Unintended Consequences

When I began my journey of creating 100 pieces centered on women, I chose the ambiguous word "making" to give myself the freedom to use any medium that seemed interesting. I've learned to draw a recognizable female face, both with realism and abstraction in pencil, pen, marker and various types of paint. I've begun to explore highlighting and shadowing to bring dimension. I've grown in confidence as well as skill.

These outcomes I expected.

What I didn't expect was how my day now feels incomplete without creating some kind of lady, how 100 days passes in a heartbeat, how quickly one can assemble a body of work, and how I could easily spend the next year exploring this theme.

But 10 days ago my paintbrush introduced me to my growing tribe of Gaudy Ladies. Who knew I had such joy and delight and color inside me? I can barely wait to get into the studio to see who my brush will create next. What an adventure!

Would I have found them without first doing the 80+ pieces that came before? Who knows. And that no longer matters to me. I'm having the time of my life with these colorful women!

I share all this with you, Precious One, because your own version of my Gaudy Ladies hides inside you wanting to be discovered. Your "ladies" might be songs or dance moves or photographs or poems or stories or flower beds or teachings or massive weights moved or clothes made or closets ordered or books read or any number of skills. You need only choose a task to practice regularly. Your heart is probably giving you hints where to start. Your Creator is faithfully giving you clues on your genre.

I think you may already know where to begin. And what begins as a chore might just develop into incredible joy. Really.

Don't be afraid; dare to follow your heart. Share your task with one other person daily.  Sometimes the accountability of texting an image daily was the only thing that kept me creating!

You truly do have it in you. I believe in the process and I believe in you.

Because I love you. Bunches.

Live the Dream

Sometimes I feel like I'm inside out and upside down while everyone else around me is all together. Know what I mean? Like I'm the only one who doesn't have "IT." The right job, car, body, hair, imagination.... fill in the blank. Like it's raining and I'm the only one without an umbrella or rain gear. Or that everyone else has things figured out...

And then I remember that there is a God who has a always had a dream for my life. And since I've decided to daily let my life be directed by His ideas and plans, the dream is His problem to accomplish. My simple (not necessarily easy) task is to turn my will into His care. To ask for insight into His plan for each day and for courage to take the next step. One foot in front of the other.

And I AM living His dream, one day at a time. Even when I'm feeling uncomfortable, this life far surpasses the one I had when I was in charge of show! That is something to remember on days like today.

And Precious one, God has a dream for your life, too. An infinitely better story for you than the one you can imagine. And I can't wait to see it unfolding. Because I love you. Bunches.