When God's creativity surprises you!

I'm not an artist!

This is a sentiment I once said myself, and I hear ALL the time when I share Visual Faith® Ministry with those I interact with.

But I've always loved to be creative, whether through crafting homemade cards or writing on my blog.

This past spring, I received the opportunity to play with alcohol inks at VFM co-founder, Connie Denninger's home. The weather finally cooperated so we could be in an open-air space, and it was a great group of ladies who were gathered, excited to try different tools and techniques with alcohol inks.

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I love the VFM community because I often will try things I normally would not try on my own. In community, there is belonging and encouragement and I tend to try new things, even if it takes a few tries to get the hang of it.

My creations drying!

We were inspired by one another and tested a variety of colors and techniques. I didn't know what I would do with them yet; I was just having fun!

But as I was taking pictures of them, I realized that maybe more could be done! The next day I uploaded the photos to Canva and that is where the fun continued!

Playing with the images, font styles, and Scripture passages in Canva.

A phone camera is more than sufficient for high-quality use, which means photos can be utilized however you would like to use them! With alcohol inks, I had attempted to make a few water scenes, a sky and pasture, and other random designs.

For the water scenes, I recalled some of my favorite Bible passages and also tried to highlight baptism. The grass and sky scene reminded me of Psalm 23.

I got so excited because I realized I could create cards and postcards and then print and send them! One of the first hobbies I had started as an adult was to make and send cards, so this was just another creative way to continue to enjoy this past time!

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Just as so many artists have generously gifted their drawings and creations to Visual Faith® Ministry, I wanted to also share these cards to be utilized by more people! You can find these free cards in the Shoppe!

I hope this is an encouragement and reminder that you are creative! Whether you are coloring an image from VFM, writing out Scripture, or using mixed media in your journal, you are creative! More importantly, you are spending time with God and He delights in you!

And what I say to people now is, "Well, you were created by the Creator of the heavens and earth who made you in His image; therefore, YOU ARE creative!"