Everyone is so excited about Summer Camp! And I am soooo on this boat! My Revival Camp book is all setup (watch that here if ya like) and I’m digging into week 1 a little late – but that’s okay.
Week 1 is IGNITE and it really – shall I say – lit a fire. (wink wink)
My passions have always been pretty clear to me. They were burned into my personality very early on. That passion is makin’ stuff – and it runs deep. This quote from the class materials struck me – “Passion is the thing that crawls up into your soul, kicking and screaming, demanding you pay attention.”
This is EXACTLY how I feel about making, creating and inspiring.
Starting with Fashion Plates and sewing as a child to the many creative adventures I engage in to keep the flame lit – I wholeheartedly believe that this is God’s plan for me. He has allowed creative people in my life to train and mold me. He has given me genes that ooze art. He has set me forth on a path that easily draws a community around me that provides constant inspiration and thankfulness.
But I would not have been able to move from the crafty whims of an adolescent to the serious drive I have for creating things that inspire others without faith in Him.
As a teenager I took piano lessons. In my heart, I really enjoyed it. But I was embarrassed because:
a) it wasn’t cool; and
b) I didn’t feel like I grasped it quick enough.
I judged myself before I gave anyone the opportunity to praise or encourage me. So I quit. No doubt my mom got an earful from my music-teacher Grandmother. But I know I’m not the only one who has experienced that feeling. That struggle to hide or fly. How do you know – no matter what your passion – when to run with it? When do you sing “I believe I can flyyyyyy!”
In my case, it took a nudge from God. Okay so it was a little more than a nudge. In 2009 I was laid off from a creative job and 6 weeks later I was forehead deep in a half-creative/half-spreadsheets and formulas and insurance rules job. It tanked my creativity level something fierce! I mean, I was still scrapbooking – I always did that and DIY stuff – but I didn’t have that full on immersion any longer. So I started my blog in 2010 for the purpose of having a place to store everything I was creating. It was a place to just GET IT ALL OUT THERE. I needed to share. I needed to connect. I needed it deep in my soul. God was saying to me – ‘I am giving you what you need in this new job – it’s good for your family. And I’m also giving you this other avenue – trust me and take it.’ So I jumped head first into commenting, connecting, linky parties and being more intentional about projects and photography. It was exactly the spark I needed.
The best part was that I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t worried that people wouldn’t like me. I didn’t have that same adolescent fear of approval or acceptance. God stacked the wood and gave me the match. I believe that each step we take toward our goals is like one more log on the fire. Each time we put another little piece into that flame we are trusting Him to keep that fire going and growing into something awesome!
My takeaways from this week are that I want to stay focused on what I should be doing and not mis-understanding His directions. I want to continue to be thankful for this community that has been the catalyst for me being more comfortable in the words of the Bible and more at ease about ministering in this capacity. He has been feeding our flames and I want to make sure that fire doesn’t burn out.
So has he given you wood for your fire yet? What about the match? You gonna light that sucker?
To maybe help inspire your creative passions, check out this process video to see how I made both of these camp pages!
Illustrated Faith Bookbound Journal | Illustrated Faith Revival Camp Printables & Field Notes | Illustrated Faith Stamps: Beautiful Words by Valerie Wieners (retired), Created to Create (retired), Lists by Faith, You are Beautiful (retired) and Yes & Amen | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Acrylic Stamp Block | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd Date Stamp | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd stamp pad in black | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd .25 pen in black | Illustrated Faith by Bella Blvd .65 pen in black | Zig Clean Color Brush Pen in Light Carmine by Kuretake
| Zig Clean Color Brush Pen in Turquoise Green by Kuretake
