Back to B for a Bit

I mentioned in my last post that I had made vegan chocolate cupcakes, but did not include the recipe.  They were just as tasty as any cupcake with eggs or dairy would be.  The only thing I did not make was the frosting, so they were not completely vegan in the end.  But the cake recipe is completely vegan.  My favorite part about this recipe is that it is simple and uses ingredients you probably have on hand all the time, so you really can make them whenever you feel like it.

To be honest, I forget which website I found this on.  But they were all basically the same as far as ingredients go.  I actually sort of combined two recipes in the end.  This was originally for cake, so I had to refer to another recipe to determine the baking time and the like.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup oil (the original calls for vegetable oil, but that stuff is no good for you so I used safflower oil)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Pretty straight forward here.  Preheat to 350 F.  Mix together the dry ingredients first.  Then add in the wet ingredients.  Mix it all together.  Line your muffin pan with baking cups, pour in the batter, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

As for the frosting, you can use anything really.  You can make it from scratch, which is easy since it's usually just powdered sugar and milk or something simple like that.  Or you can buy your favorite kind.  Whether you are vegan or not, these cupcake are easy to make and even better to enjoy.

B: Blogging and Baking

The Blog:

I'm one of those artists who gets bored easily with what I'm working on, or what I've already done. And, unless I am officially sold on something, whether it be the title of this blog or the overall look of my web presence in general, I will mull over it until it feels right. Sometimes I give it a week to decide if it stays or goes; sometimes it takes me longer (usually the simple issue of a busy schedule).

Anyway, it was time for a change. The overall look and layout of this blog had been driving me mad for quite a while. And, while I've been changing it off and on, nothing had quite satisfied me visually. So, today I finally got a chance to mess around with Blogger and to create new designs in Illustrator. Not only am I pleased the simple, clean, new header, but I'm glad I was able to use my own design. I hadn't had time before to work this out, and so I'd been using the pre-made templates. You can only customize those so much, and sometimes it's still not quite right. I have yet to learn the html tricks that will allow me to customize the side bars to my liking, but that will have to wait/

I also changed the title from "The Colors of Joy" to "A Stroke of Joy." Who knows... maybe it will change again, but for now, at least, I just like this better. Sort of the play on words I'd originally wanted when I started this blog, and it reflects my interest in fine art as well as design. I think I will be more likely to update this blog, now that I can tolerate the new layout.

The Baking:

I decided last night that it was time to start getting rid of my cocoa powder, so I made some chocolate cupcakes (they happened to be vegan and were delicious).  I want to start buying ethically sourced ingredients, especially chocolate. But, rather than toss all of the possible, unethically sourced items I've already ignorantly purchased, I will just try to hurry through it, so as not to cause any child slave to have worked in vein all the more.

I love baking. Especially with chocolate. But since my recent discovery of slavery in the cocoa industry, I can no longer go through life and think of chocolate the way I used to. I cannot eat chocolate, bake with it, or buy it... unless I know that it has been ethically sourced. That means the cocoa farmers get paid what they deserve, and, therefore, can sustain themselves without the work of slaves.

If you are reading this, if you believe in freedom for all people, and if you truly desire to make the world a better place... let this knowledge change your life with the hope that it may benefit the lives of those being oppressed. The cocoa industry thrives at the expense of many innocent people. Namely, children. Children who are manipulated into slavery, who are kidnapped from other countries and brought to work the cocoa plantations until they die, or are killed because they are too weak to work. These kids are the same ages as the ones who go Trick-or-Treating on Halloween, filling their bags with chocolate goodies. The saddest difference, besides the obvious one, is that the kids working the cocoa fields have no idea what chocolate even is or what it tastes like. They have no idea where the cocoa goes, or that it's used to make the delicious treats we enjoy.

Do not buy Hershey's products... or Nestle or Mars/M&M or Cadbury products. In fact, you should look up every brand you know and love, and discover what's really in your chocolate.  But chocolate lovers, fear not.  There is chocolate out there that IS ethically sourced.  It might be a little more expensive, but it's worth it to support this cause.

