Thankful for Thotful

This morning I woke early to be a guest speaker in my friend’s high school drawing class.  With Starbucks in hand (liquid courage) and a stack of my freshly printed books and portfolios, I headed off to what I hope is the first of many opportunities to encourage up-and-coming artists about the joys of a creative profession.

As I reflect on that, I am so thankful I can say that my artistic journey so far has been a joyful one.  It took a few years to get the wheels turning and the motors running, but as of January 3rd 2012 my small business, Thotful LLC, will be one year old.  Though not everything has been smooth sailing, and I know there will be (many) bumps in the road, I can truly say that I’m glad this is my journey, my mountain to climb, and I wouldn’t ask for anything different.

I was recently reminded of a Bible passage one of my favorite professors read to us in an illustration class:

2 Samuel 22:36
31 “As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You give me your shield of victory;
you stoop down to make me great.

Finding freelance work is a faith walk. In a competitive field like art, you are not guaranteed to find work every day. You are not guaranteed a paycheck at the end of every week.  This field is difficult, and as with some others (i.e. entertainment and sports) it seems as though success is based solely on outperforming your peers. However, the beauty spoken through this passage is that the artist who trusts God knows that it is God who supplies greatness.  “36 You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.” It is God who gives strength. It is God who provides successes, and holds on to us when we fail.  This knowledge takes the pressure off of me and my desires to succeed in my career.  As a freelancer, I trust God with my paycheck and my provisions believing that he can, and will, provide for me.  Possibly not in the way that I expect, but I know He deeply cares for my well being.

So what does that mean for me?  I’m filled up with joy, filled up with strength, filled up and overflowing with the desire to share how God has been good to me.  I’m so thankful to have been able to share this with the high school drawing class this morning, and I’m equally blessed to share this with you.

Stay tuned for more images and updates soon! Lot’s going on here at Thotful!