These photos can be found on my facebook page. Most of them have quotes from my book, Created to be Creative. I have also added some new thoughts here to go with each picture. I enjoy the fact that there is no end to creativity and always look for opportunities to learn and grow.
Art doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be as simple as a framed piece of fabric hanging on a wall. This photo only captures a small corner of a piece which is actually 68” high by 44” wide. That’s rather large, but it works perfectly in the space because it helps fill a boring concrete wall in my basement office that needed warming up. I didn’t have the time to do a painting large enough to help fill the area, so this was a quick and relatively inexpensive solution. I bought a piece of upholstery fabric on sale and my husband, Ron, helped me make a frame for it. We took standard 2×4’s, ripped them into 2×2’s, and then stretched the fabric tight around the wood and stapled it on the back. The piece is very simple, but has a three-dimensional look, similar to a photo printed on canvas.
The lighting is not great in this photo, but this gives you a better look at how the piece fills the wall and warms the space.
“Frustration is an enemy of creativity because it ensnares our ambition at a place of weakness.” I started this quilt almost ten years ago. I never considered the level of difficulty or my ability as a quilter before getting started. I diligently worked on it for months and all was going well until I started the solid dark blue stars. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get them to lay flat and, being a perfectionist, I got frustrated and quit. All it would take is a how-to lesson and some practice to help me get back on track, though now I find it hard to get motivated. That is why it’s important to start simple and work our way to harder projects. Better to reach our objectives by taking small steps than to have lofty goals and end up abandoning projects prematurely.
… “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). LIGHT. The first thing God created was light. Let’s think about this for a moment—this light was not the sun, moon, nor stars; no, they were not created until the fourth day. So what was this light? What did it look like? It looked like GOD! The very first thing we know about the history of our world is that God created an expression of Himself.”
No photo could possibly help capture or explain this light. Photos, however, are a great tool for catching our attention. My daughter, Colleen, is helping with my photo quotes for my Facebook Page. She took this picture with this quote in mind. It works on a few different levels. One, it’s interesting, causing us to stop scrolling long enough to read the caption. Secondly, it demonstrates the purpose of individuality and what it means to be created in the image of God. Ask one hundred people to take a picture with this quote in mind and you will get one hundred different expressions. It’s what makes life and art interesting.
Determination: Staying focused.
Dedication: Willing to practice or pursue when it’s not easy or convenient.
Hard work: Conquering the parts of the process or journey that don’t come easily.
We all have things we would like to be instantly good at or things we’ve started, but we lacked resolve to press through when things became challenging, or even worse, as they became tedious. Sometimes it’s the simple things that throw us a curve.
Also, there’s no way to avoid calloused fingers when learning to play guitar or sore muscles when starting an exercise regimen. This is true for most of the things we find worth accomplishing: they take time, effort, and even some pain, but the results are usually worth it.
I’m the author of: Created to be Creative
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