Creating in Faith - Eager (Word for the Week)

Welcome on the Podcast today we look at a new word each week.  The Word for this week is 'Eager'.  When we think of our creativity and the words we should think about how it relates to us and how we can use the encouraging aspects of the word to motivate and propel us forward into our creative pursuits.

You can listen to the podcast below.

Did you catch last weeks Art Journal Page video and the word 'Quiet'

Thank you for watching, Stay blessed and be a blessing

Realityarts Podcast - New Episode for Creating in Faith

 

Welcome to a new week of creativity.  The word that starts us off this week in Creating in Faith is 'Quiet'.  I started the Creating in Faith series as a reminder first to myself that each and every day I need to show up and do something creative.

When we show up in faith, we are met with ideas, strategies, revelations, answers and more!

When was the last time you actually had a moment of quiet to gather your thoughts?  Are you able to take time out of your day just to think or are you one of those people who say they think better when there is stuff going on around them?

Join me on Wednesday for the Arts and Wellness Café where we will look at the idea of quiet in the art studio and in our creative walk.

Creating in Faith - Stillness

 

Think about what the word 'Stillness' means to you, and how it manifests for you in your day to day.

This episode is about how we go about having some stillness in our lives and find those moments where we can focus on the things that need to be done.  We have to also think about how we are going to use if for our benefit and navigate our creative walk.

Stillness brings calm, healing and nurturing enabling us to clarify things that may have been on our minds

What does the word bring up for you, and when was the last time you took some time out to be still?

Creative Reflections Podcast

Creative Reflections 

Listen to the podcast

Creating in Faith - Word for the Day - Serene - listen to the podcast

Change

Change

I have been talking about change a bit over the year here on my blog, not trying to be someone else, but who you were really called to be.  More recently if you have glanced over my recent posts you would have seen the health changes that I have been pursuing.

I have been pressing in on my creativity, painting and doing something that makes another step, learning, trying to grow to be the artist that I want to become.  An artist that can through their work be a blessings, and through words inspire.  I still have a way to go, but wanted to share this piece I did recently.

 I love the colors and the vibrancy of this piece, she is full of life and excited about her tomorrow.  She has a strength and a purpose, knowing who she is and not being afraid to be all that she has been called to be.

 I hope to develop more of this style of work, but will continue to press in and explore techniques and materials.

Change - Mixed media on watercolor paper

If you would like to purchase a print I will be adding it to my other work on Society 6.  Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Restore - Creating in Faith

1  the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition: 

sight, teeth - dental tissue,  the process of restoring a building, work of art, etc. to its original condition:

When I think of restoration I often think of those large works of art having being damaged through age and the passing of time.  Methodically the painting is sectioned off and the original paint and chemicals analysed and compared matching the type of paint that was used all those centuries ago.  The paintings then need to be in a protected controlled environment where the temperature and lighting is monitored on a daily basis.  This restoration is not an overnight thing but can take months even years before it is complete.

In our busy lives we have gone through many situations and circumstances the effects of which show the tale take signs in the way we treat ourselves or the impact on our body and health.  If you were to put your life up to be restored what would need to happen, what would the process be like and what things or areas would have to come under constructions with the necessary scaffolding to prevent it from falling down.

We would need to call in for the specialist equipment, as unique individuals the tools we need to use to repair damage done by years of neglect would be specific to us and our situation.  Where would you start, as you hold up that magnifying glass to look at the layers that needed to be painstakingly scraped away to make way for new layers to be added. Are you willing to scrap back to the foundations to let the healing begin?

By spending time in the word, our lives can be transformed, we can be sure as we allow ourselves to be blessed .  As we rest in the arms of God we will be lifted and renewed.  We will have to take the time to know every inch of our own hearts - piece by piece, for the harmony and balanced will be restored to our life.  Give it a try! 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3 5-6

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12 1-2 

How does your Garden grow? - Creating in Faith

Cordyline Australis - Palm like tree!

For close to 16 years I have been working on my garden which turned it from just a patch of grass with a fence either side, to an established space that can whisk you (in your mind) to far off destinations – if you use your imagination.  My garden also reflects the amount of work that has been lovingly put into it over the years and is full of palm trees, scented flowers, evergreens and a plum tree.  I wouldn’t say that I am an expert, but over the years I have gained much knowledge in how to look after  plants to get the best out of them. My garden is about  40% brought  as small plants 20% from seeds and 10% as gifts from the birds and 30% grown from cuttings I have received from family and friends.

