simple share reached my childhood community in Wisconsin, leading to three generous donations that helped make my first conference possible. Thank you to those wonderful people!
A share truly matters, because there are people out there who do want to support these types of initiatives and endeavors. They just need the chance to see it.
Every contribution, share, and show of solidarity helps me continue important research and advocate for inclusive scholarship in spaces where our voices are often underrepresented.
If you’d like to see the paintings or share the campaign, you can find everything here: https://paintingheals.elsatkhwaja.com
Thank you for being a Part of my Journey
Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for seeing this work. And thank you for standing with me as I continue to rise beyond margins.
You can support the Campaign directly here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rising-beyond-the-margins-empowering-inclusivity
With the conference just around the corner this week, I hope you will consider sharing and supporting it. It has been 3 years since I was able to make it back to APSA. I look forward to updating you and sharing reflections after the Conference!
Yay, Canada!
Thank you for your generosity!
In Solidarity and Peace,
Your sister, Dr. Elsa
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Thank you for reading and engaging!
Visit my page for my educational crowdsourcing campaign HERE.
Note: While I’m preparing for APSA 2025, this campaign is about more than one conference. It will remain open to help sustain my ongoing work as an independent scholar - from the job market to articles, book projects, and research.
Read about the initiative here:
Learn about Painting Heals here: https://paintingheals.elsatkhwaja.com/
Scholars live multifaceted lives. You can learn more about my portfolio life HERE.
Feel free to subscribe to my academic newsletter, The Qualitative Inquisition (Qi), for insights on all things qualitative in the social sciences.
Here is my recent Qi newsletter update:
On the Road to Rising: From Self-Empowerment to Community Empowerment
You can also subscribe to my new creative atomic newsletter, Sword Dispatch: The WkQ Letters, for insights on intersectionality, mental health, identity and social justice issues.
If you find value in my writing and want to support independent scholars, writers, and artists, you can do so HERE.
Your support helps me continue writing, reflecting, painting, and resisting! Thank you, I wish you well on your academic, writing, and artistic journey!