In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, and so created two agencies dedicated to the development and preservation of arts, culture, and history in the U.S.

On September 29, 2015, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities will celebrate their 50th birthdays. If you are an artist or historian, you are invited to be part of this celebration.

The NEA has issued an invitation to artists to share how art influences and inspires you, your family, your community. The project is called Tell Us Your Story. You can submit an essay, audio, video, and photos. In September, the NEA will begin posting stories on their website.

As the grateful recipient of fellowships and grants funded in part by the NEA, I wrote an essay and submitted it. I was thrilled when, last week, the NEA made a poster from my essay, sharing comments about how writing every day has become so ingrained in my life, my day–and my life–would be missing a piece without it.

The poster appeared on the NEA’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. Here’s what it looks like:

Awesome, right?

Please share your story and support the NEA and NEH’s mission to preserve, protect, and promote our culture and creative history.