Amber Johnson said to me, “There are times for thinking and times for doing, and now is a time of thinking for you. It is a time of great thinking.”

I am at a moment where I am being greatly influenced and changed by the people that I live my life with. Echoes of what I’ve been interested in the past come back to me now in a different way.

I used to be fascinated with calligraphy, and I loved playing around with old pens and ink. Now, some of my closest friends are amazing designers, and they’ve introduced the world of hand drawn typography to me that sparks that same interest I once knew. That interest leaves me longing to wrap up phrases and words in beauty so that their message, comfort, and joy can be shared others as well in a way that is as equally impactful visually as it is mentally/spiritually. 

Others that I live with have opened up my eyes to how brilliant and powerful color can be and how refreshing and filling it is for the soul. The same goes for being aware of the light that leaves a sliver of itself on a wall during sunset or the soft glow on a layer of fog made by the rising sun. I’m also realizing the impact that music has, how it fills my soul in a way nothing else does, and how it needs to serve a greater purpose in my life than just inspiration.

Finally, I still have a longing to shed the glory of God’s light, the sublime, and glimpses of fairyland on the world that has lost itself in a world filled with darkness. I long to give the gift of the comforting warm feeling the sun leaves on your skin as you move into its rays from standing in the chilling shade. I long to offer an escape or a rescue to those that feel as if all is lost.

           All these things are good. All these things are from God. But even though I know these to be true, I’m struggling to find who I am as an artist in the midst of all the influences around me.