If you are at a loss for what company might be good, Green&Black can be found at most major grocery stores.  It's a good place to start and they make good chocolate.

Other favorite B's:


- Books
- Birds
- Bed
- the color Blue
- Brushing my teeth
- Blankets
- the color Brown
- Brainstorming
- the color Black
- Bold lines
- Ball point pens
- Bumble Bees (the cute, fuzzy little guys)
- The Bible

An Alphabet Adventure: Anniversary

Two years ago today, Adam and I began our new life together as husband and wife. While we don't have anything special planned for this day in particular (I'm sick, Adam is at work, and there are many errands to run later), I thought it would be the perfect day to start another new adventure as an artist. And so, today begins my first ever alphabet undertaking.

I have been picking away here and there at various things over these past two years, some art-related, some not. I am inspired to do so many things, and yet I hardly have the time to do them. So, I thought a simple alphabet series would not only inspire me with each letter, but that perhaps it would also help me feel like I'm accomplishing something, one step at a time.

The photos above are from our wedding and honeymoon. Being the artist that I am, I made sure we took a picture of the three distinctly different colored trees, located outside the Yankee Candle in MA. Mmmm... nature's palette!

Some favorite A's of mine:

Adam
Apples
Autumn
Acoustic Guitar
Art Ministry
Art Museums
Anatomy
Animals
Ampersands
Annual Celebrations
Asymmetry

I don't know what will come next in this alphabet, but I hope to have a fun time coming up with all the things that inspire me.

The Eye (Back in the Groove!)

I'm leading the new student art ministry at my church. Last night was our first meeting. I was nervous at first, but everything went well. I issued the first assignment, answered art-related questions, and did a lesson on the different kinds of pencils and how they work. It was pretty laid back, and we did free draw for the last half hour.

One of the questions that came up was, "How do you draw an eye?" For me, it's one of those things that I just sort of learned how to do at some point, but have never had to explain it to someone else before. I was trying to recall the various lessons I was taught, trying to figure out how to put it into words, not just come across like one of those "this is how I do it so watch me" tutorials. I want my students to understand what I'm teaching. And I want to understand what I'm teaching.

So, I looked online for some kind of tutorial on the artistic anatomy of the eye and how to draw it. I was sadly disappointed to find many of the "this is how I do it so watch me" tutorial videos, which all kind of sucked anyway. Ugh. I found plenty of scientific diagrams, but they didn't explain how to draw the eye. Obviously... they're scientific.

The diagrams were not unhelpful, but I did eventually realize I would have to revisit the anatomy of the eye on my own, and figure out a way to explain it in terms of drawing. I sought the help of my best anatomy book, The Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck. Every artist should have a copy! Between the book, the online diagrams, and my own artistic knowledge, I was able to get a new grasp on this small -yet complex and important- facial feature. I still have more research to do for next week's meeting, but I can assure you I am having a blast drawing like this again. It has been much too long.

Stationary Gigs

I've been designing for a lot of weddings this year. They've all been pretty nicely spaced out, and I'm having lots of fun designing the various pieces of stationary. I'm still trying to build up a portfolio, so I'm glad to have had the recent opportunities to do that. I have recently updated my website, and will add more soon. I also have been asked to do the invitations for a friend's 30th birthday party, and another wedding for next year. It will be my fifth wedding job. Can't wait!

I'm finding that I really enjoy designing stationary. Weddings in particular. They are always different. Different themes, colors, etc. Some people like their weddings big and bold, while others like them small and simple. I love sitting down with a bride and discovering what she wants her stationary to say, before there are words to say it. I love capturing the personality of each celebration before it happens. And, as much as there are some very nice, commercially done invitations available, I love the idea of custom invitations. They just seem to capture the uniqueness of each excited couple.

Each relationship is different, so why not express that special romance through the very first piece of the wedding that people see? The stationary. Save the dates and invitations are some of the first things that announce to family and friends that you are about to embark on a new adventure with the person you love most! Why not make it your own from start to finish?

Yep, I'm totally digging the wedding thing. Let me design your stationary! :)

"It's been a long time...

