Branching

Branch out - make sure you have many strings to your bow.

There have been times where I wished I was incredibly good in one area of creativity. I know some really talented people, at the top of their fields. I'm not in their league. Instead, I'm a Jack (or Jill) of all trades - art journalling is my main love, but I do bookbinding, knitting, crochet, jewellery-making, patchwork, batik, dressmaking, and anything else I feel like turning my hand to. Making shoes is on my bucket list 😊

I started out doing oil paintings on roof slates. We lived in a place where most of the roofs were made of slate and there were often slates lying in the street after windy nights. Here's one of those slates that hangs in my studio. It's called Passion and is from the early 1990s:

Anyway, one day I heard God telling me to stop painting.

WHAT?!

I questioned whether I had heard correctly - I had - and then, with a heavy heart, did as I was told.

Fast forward 20 years and I can see that my obedience has been blessed. When I stopped painting, I branched out into other areas of creativity and now have many more strings to my bow. I tried lots of different things and eventually most of them came together in art journalling as a daily means of prayer, Bible study, and contemplation. Over the years painting has been restored to me and my skill has increased. This August will see me exhibit at SALA - the South Australian Living Artists Festival.  (Still can't quite believe it!)

When I did this journal page I saw the branching, a bunch of strings, and a plant. It reminded me of how far I have come and how it wouldn't have happened without my obedience all those years ago. It didn't make sense to me at the time, and it was really hard to do, but God is good, and He knows what He's doing. He returned what I gave up in spades.