We need balance in our lives

We grew up in an apartment/flat as children and my mother had many houseplants dotted around the house that she would tend to.  I would see her lovingly water and clean the plants on a daily basis and this action promoted their growth and in turn she would then propagate the plants.  I was always amazed that from one plant many generations could flourish.  When I moved out of my parents and into my own flat mum would give me plants that she had been growing and I in turn developed a love for plants, and went out and got my own.   I was amazed at how the right conditions could make a big difference to a plant that grew and blossomed to one that failed to thrive and died.  Back in those days the houseplants of choice were the Swiss cheese plant, the Rubber plant and the Spider plant which are all easy enough to look after yet give some spectacular results.

Graduating to a Garden

When I started a family of my own I was faced with a 100 foot garden, Sekani who was then just 2 years and determined to be my helper and my houseplant experience to lean on.  I was overwhelmed at first with the size and the job at hand but knew that if I had a plan of what I wanted, read up about how to go about it, I could make the garden become what I wanted over time. Some of the main things I wanted in the garden was colour, scent, birds and trees and a way to provide privacy from the neighbours each side.  Once I knew what I wanted shaping the garden to how I wanted it to look became the adventure and I was always up for the challenge of trying something new. 

Tools for the job

Each year of tending to the garden brought different challenges and blessings.  My very first plants that I grew from seed were sunflowers.  These plants are the most gratifying and a very easy to grow. With their big heads of flowers I was able to grow 9 foot specimens, and provided much food in the winter months for the visiting birds. I experimented over the years with different plant combinations, learnt to understand the soil and what was necessary to promote growth.  I decided quite early on that I didn’t want to have one of those gardens where you had to bring plants in for the winter months or dig up bulbs, but that whatever the season with the right care the plants were able to handle themselves despite the elements.  

Scented roses at the back of the garden

 

I have shared in posts on my blog the many presents the birds have brought in the form of seeds that turned into a wide variety of flowering plants and trees, and I have either allowed them to grow where they have fallen or relocated them to a more suitable place within the garden

Putting your back into it!

I find being in the garden to be a really relaxing experience, but you have to work hard to get it to where you want it to be so that you can enjoy it.  I find maintaining  the garden an enjoyable experience,  many a time I come out it is to either relocate, plant or take a cutting, some much needed weeding and general tidying up, or just to sit with a book and enjoy the sound of the birds.  

Down side of the Cordyline  - it sheds its leaves

The weeds and fallen leaves are something that are always going to be there so you need to make sure you keep on top of them and put things in place to make it easier on yourself.  For me the weeds are a natural part of the cycle and there comes a time in our lives when we have to look at what we are doing that really doesn’t add anything to our lives, but instead like the weeds choke progress and development.  We have to work hard for our dreams, spending time on a regular basis to see them come to pass.  The soil also needs to be nourished and you have to take notice of those times when a plant needs that extra special boost.

plants now established

As I talk about my time spent in the garden, I realise that I have to remind myself to spend time ‘looking after’ myself. As the winter approaches we loose the sunlight and the much needed vitamin D production that would normally take place and so we need to ensure that our bodies are in tip top form and have all the nourishment that it needs.   In the same way that I would have a clear out of the garden, looking to see which weeds were trying to find a home amongst the plants I need to spend time in my own life seeing what activities I am involved with or practises that need to be stopped because they are not adding any benefits to my overall health and well being.   

Fruitful

Plum tree bearing fruit each year

 

We have to make sure we are doing those things that will enable us to be fruitful in all that we do.  The bible tells us that God is the vine and we are the branches and every now and then we have to prune that which is not being productive or bearing fruit.  We can all think of activities that are a waste our time and an ineffective use of our time, so what are you going to do about it?  Take time this week to think about not only what jobs need to be done in the garden, but what maintenance jobs you can do in your own life to get things ready for the autumn and winter months and stay blessed!