...since I've seen your smiling face." - Cake

O art, how I miss thee! I've been doing a lot of wedding-related design these days, but have been so desiring to make my own art again soon. The first piece is a little project I did up for a woman from church. I actually took out some paint and washed a new color over the mat board I used. It felt SO GOOD to paint again, even if just for a quick wash of color.



The second piece is just a little environmentally-inspired design I was just messing around with. I was experimenting with some photographed elements: scraps from the mat board, on a black coffee table, with the flash on. This is pretty much the scraps and the reflected light manipulated in Photoshop. I think I want to experiment with the black background a little more though. It seems lacking... Fun fun though!

Digital experiment with quick sketch

"Only he could ignite her soul, make her come to life."

Still here... busyness away!

March is coming to an end. And what do I have to show for the past couple of months? I had promised myself that I would aim to meet the goals I set in place before the "new year" began. Let's look at them again and analyze what's been going on.

1. Blog more.
2. Make time to draw and paint every week.
3. Spend time with God everyday.
4. Read more. About anything that matters to me: ministry, art, food, marriage, etc.
5. Learn more about organic food and healthy cooking.
6. Build better relationships with my co-workers and customers.
7. Make more time for others.
8. Plan a meal schedule for each week. This will save time and money, I am certain.
9. Bake more.
10. Learn to budget, save money, and be a good steward of what God has given me.
11. Be more outward focused.

(1 and 2) The very first one on there, to blog more, has been completely neglected. Why? Because the following one has been severely neglected as well.

(3) My relationship with God has been up and down. Not the quality of my faith in Him, but the time I put into learning about Him. Reading the Bible and praying and the like. The time I do spend with Him has been awesome! He reveals to me things I hadn't thought of, or just shows me more of who He is and where I need to allow Him to work on me.

(4 and 5) LOTS of reading these days. Books, articles, recipes, magazines... I've been reading on pretty much all of the things I find an interest in. Theology, ministry, The Zeitgeist Movement, food, do-it-yourself articles, information on anything I don't understand, etc... It's been very engaging and challenging and wonderful! As for food, my favorite everyday thing I do homemade now is hummus.

(6) Always a progressive thing to build relationships. I haven't seen them much lately though because of all the oral surgery I've been getting. These freaking teeth issues! Which maybe I'll get into in the future. But I've been learning patience at work. I'm already fairly patient, I think, but it helps to be challenged and thrown out of one's comfort zone. Some days are harder than others, but ultimately I enjoy the people I work with. I think there is still room for much growth in how I build those relationships. It's more than just putting up with or listening to people. Effort must be put forth in engaging them and learning about them.

(7) I'm not sure how to gauge this exactly. I've been wishing I could be more like God, able to give my attention to anyone and everyone equally, to love everyone I know fully by being there for them and pouring time into them. But I am not God. It has been so hard to not just reach out to those I am friends with, but to give my time to them. Life has been ridiculously busy. The only people I have truly been able to engage with are the people I see every week, whether at work or in youth ministry. And I have to say that my most intentional and sought after time outside either of those is with the students I serve as a youth leader. I am able to meet with them every week in person and on Facebook. However, while I cannot be everywhere and be with everyone I'd like to, I'm finding that one way to be with people and support them is through the gift of prayer. To be able to pray for someone is something I often overlook. Being in a physical world makes it easy to think that the only way to reach out to others and help is by doing a physical act, whether giving money or moving furniture or driving somewhere. It's so easy to forget about the spiritual needs of people. That is something I have been learning.

(8,9,10) Adam and I have been taking a Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace course. We are now on a budget, planning meals, and doing all of our cooking at home. No more eating out unless we have gift cards that allow us to. I have not been baking much, but all the cooking definitely keeps me busy. Being on a budget is one of the best things we've ever done for our marriage and family. Knowing where your money is going is an amazing feeling!

(11) Yeah... gotta work on this. I think being outward focused is a lifelong goal, and a learning process at that.

I've been playing guitar more, too!

