When I was asked to do this I knew that I had to, needed to, was called to do. I had been chatting with one friend or another about far off future plans and products I've been working on. They all seemed such big and far away dreams then....one of them was to use my gifts again this year in a way that would uplift the kingdom of Christ.
I've volunteered as a Sunday school teacher for almost a year. I've helped to plan and organise Women's Workshops at my home church, even being the Mistress of Ceremonies for it and I have represented my church, doing the featured sermon for our parish at previous women's workshops where we come together, fellowship, learn and worship. Still, I felt that I needed to do more, particularly with my most treasured talent; my way with the written word.
So when I was asked to do this, I was already watching everything a line. The idea for my next product launch was coming out of the fog and into the light. I was starting to know what I wanted to do and how I might do it. Then this seemed to randomly happen, this connection between two Christian women who wanted to serve the Lord and I just knew I was meant to do it.
The very colour scheme she had chosen for her event, I had already been working with the same colours with products I was creating before she told me what it was she had in mind and oh aren't moments like those grand? When your spirit leaps and you have that resounding affirmation like a bell inside your heart telling you this is the right answer? Would that we could get more answers like those so sure!
Of course insecurity got to me eventually; could I really do this? What was I playing at? Am I really going to make money off of The Lord's Word? Will digital art that I have put so much work, hours and heart into find it's market??? These are things that I struggled with during my design process. I know few consider digital art as prestigious or laborious enough to be worth payment. Ah, if they only knew!!
Back and forth I went with designs, colour changing, line angling. constructing, de-constructing and reconstructing sentences, printing prototypes, running them by friends again and again and again, considering how the designs and colours elicited different responses and what that meant for the over all collection.
With a little motivation from the right place, the founder of the event Jannel who unbeknownst to her, reminded me that this was a project done with divine purpose and not just with passion, I had a good shake off and got myself together. I remembered that half of the verses I would use in this deck found their way to me perfectly before the opportunity to use them did. Even before the project had fully formed in my brain!
I remembered that this action was so much bigger than I and I got back to work! I'm so glad I did!
Each of these designs was created with love an purpose. I laboured over the perfect colours, I researched the emotions those colours are known to bring out of many people. I searched the Holy scripture for verses that spoke from or to the heart of the writer, his or her struggle and successes. Atop that I ensured that there was not-so-hidden-poetry within each card so that if you read the highlighted words by themselves, they form their own kind of poetry!
This is the 'Brights' deck of The Lamp Lights Series. The symbol is an infinity heart seen in the background of the text on the info card. It is there to present the completeness of God's love and is done in a serrated line because though we are imperfect beings we are perfectly loved by Him. Hard to see it under that crazed line? Good, it's there on purpose because life gets crazy but this perfect love remains not phased.
Welcome my beautiful babies to the physical world! There is another deck to come in the end of winter/spring, summer and fall of next year. I'm also excited about some custom orders because these are motivational cards meant to keep you company on your desk or in your wallet or on your vision board, wherever you need them. Where ever they need to be I want them to be there for you.
These can be done for any event on a myriad of topics in a vast array of colour schemes. Interested in ordering a custom deck or perhaps a deck like these? It need to be for a Christian event but for a wedding, graduation, any even you desire I am happy to work with you to make it perfect with a set of motivational, inspirational cards unique to your own. Want a custom poem too? I got you boo. Let me know your thoughts and mood concerning the event and i will work with you towards greatness. Contact me via my facebook or instagram @ thewordyphoenix and lets talk about it.
Thank you again to Jannel for having me and for letting me use so many of the photographs from the event.
for more on the event see the Inspirational Events facebook page here
