The Guy Who Fades into the Background

Asked what he sees as his role at SIL LEAD, our Communications Consultant Josh Barkey responds, “I just see my role in SIL LEAD as more The Guy Who Fades Into the Background.”  But while Josh never gets in the way of telling SIL LEAD’s story, we felt it important to pull him out of the background for just a moment, so you can catch a glimpse of the man behind the curtain.

“I grew up barefoot in the Amazon jungle, catching and eating piranhas before they could catch and eat me,” says Josh Barkey on his Facebook mini-bio.

Our Associate Director, Christof Weber, notes that he and Josh have that jungle in common, having both lived in Yarinacocha, Peru, as sons of missionary parents. “We also have this jungle of a life journey in common—which I suspect is what anyone who knows Josh might sense,” says Chris. “Right away, it seems like you already know him, or that he knows you, because he has a way of expressing what you know to be true about life—or what you can believe could be true even if you’ve not yet experienced it . . .  the feel of a sunshine-warmed tree branch under you, the unfathomable feeling of love for a newborn coupled with the desperate feeling of inadequacy as a parent, the searching for hope and the unexpected ways it shows up, grieving losses and celebrating love . . .”

Josh taps into his deep creativity, humor, and the insight he has into that jungle called humanity. This puts a unique twist into his work for SIL LEAD, giving the reader glimpses into the lives of the people who are being enriched by our work in their communities. He helps us picture Guatemalan children proudly creating books in their own Tz’utujil language. He takes us into northern Ghana, where a Dagomba organization is helping to bring hope and improve the lives of their own people by teaching them to read and write in their own language. He opens up the world of the visually impaired and tells us about children calling out for their favorite Bloom books, narrated in the voices of their own teachers. As Josh asks in one of his blogs, “Can you imagine a world in which members of all marginalized communities play a key role in writing their own stories?”

As a kid, Josh loved to draw, as most kids do. 

“Because I kept going and worked hard at it (and, yeah, had some talent), I became pretty adept at looking at a thing and reproducing it in two dimensions.” Josh’s first “maker” job was as a visual artist at age fifteen, creating illustrations for literacy materials for indigenous people groups in Peru. “I enjoyed the work, even if it felt weird taking money for something I did for fun. It wasn't until a good decade after college that I shifted into writing as my main creative pursuit. After challenging myself to write a short story a week for a year (I think I managed to do forty-six), I realized that my love of stories was more powerful than my fear of failure as a writer. So three novels, seventy or so short stories, and dozens of screenplays later, I'm still at it.”

Being an artist is life-giving. It can also be difficult—just like any profession. “I am often terrified of writing—especially fiction—because creativity doesn't come with a road map. You can’t pick up a Writing for Dummies book, follow the steps, and—presto!—you’ve got a good story. Every single time I start a new story, I am venturing into uncharted territory with no guarantee that I won’t get lost—or eaten by tigers. It can be exciting, but it’s also emotionally and physically draining.” But what makes it worth it to Josh is the way it helps others.

“I’ve had a number of experiences that made me believe I had something to offer as a maker,” says Josh, “but the first that comes to mind was when a young friend of my sister’s saw a drawing I'd done at some exhibit back in college and remarked, ‘He says the thing we all think but don’t know how to say.’”

“Art can serve a wide variety of purposes, but one of the most beautiful things it can do is to help people to feel less alone,” says Josh. “By expressing with clarity my own experience, I can occasionally tap into something more universal ... which can lead others to feel known and understood. That’s a primal human need, and I love when my small offerings help to meet that need for someone else. At its best, my making comes from a desire to serve others and the belief that by doing so I can somehow provide a vent for frustrations and longings that might otherwise be expressed in other less healthy ways. Like pugilism, for example. Or ballistic missiles.”

What comes out in Josh’s work is a genuine interest in people. His stories for SIL LEAD demonstrate that. “SIL LEAD is the kind of ground-up aid that respects people for the gifts and abilities that they have to offer, and I love that,” says Josh. “All too often we approach disadvantaged people with a paternalism that’s actually just disguised contempt. So I love the way SIL LEAD pushes against that—calmly and slowly—and I love that I get to play a (very small) part in sharing that with the world.”

After reading Josh’s stories about SIL LEAD’s work, you come away knowing why that work is important to people—people who at their very core are no different from you and me.

“On a personal level, I've really enjoyed many of the interviews I've conducted while profiling the SIL LEAD team and some of our consultants. Not just because these people have fascinating life stories but also because the good work that they are doing in the world brings me hope. While my newsfeed is filled daily with Big Problems, SIL LEAD is working all over the world on small solutions ... which are, I think, the only solutions that really matter. We can make a difference, but only if we start (and stay) small. Small is beautiful.”

When describing the joy that his work brings, Josh demonstrates not only a love for creating, but acknowledges that it’s the people who interact with it that make it whole: “Making is a conversation,” says Josh. “While it is okay to talk to yourself, the possibilities for wonder, growth, and discovery expand enormously when you talk to another person. That conversation between you and someone else creates something mysterious and beautiful in the space between you. ”

“Art of this kind comes, at its best, from a place of love,” he explains. “I’m always a little bit in love with the things I’m making. I hate that phrase (“being in love”) for the savagery it often excuses, but I think it fits here. Good ‘making’ is an act of love, and also of hope. It believes that people can transcend their own restricting experiences and learn to live with empathy for the experiences of others.”

This is the passion that Josh brings to his work for SIL LEAD, and it reflects the passion we have for the communities we seek to serve. SIL LEAD Executive Director, Paul Frank, reflects, “Josh brings his curiosity, creativity, and love for people, and tells the stories of communities and individuals who have unique experiences and points of view to share. His writing makes our storytelling better.”