Life has been busy, and there are things I must adjust, but I'm feeling pretty good about this year so far! God is good, life is good. Some really crappy things have happened this year, and those times have been rather brutal, but I still have to say that I love my life. And it's time I start acting like it!

Happy New Year!

Today marks the beginning of my self-decided new year. In a previous post, I explained that December and January had been so busy that they became one big, mushed-together month. And when January came, I was caught off guard, with no plans or goals for the new year. And so, in an attempt to be re-motivated, I'm starting afresh in February.

This little piece is, hopefully, only one of more to come. One of my goals for the year is to make more time for art making. The design stuff I've been doing is fun, but for me, it's not the same as doing a real hands-on piece of art. I want to draw and paint more, traditional art stuff. This little bird painting has actually been long overdue. I told my sister at least a year ago that I'd paint it for her. So here it is, Sis! I hope you like it.

Wedding Invitation Packet from my own 2009 Wedding

I want to start keeping better track of my work within blogger, and better organize it to make it more accessible to my viewers. I am starting with all wedding related things, just to see how it goes. Eventually, I hope to have much of this blog organized into categories. I guess we'll see how this goes for someone like me, who is not naturally organized.

Bagels: Part of a complete breakfast

To address some of the questions many of you have been asking me on Facebook and elsewhere, I've decided to dedicate a blog entry to bagel-making. Questions have consisted primarily of "How DO you make bagels?" and "Are they hard to make?"

Last summer, I decided I wanted to learn to make bagels. And, with the help of the internet, that desire became a reality. I simply typed into a Google search "How to make bagels" and was on my way. The very first link led me here, where I learned all about the bagel-making process. The recipe is very simple, and the directions are very straight foreword and helpful. This addresses the first question: how do you make bagels?

Now, are they hard to make? At first glance, that recipe page may seem long, tedious, and daunting. But to be honest, it's not that hard. The first time through it is a little time-consuming because you are still learning the process, but after the first or second time you've done it, the process is much easier and the time more manageable. At this point in time, I've broken the process down into stages. I've also figured out a couple little tricks to make things easier.

Homemade Bagels

4 cups bread flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tbs oil (recipe calls for vegetable oil, but I use olive)
2 Tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups warm water (not too hot or cold, you'll know)

Stage 1

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and knead for about 10 minutes.
(Add water last. Use the first 1 1/4 cups, and only add the remaining 1/4 cup if you are having trouble integrating all the flour. Add only tiny bits more if that's still not enough. It might take a little while to get it going but give it a couple minutes to decide if you really need it.)

After you're done kneading the dough, separate it into 8 equal balls.

Leave the balls alone for 20 minutes to let them rise.

Stage 2

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.

Roll balls to form bagels.
(This part takes practice, and it gets easier the more you do it. Sometimes if I have trouble with the dough sliding around due to dryness, I moisten my hands with water. If they are too wet, though, they will also slide around. You can also moisten the ends of the rolled dough with your hands to make them stick together better.)

Leave again for 20 minutes to let rise.

Stage 3

Fill a large pot (or a frying pan with tall sides, which is what I use) with water and bring to a boil.

Place bagels in water and boil for about a minute on each side. Do not crowd the pot. Boil them in 2 or 3 batches if you have to. Remove bagels and set aside to dry for a minute or two.

While bagels are drying, grease a large baking tray with cooking spray or oil. Set bagels on tray.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Stage 4

Flip the bagels over.

Bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove bagels from oven and let cool for 20 minutes.

Stage 5

Cut, spread on the cream cheese, and enjoy your delicious homemade bagels!

The Wedding Whirlwind

This is an overview of the design work I did for my brother-in-law's wedding. Remember that wave of busyness I mentioned last post? Well, this was only part of it. For the sake of privacy, I blocked out people's last names.

The Invitation: Inside( left); Back (top right); Front (bottom right)


Reply Card


Wedding Program: Front (left); Back (right)


Shower Invitation

It's kind of amazing that so much work goes into the preparation for one day. Invitations, showers, dress shopping, flowers, finding a venue... So much planning and coordinating! And then, when it's over, it almost feels like it didn't happen. Months of work gone in what seems like only a few hours. What a blur! I thought it would have been less of a blur since it was not my wedding, but perhaps when one is a part of something that wonderful and thought out, one ought to expect it to go by fast.