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  John 15:1

..He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things...Acts 17:25

Persistence - Creating in Faith

 

Prayer bookmark covers - Persistence

‘Never give up’, 'keep on going’ 'endure' and ‘stay on course’ are all phrases and words we have come across and can think of ways we may have applied it in our own lives.  There is that ‘something’ we do, despite the odds or what others are going to say (positive or negative) in order for us to reach the finish line and achieve our goals.  If we think about the times when we have given up on a goal or dream we see that it can be a culmination of the naysayers even words and thoughts from our own mouths that predict failure.  For some, though there is something they can draw on that is deep within that keeps saying ‘pick yourself up, start again, keep on going.

Being persistent can often see some go through unimaginable hardships for their loved ones, so that they may have a better life. There are people around the world who despite their circumstances and situation, through adversity and hardship answered the call deep within to strive for making the changes and the actions necessary.  They didn’t give up but kept going and their actions not only impacted their own lives, but the lives of those they came into contact with and even the wider community.

When I look at my own life there are many things I want to achieve.  I can see some things in the past where I either talked myself out of doing or allowed myself to be discouraged due to negativity of others.   One thing that has been consistent with me is my desire to bless others dispite how I feel, to see them use their talents and abilities and grow.  As I delve deeper as an artist I know that it is in the creative field that I want to work and see others not only be blessed by my work, but to find where they fit, where they can bloom and shine their light.  I love encouraging others to step out and find their passion using their talents and abilities, and I hope that comes across in my art and the things I post.

We will come across challenging situations or circumstances where we will  wonder whether it is worth persisting and is our time spent better somewhere else, but it could be like oncovering the gold that lay covered the more you sift and clean it,  the clear it is to see the gold that lies beneath.  So with persistence we can truly say we gave it a chance.  It says in Matthew 7:7 ask and ye shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.  What do you need to do to open some of those doors?

..greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.... 
1 John 4:4

Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do... John 14:13

 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.  Romans 13:4

Food - Creating in Faith

We eat to nourish our bodies, hoping to get the right vitamins and minerals thus enabling our bodies do a variety of activities.  We know that sometimes we can eat food not for the nourishment but the feeling associated and there is also a social aspect to eating food and we can eat without thinking about what we are putting into our mouths.  

For some there are foods that will cause immediate harm when consumed, and those with allergies are very careful about what they eat. For those with an intolerance, and there are times when knowing that you have a problem with a particular food this is over ridden by the feeling you get having eaten it and you then have to deal with the consequences when this happens.  I have been guilty of this, in the last two years I've had to give up wheat, dairy, and more recently soya but every now and then I am tempted to eat one of these food groups and then felt the effects after.  As a family we have been trying some great smoothie combinations and to get more fruit and vegetables into our diet.

 

Green smoothie - using spinach and, pears and apples

Nourishing our bodies can also take the shape of getting regular exercise, and rest, giving ourselves the necessary breaks and this is something that cannot be over looked.  You know how you feel when you have been taking regular exercise and if allow your circumstances to get in the way and you take a break from it you will begin to feel all the aches and pains and start feeling sluggish.  I am currently at that point where before I went away on holiday I had started a great exercise routine even carrying it into the first week of the holiday, and then I allowed stuff to get in the way and have in the two weeks since coming back not got my routine going, but now that I have owned up, will get on the case!

Having nourished our bodies, our minds have to be nourished, rest plays a part in this but we have to feed the mind with information that will edify, we have to ensure that we are continuing to learn new things, don’t let a month go by without you having read a new book, or considered a new idea, or taken a course.  There is no point in your life where you can say ‘I’ve learnt all there is to know about everything’, we have to continue to challenge ourselves and grow. 

Creating in Faith Bookmark holder

Lastly we have to feed our spirits with the nourishing word that comes from God.  We have to be in the ‘Word’ on a daily basis, applying the principles to our lives, renewing our mind, seeing what insights we can gain, and how the word applies to what we need to do.  We grow spiritually and we also have to look at our lives and question how we have grown from yesterday, last week, month and last year, it can’t be the same thing year after year, we have to be making an impact into the lives of others using our gifts and abilities as we meditate and apply his word. 

As an artist I see much of where my purpose lies with the creative field, I want to bless others with my art, my words, and all the other creative areas that I am passionate about, and so too as an artist there is still much to learn, new things to try, and doors to go through.  

What are you ‘feeding’ yourself that you need to give a rest, what new things do you need to try and how can you express that in your creativity?

Salvation is from the Lord ....Jonah 2:9

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;     if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Proverbs 25:21

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6