When I was living in India on my race, I was tenting inside of a small school, walking across rice fields for meals, teaching English, Jesus, and hope. I was living the simplest lifestyle I could have ever imagined, with really not a lot of things to do. I was pushed to my limit and at the same time, much closer to communion with the Lord. almost every day I found myself painting as a form of worship, self-therapy, or community. In these months the Lord resurfaced a deep desire and big dream of mine to share my art with the world, glorify Him through it, and find a stable income because of it. This dream was always there but I shoved it deep down when the race began, knowing that selling art from around the world with no access to art supplies or a post office would make things pretty impossible. But I could not ignore the way art and creativity was consuming my squad. We as a collective community had found freedom, vulnerability, identity, peace and connection through watercolor worship nights, and ultimately were able to understand more of the Fathers heart through it.
I woke up one morning laying in my tent, sweating and praying for the motivation to step outside of my tent and outside of myself and serve those around me when Jesus spoke clearly and said “Why not trust me? What is stopping you from trusting me with your dreams and your passions? I gave them to you didn’t I? So will you please listen, act, and be obedient with this passion I’ve given you to steward it well and glorify me?” And there began the brainstorming, the many nights of prayers, the fear, the anxious anticipation leading up to today. I fight the fears that tell me my art wont be accepted, that I am defined by my art, and that failure is a negative thing. Today I launch my online art shop, Immaculately Made on Etsy. Seven months in the making, the day is finally here and the shop is finally ready to receive orders. My prayer as I jump off the cliff and head towards the water of grace and provision is that there is no safety net- that I learn how to depend fully on the Lord in this season of pursuit, and that I am completely and vulnerably authentic. Here, today on September 11, 2017, my dream becomes a reality and my feet take the step off the cliff in obedience knowing that a safety net is not required when a river of provision and abundance is waiting to saturate me at the bottom.
please please pray as I take this step of faith, and open Immaculately Made as my only source of income heading into my move to Georgia to attend discipleship school next week. I trust him, and I cannot wait to see the fruit that comes from the seeds being planted by my art. Please visit ImmaculatelyMade.Etsy.com to see the work the Lord has inspired within me.