Anyway, congratulations to Ben and Meghan! May they have a long, happy and blessed marriage!

February: The New January?

I doubt I need to mention how long it has been since my last post on this blog. Or any blog for that matter. I had hoped to post something before the new year, with all my new goals in mind. I even had a post all written out on paper, ready to be typed. Yet, because of how busy I have been, I have had minimal free time.

If you recall, I was asked to be in my brother-in-law's wedding. The wedding is this weekend. Since September, I have been able to just barely keep ahead of the wave of business. This has included wedding-related tasks mostly, but also a slew of youth ministry work, house work, a job, and the monster we call "the holidays." Keeping ahead of this wave has not been easy. And, while I have managed to stay on top of certain priorities, others have been waiting on the back burner a little longer than I'd like.

So, without further hesitation or excuse, I present my February New Year's goals. You may be thinking, "But, Alyssa, New Year's begins in January." Yes, very true. But for me, December and January seem to have been mushed into one continuous month that has yet to subside. Usually, I feel a little refreshed when the new year arrives, with goals mapped out and ready to implement. There's that sense of motivation, a spark in me that wants to take new ideas and run with them. But this year, that just hasn't happened yet. January is well underway, and I've had no time to think about anything other than that giant wave right behind me. So February, I have decided, is where my new year will start. And with the "new year" comes new hopes and goals.

Goals:

1. Blog more.
2. Make time to draw and paint every week.
3. Spend time with God everyday.
4. Read more. About anything that matters to me: ministry, art, food, marriage, etc.
5. Learn more about organic food and healthy cooking.
6. Build better relationships with my co-workers and customers.
7. Make more time for others.
8. Plan a meal schedule for each week. This will save time and money, I am certain.
9. Bake more.
10. Learn to budget, save money, and be a good steward of what God has given me.
11. Be more outward focused.

I'm sure there are other goals rolling around in my head that haven't surfaced yet, but I think this is a good start. See you in February!

Goal #9 is clearly underway already.

Back to Illustrator

I was recently asked to be a bridesmaid in my brother-in-law's wedding. Being the artist in the family, I was asked to help design the invitations. I am having a lot of fun, as I get to use Adobe Illustrator for it. It has been a while since I've used Illustrator, and it feels good to get back into it. I think it's also the first time I've drawn something specifically to place into the program and turn it into a digital drawing.

I like designing. I wish I could have double-majored in Illustration and design. I probably would have died though. It's hard enough having one major at the Hartford Art School.

I am pretty frustrated at Illustrator right now though, because for some reason I can't open anything in it anymore. I've had issues with the program on Adam's laptop before, but that was before he reinstalled it. It has been working fine since and was working fine last night. Now it just wont open. This raises concerns because I will have to work on the design again before long. Hmmm...

Busy Busy!

So much has been going on this month! Despite still not having a job, I have had plenty of art-related tasks to keep busy with. As you may or may not know, my husband and I volunteer at our church, serving in youth ministry. We help out with the high school students. In addition, I am now in charge of all the visual aspects of youth ministry: slideshow announcements, the bulletin board, posters, flyers, getting things printed, etc. These visuals are used for both the high school and middle school groups.

While I am not a designer by nature, I am certainly having fun reading up on the art of design and creating things in Photoshop. The process of creating anything, for me, is exciting and fun! These are but a few things I've done this month.


Slideshow announcement for a previously "upcoming event".


Another announcement slide, more current.


Junior high group name.


Senior high group name.


I clearly have no definitive style with this stuff. I'm still just working out the kinks. I am noticing, however, that my design work is very dark. I think I just really like the contrast of light against dark. Actually, now that I think about it, I think that's why I like charcoal so much. Put down a dark tone first, then work subtractively to get the white of the paper. Hmm... Something for me to think about. I will try to fight that urge on the next thing I design. Just to see.

