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Tag Archives: encouragement

Freedom

03 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Think

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

courage, encouragement, felt, felting, flat felt, freedom, landscape, make, paper, papercraft, roving, think, vellum, vintage, wet-felted, wool

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As a 17-year-old starting college, freedom meant one thing to me: escape. New experiences, different faces, starting over in a world that didn’t know me and couldn’t make my choices for me. That thirst for independence is a natural part of growing up, and I certainly had quite a bit of growing up to do. But I think I was missing an integral notion of what it means to be free.

It took me a long while to realize that freedom is not synonymous with control. The freedom to live, speak, and worship as I desire are priceless to me, and I do not take them for granted. However, personal freedom also means being willing to take chances: in work, in play, and most of all in relationships and letting people in close. Without the courage to love and ask to be loved by others, freedom looks an awful lot like just being alone.

For me, real freedom also means crawling out from under the stifling hood of perfectionism and expectation. Freedom does not guarantee pleasure, but it does ensure that I move forward and learn. To be free is to open myself up to mistakes with the conviction that I am also opening myself up to growth, to finding new ways and new passions.

I could cook only the recipes I already know; paint only pictures for which I have practiced the brushstrokes; stick with the books already on the shelf and the names already in my address book. I would certainly have increased measures of comfort and security in doing so, and that sort of smug satisfaction that comes from doing it “right.” But freedom? No, I would not have that.

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The piece of art above is titled Be Free, and it’s a multimedia collage using vintage papers, vellum, and a hand-made felted landscape. I have felted before, but never to achieve a flat, representational design. I love how it turned out, in part because I took a step into my personal artistic unknown to create it.

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Praying you find the freedom today to imagine and hope, to take risks and build in new directions.

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Storms

25 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Think

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

art, encouragement, heart, hope, sketch, storm, think, watercolor

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Is anyone else having one of those days? Actually, I think I’m having one of those weeks, the “when it rains it pours” kind that make me want to yell in frustration or stomp my feet, quite possibly both at the same time. For my family and those dearest to us, there have been more challenges than usual lately — many of them the wail-prompting, tear-stirring variety. These are not training-wheels sorts of days, these are all about wobbling and swerving while we try to keep our balance.

I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about things like yummy cheesecake brownies and delicate origami flowers, caramels from scratch and handmade valentines, and I really love making all of it. Creating keeps me aware and joyful, and it nourishes my body and mind. But I just want to be sure I am clear that these things are not born of a frivolous, unhurried life. My bookshelf holds dozens of beautiful art books, but right now I’m reading Boundaries with Teens; my calendar holds the promise of lunch with friends this weekend, but it also has appointments with the dentist and pediatric cardiologist. For me, cooking and crafting are ways of celebrating both the plenty and the drought and the lessons I learn from both.

I made the watercolor sketch above because it says what my words cannot manage right now. The corner of it tore when I ripped it from my sketchbook, and I think that feels just right, too. No matter the frustration or obstacles today might bring, whether these hours feel overwhelmingly full or acutely empty, I am prayerfully hopeful for you and me. With that in mind, I have my next few posts planned about lovely things like almond granola parfaits and collages with cork and batik fabric. I am enjoying my time preparing them, and I am excited to share what I’m doing with you, even when times are not simple for either of us.

Hope Collection

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Think

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bible, collection, encouragement, faith, history, hope, paper craft, past, printers tray, specimen tray, verses, vintage

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I am a collector by nature. Not of anything obvious or mainstream, like stamps or rare coins, but of the things that inspire me: vintage valentines, old books and photographs, tiny resin flowers, and Japanese glass beads. I have a pair of antique opera glasses that thrill me with their aged mother-of-pearl, enamel, and brass, and the single-word inscription Paris. I have tucked away fall leaves that look as if each one was hand-watercolored, bits of wool and velvet ribbon, a handful of board game pieces smoothed and worn by the fingers of children who could easily have been my grandparents. None of them bear much monetary worth, but measured in sentiment and beauty, they have great value to me.

When I set out to make a birthday gift earlier this month for one of my dearest friends, I thought a lot about the items I have collected and what they mean to me. She is also a lover of history who understands how a connection to the past can give you steadier feet in the present. We have both had our share of challenges recently and discovered that there is great faith and hope to be found in the midst of pain and loss. I set out to build her a collection of items that symbolize hope to me, then give them words — a sort of visual and spiritual scavenger hunt.

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The container itself is a printer’s tray, sometimes also called a specimen tray, depending on whether you lean more toward bibliophile or biologist. I filled it with the kinds of things I think someone might make and collect over a lifetime, a very personalized sort of natural history museum: rocks and feathers, shells and dried flowers, bits of embroidery and handmade paper snowflakes.

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Underneath each smaller box is a Bible verse that links directly to the item above, so that each little compartment hides a secret message of encouragement. My hope is that after reading the verses a few times, just seeing the pieces of the collection will be enough to call to mind the words behind them.

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The most challenging task in the whole project was covering each of the 21 inner boxes, ranging in size from 1-1/2″ squares to 3″x6″ rectangles, with a half dozen layers of tissue paper, cardstock, and sealant. The vintage text and rich green, purple, and mustard are much more visually appealing to me than its original gray craft paper covering. It was detailed, time-consuming work, but it gave me plenty of time to plan the contents and verses. As is often the way with this kind of artwork, I was definitely blessed and encouraged myself by the process of creating it.

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Take what you need

10 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Think

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Tags

change, encouragement, kelly rae roberts, kindness, make, think

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I really enjoy artist Kelly Rae Roberts, both her artwork and her attitude about life. (She is one of those featured in Art Saves.) She often writes about the notion that small acts of kindness have the potential to bring about big changes, and I agree. The sign above is part of her most recent campaign for kindness, and I love the idea — I’m putting up copies in a few places around Nashville this weekend. You can make your own or download it here and spread a little inspiration yourself. I’d love to hear about it if you do. :)

Drink it in

03 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Make

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, bottle, creativity, encouragement, freedom, make, paper craft

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This is one time when bottling up your feelings can actually lead to something good. :) This project was inspired by Sharon Soneff’s fantastic book, Art Journals and Creative Healing: Restoring the Spirit Through Self-Expression. I imagined myself a sort of existential advertising exec: if I could bottle up freedom, what would it look like? How would it taste?

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I think Freedom comes in many flavors: hope, courage, faith, truth, love, peace, joy, compassion… For me, freedom is found in my faith and in the love of those close to me; freedom is acknowledging my myriad imperfections and continuing to learn and grow in spite of them — on good days, because of them.

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To construct this piece, I started with an empty 4-pack of Starbuck’s Frappuccino (my husband happily accommodated me when it came to the emptying part :), a stack of cardstock, and a few pieces of ribbon and beads. I sanded and inked the cardstock to age it and bring out the texture, then added hand-made labels and logos.

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I finished by adding a little embellishment to the tops of the bottles and then wrote down the daily victories that represent freedom to me. I continue to add to the bottles, and I won’t consider this project complete until they’re overflowing.

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