If you had asked me in January of 2012 if I was an artist, I would have laughed at the thought, but inside, part of me would have wondered, "Could I be?"
You see, I had dabbled in art as a teenager, I was quite good at graphite drawing, and fairly adept and oil pastels and colored pencils as well. But in my adult life I never really thought myself worthy of using the time and money it would take to continue exploring art. There were better, more prudent things to do with my money, and how could I selfishly use time to explore interests that didn't benefit anyone in my family but myself? Surely, as a Christian woman, God wouldn't want me to be selfish, would he? So, for most of 22 years, I didn't pursue art. I would occasionally do some handcrafts or crochet work, but only things that could be used practically, never "just because".
In June 2012 everything started to change. I saw a blog challenge online, it was called "Index Card a Day". It required doing something creative on an index card every day for the month of June. I decided it looked fun, and since it was just index cards, it wouldn't really require much in terms of supplies. I gave myself permission to indulge, and take part in the challenge.
As I created on those index cards each day, something inside of me woke up. I saw color like I'd never seen before. I saw the beauty around me as something that perhaps I could capture, or at least reflect, in a creative act. Contrary to this feeling selfish, I found the joy that I experienced spread to others in my family. Contrary to it being a prideful or selfish act, I found it was a way to reflect the beauty that God created, and so glorify Him in the process.
To make a long story a little bit shorter, the artist within me awakened, and by the time the month was up I was moving beyond index cards to small canvases, and decided to open an etsy shop from which to share with the world my Ardent Reflections on the beauty of God's creation.
My encouragement to anyone who has even a slight desire to explore art, do it! It might change your entire life. It did mine!