Color Wheel Antics

I have been wanting to paint a color wheel for some time now. Partially because I wanted to be practicing what I teaching my students, and partially because I have not used tube acrylics for quite some time. I wanted to be able to give myself this tedious task and perhaps re-learn the basics of color mixing. Yesterday, I finally went out to Jerry's Artarama to get some supplies for the adventure. I had everything set up and ready to go so that I could not ignore it any longer.


I was glad to finally get the color wheel project underway, but I ran into a couple problems along the way. My white acrylic is going to dry out soon because the cap is broken. I don't know how or when it happened, but I was using it just last week with my students and it was fine. This morning, I found that the top part is separated from the part that screws on, and so air can easily get in and dry the paint.

The second issue I had was with my black acrylic. It is a cheap brand that was given to me a long time ago. That should have been my first clue to avoid using it, but I didn't think anything of it because black is used in such tiny amounts at a time anyway. But, for some reason, this particular line of black paint (BASICS) is not a true black. It has green or blue in it, and every time I mixed it with another color it would not come out right. I got greenish variations. Yellow, for example, when mixed with black should be a kind of yellow ochre color (light yellowish brown). Instead, I got more of a green. Pretty annoying for an artist!

So... I'm trying to decide if I should even finish this one, or whether I should wait to get new black and white and just start the whole color wheel over. I think I need new tape, too. Sigh... I hate that I was just at the art store yesterday and now need to make another trip over there.

For the Love of the Lesson

The Shape Project:
My demo pieces for the kids

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been giving art lessons to a couple children from church. Once a week, for one hour, I teach them various fundamentals. We started off with the elements of art, and have been working our way through each of them, one at a time. So far, we have discussed line, shape, space, value, and texture. The kids are still working on the big shape project we started several weeks ago, but they're almost done! Last lesson, I showed them what palette paper was, and how to mix paint with a palette knife. Big brother painted his background color, and little sister is soon to follow.

Next on the list is color, which will probably take at least two lessons to cover. Color, by far, is the most complicated of the elements. Not only are you dealing with hue (color), but tint, tone and shade as well. In addition, color mixing can be quite tricky if you do not understand the way colors relate or react to one another.

For example, if you mix yellow and blue together, you will end up with some kind of green. Yellow and violet mixed together, however, will give you a completely different result. Likely, you will end up with some kind of brown. A colorful brown, perhaps, but brown nonetheless. How do I know this? Years of practice and learning. I know much more now than I did when I was in high school, and I know I have much to learn still.

Art is like a science. There are certain rules or facts that apply, like perspective or light. They are things we know to be true in the real world, and so they remain true in art. If you were to do it any other way, it would not make much sense. But, just as there are times in science when experimenting in light of these known facts is okay, so it is with art. Knowing how the elements of art work and why they are important is key when testing the limits of such rules.

These are the lessons I have come to understand and love. Every time I learn something new, or recognize something I am familiar with, I fall in love with art all the more. For me, art is as much an intellectual experience as it is an emotional one. Expression through knowledge, I suppose. And, on a more spiritual note (because I love finding the parallels between art and faith), as a Christian I cannot be all mind and no heart, nor can I be all heart without knowledge. Both are important because they complement each other. So, if I draw by understanding, may I also draw with passion; and if I draw passionately, may I do so with understanding of the lessons I have learned.

I simply cannot wait to teach my students these concepts. But... one thing at a time. :)

"Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ?" ---Job 38:36

Big Steps

One of my personal goals lately has been to get more things done around the apartment, and, I suppose, in general. Among other goals, this one has been partially the reason for my not blogging much lately. Besides basic chores, like doing laundry and washing dishes, my husband and I have also had the task of disassembling the piles of belongings associated with the process of bedbug treatments. Going through our things and getting settled was a seemingly simple goal when we moved into our apartment. But this has proven to be difficult since we have now had to unpack and repack our things more than once in the short time we've been living here.

In the last couple weeks we have made a lot of progress. Well, for us anyway. My biggest feat last week was getting my art stuff organized. In our small living space, I kind of just had my stuff everywhere. Old art projects, school assignments, unused paper, various art boards, etc... All of it was disorganized, sitting behind my drawer of supplies. Some of it was in large plastic bags, some in the folders, some of it just loose in between other things. There was really no rhyme or reason to any of it. I wish I had thought to take a before picture, but trust me when I say it was an awful mess.

