How Justice-Types Can Have “A Heart on Fire”

A new book by Danielle Coke Balfour contains 100 meditations on loving your neighbor well

The Social Media Age has birthed an entirely new class of people—The Creatives.

In my mind’s eye, the creatives are represented by a generic avatar. Of course, they are Gen Z. I was graduating college when they were just learning how to tie their shoes.

Their entires lives have been digitally documented in reels, memes, and comments online. Most of all, they are tech savvy and can whip up a highly produced piece of content faster than my elder millennial brain can remember where I put my car keys.

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The creator class would remain anonymous and somewhat incomprehensible if I didn’t have the pleasure of actually knowing one—a real life, genuine, true creative.

Her name is Danielle Coke Balfour, and she is an artist in every sense.

You may know “Dani” from her Instagram presence @OhHappyDani.

She takes abstract principles and concepts and makes them comprehensible through her gorgeous illustrations.

See below…

ohhappydani

A post shared by @ohhappydani

Dani has nearly half a million followers on social media, and she gained many of them over the course of just a few days in 2020.

During the national uprisings in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, she began using her artistic skills to speak up about racism and advocate for justice. Her work went viral, and since then she has become a force of creative activism.

Now Dani has applied her skills to publish her first book. It’s called “A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbor Well.”

ohhappydani

A post shared by @ohhappydani

I am so glad Dani took Toni Morrison’s advice.

"If you find a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

Dani could have written a memoir, a fiction book, a coffee table book of her art. Instead she chose to write a book of meditations on love, justice, truth, and faith.

She said it was the book she needed and, as is turns out, it is the book many of us needed as well.

I’m not typically a fan of the meditations genre, but even in prepping for my podcast interview with Dani, I found myself getting lost in both her words and her illustrations.

This book is helpful for another class of folks—the Justice Types.

We have a righteous anger and fierce sense of urgency over injustice. But the struggle is long. The battle is demoralizing. And the progress is slow and often imperceptible.

So how do we keep going?

“A Heart on Fire” offers bursts of motivation through 100 meditations that keep us on this journey of justice.

I can’t wait to give this book as a gift during the holiday season…or for a birthday…or to anyone who hunger and thirst for righteousness and needs a shot of motivation each day.

You’re going to be glad you listened to this young artist’s wisdom, joy, and enthusiasm. She is embodies the best of what it means to be a creative.

Episode Highlights

• How Dani Coke Balfour got her start in art and why her middle school teacher thought she was tracing pictures instead of drawing them herself

• What are the Ten Pillars of a Life of Good Work

• How the concept of margins in art theory helped her understand justice

• The difference between “cautious optimism” and “conscious optimism”

Listen HERE.

Watch HERE.

Get the book: “A Heart on Fire” (+ Bookshop)

Book Giveaway

I’m giving away three FREE copies of Dani’s book! It runs from 11/21-11/28. To enter:

1) Share this article on any social media platform

2) Copy and paste the link to your post in the comments below. (I’ve opened comments to everyone for this giveaway.)