I had a unique opportunity last Saturday that I just have to share. I met up with my friend Emily, and we had some great conversation and dialogue about life, love, and art. Emily is one of those people who just lights up a room when you walk in. Her passion, love of life, and encouragement is so contagious; I always leave from our get-together times simply fulfilled. Can it get any better than that?
Emily is an artist extraordinaire. By that, I mean that she is sacrificing a lot to pursue her dreams as an artist. She gave up a full-time job and moved out to the country in order to acquire studio space and explore what being an artist means for her life. That's bold. And brave. And beautiful. (I might be slightly jealous.) This is my favorite piece of hers... so far:
One of Emily's artistic focuses centers around creating Listening/Memory pieces. I'll let her explain her process better here so I won't butcher it, but basically, after an interview time, she creates an image based on a provided memory that serves as a reminder to the commissioner of where they've come from in life. Pretty unique.
So I'm working on collecting artwork for our next Mercy Project fundraiser coming up in June. (MUCH more on that later.) I had asked Emily to contribute a piece for the auction, and she decided to interview me about our trip to Ghana last summer as the premise for her piece. I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical. What would I have to say that could possibly turn into this amazing piece of work? Well, that's when you have to just trust the artist! So on Saturday, Emily and I sat down, and while I talked about the trip, she sketched and 'recorded' my memories in a visual way. It was amazing. I was surprised at the emotion I still felt in talking about the first time to touch down in Africa, teaching art to precious children, and holding the hand of a child in slavery. And then to see that drawn out through another's interpretation – just a really powerful experience.
Emily has recorded a bit more on her site here, as well as posted the original sketch. Go check it out! She'll now take this sketch and turn it into a masterful painting for our auction. I can't wait to see the final; I'm just afraid I'm going to want to keep it for myself!
The last thing I'll say about all of this... is this: I was reminded this weekend of the important task we have as Christians to tell our stories to others. Your story may not include a trip to a remote jungle in Africa, but it no doubt includes moments in which to celebrate, learn from, and share with others. Live a good story today!
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