Anyway, I went through EVERYTHING. I emptied every folder, threw out all the plastic bags, separated the projects and papers and boards, organized things into piles, and went out and bought new folders to store everything. I really am NOT an organized person. So this, for me, was a huge accomplishment. I always desire to be more organized, but the ability to be so does not come naturally to me. It does for my husband. He is super picky when it comes to cleaning and organizing. When he saw that all of my stuff was put away neatly, and even labelled into categories, he was very impressed.

So, I'm pretty stoked about having all my art materials tidy and easily accessible now. Still have a ways to go though. The project on deck is getting my work spaced straightened out. The desk is a huge mess and there is nowhere to make artwork currently.

A Call to Seek Justice

The last week of June I was on a plane headed for Columbus, Ohio. I was accompanied by about twenty teenagers and several other youth leaders. We were on our way to Challenge, a Christian youth conference. There were speakers, bands, seminars, and all kinds of things to help students engage with God. But the students weren't the only ones impacted.

Before I left for Challenge, I posted that sketch about sex slavery. It is an issue a care very deeply about, and have cared about for about four years now. For a long time though, I was merely saddened by this injustice and mourned any story having to do with sexual abuse, but I didn't do anything beyond feeling sad. I've always wanted to do something, but never really knew what or how. In this culture, it is a common attitude that there is nothing we can do to bring justice to the oppressed. It's too big! Or, one person can't make a difference. I'm an artist. What do I possibly have to offer to a cause like that? The other reaction we have, when we realized we can't do anything, is to shut out the cry of suffering all together so that we can live in our comfortable, little American bubbles without the inconvenience of sorrow.

Well, at Challenge, I was reminded of the sorrow, and moved to do something more than just sit around thinking about how awful it all is. And I thought, I'm an artist. What can I DO? For the first time, this question was not some impenetrable fortress to disappointedly turn away from, defeated. Rather, it was now a matter of brainstorming the possibilities, and asking God to show me how he wants me to use what he has given me. While we all have different gifts, we all have the same major calling to do God's will. It's how we use those gifts to fulfill that call that matters. Psalm 82:3-4 says, "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." How an artist does this will be different from how a lawyer does it, but the goal is the same. Neither is more or less important than the other.

So, since we got back from Challenge, I've been reading this book in the hopes of better understanding what injustice is all about, and what God thinks about it. Gary A Haugen is the founder of the human rights agency, International Justice Mission, which is completely dedicated to the cause of bringing relief to the oppressed and the oppressors to justice. I am a big supporter of the work they do.



As I'm learning more about this issue of injustice, I am realizing the potential of individual people to step up and do what's right in the face of uncertainty or opposition. I am also learning about God's hatred for injustice, and why he so urgently tells us to stand up for his children who cannot stand at all. He loves and weeps for his children, and despises the evils that hurt his children. This is where I want my heart to be.

And the question I have to ask myself, because I can't speak for anyone else, is "What am I going to do about it?" That is what I am processing recently. I've been reading Gary Haugen's book, been reading the Bible, and deeply considering the possibilities of what I can do to take part in God's cause of bringing justice to those who need it.

I will hopefully be blogging more in the midst of all this thinking, and all of life's happenings.

Freedom Friday

Today's post is dedicated to all those suffering in the bondage of slavery. I'm working out an idea for a piece on sex trafficking. I long for the day when every person on this earth is freed from physical, mental, and spiritual affliction. Until then, I want to fight for the freedom of others through art and prayer.

I thank God for the blessings he has given me, and for being a just God. Although I feel deeply saddened, and even angry about the sex trade and other forms of slavery, I know that there will come a day when God will bring justice to the oppressed and the wicked alike. He will set the captives free and bring perfect judgement to the world. May the spirit of the Lord be on me, and may he save me from myself. Let the skills he has given me be used for the good of his people and his glory. This is my prayer.