A Lesson Learned From Art Class

Saturday, September 30, 2017


I made a mistake!  Oh no!  And it's too late to fix it, what should I do?

I was loving how everything was turning out on my paper.  In art class the other day we all got to play around with watercolors. The flower I was painting was slowly taking shape as I added on each layer.  An idea came to my head.  My flower needed outer petals.  I dipped my brush into the red and mixed it with some white until I had the perfect shade of pink.  Without much thought I placed my brush on the paper and painted more petals.  

Let's just say the picture I had in my head is not what happened on the paper in front of me.  I tried to make it work.  I added more paint and  then I tried to get rid of the extra paint.  Nothing worked, I messed up. 

Refusing to just push aside this piece as a mistake and try again I took out my pens and attempted to save my work.  I blended the pink colors into a background wash and added pen to make the flower stand out.  It worked! 

The painting didn't end up how I had originally planned it to turn out, but overall, I love how this piece turned out.  I couldn't resist adding a simple quote with hand lettering!

My art teacher even came over and commented on my work.  But the first words that came out of my mouth as she looked at my piece was; "This was a mistake."

She quickly told me that it was not a mistake, nothing in art is a mistake.  It may not have turned out how I wanted it to turn out, but it wasn't a mistake.  She pointed out how I was able to use my creative mind to solve the problem and still create a beautiful piece of art.  She also said if I keep trying to get the desired effect I will only get better as I practice.

Encouraged, I went on to play some more with my watercolors.  I painted more flowers and landscapes remembering to keep in mind that as I explore with art I'm not messing up or making mistakes, I'm making art.


As I reflect on the dilemma I had with my flower painting, I can't help but see a life lesson to learn from this experience.  So often in my life I find myself in situations that are similar to my messed up piece of art.   

My life is like the painting on the paper in front of me.  As each day goes by a new layer is added to the painting.   I make choices for my life each day.  I have dreams and hopes.  I have an idea in my head of what I want the painting to look like whens it's done.  

But, let's face it, things happen and my life takes an unexpected turn.  Maybe it's a season of pain, or heartbreak.  Maybe it's a prolonged season of waiting.   Hard times come and I start to wonder what happened to the beautiful picture?  It was turning out just how I wanted it to, but now...  The brush suddenly slips, the paints spill on the canvas, the beautiful painting is no longer perfect, it's messed up.  I made a mistake.

What my teacher told me about my artwork is true of my life as well.  There is no such thing as a mistake.  Maybe my life isn't turning out how I want it to turn out, but I must never allow myself to forget Who holds the brush.

God is the painter, I am a the painting.  God doesn't make mistakes.  When God has me go through hard seasons in life I can trust that He knows what He is doing.  Even if the painting looks like one big mess right now, I'll just keep trusting God.  I know that in time God will turn it into something beautiful.

Fall is Here Again!

Saturday, September 16, 2017


Fall is almost here!  It's only six more days until it's official!  This week the weather has been amazing.  Cooler weather has finally arrived and I don't ever want it to leave. Whenever I go outside I look around and see that the leaves are already starting to fall.  Oh, fall, how much I love you!  I'm so glad you're back.

Fall actually isn't my favorite season.  But it should be, haha.  I always say that spring is my favorite season, but I LOVE fall so much too.  Of course it's partly due to the fact that I'm just so ready for the summer  to be over so I always welcome fall with open arms.


You know what's absolutely crazy?  I haven't even had my first pumpkin spice Latte yet!  What!?!?!  Haha! Now that it actually feels like fall I think a trip to Starbucks is going to be in order soon.

Oh, I'm so happy.  Today I wore a my cozy plaid shirt and spent some wonderful time outside enjoying the crisp air.  It won't be long before I can start wearing sweaters, scarfs and boots again!


Usually I can't wait to wear my fall boots.  I believe I even had a post once about my boot obsession. Well, it's funny how a year can change you.  This year I could care less about my boots.

During the summer I invested in a new pair of sandals.  I say invested because I bought myself a pair of Chacos which were about $100.  Yeah, I'm not joking.  I've heard so many good things about the Chaco brand, not to mention all my friends had a pair.


But these shoes are seriously the best!  Not only are they cute and go with every single outfit, they are unbelievable comfortable.   I can stand for hours in them and my feet don't hurt.  And when summer includes lots of water adventures (rafting, canyoneering, backpacking) these are the shoes to bring.

Now that summer is coming to an end it is time to transition to fall. But I still plan on wearing my Chacos every once in a while, haha


Anyway, Happy fall! I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather :)

When God Says Wait

Sunday, September 10, 2017


"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

God says wait.  Wait for Him and have courage.  But the last thing my heart wants to do is wait.  For so long God has been telling me to wait.  It's hard not to get tired. I desire to find out what is waiting for me behind all this waiting.

But God says it again.  Wait.  I know I have to listen.  

The hardest part about waiting is constantly having to put my dreams on hold. Everyday I am always reminded that time is ticking by and I'm still here waiting.  I have dreams, so many dreams...the last thing I want to do is wait.   

I need to be reminded of the truth; my God has bigger plans for me than my dreams.  Even though I don't know how much longer God will have me wait, I know it will be worth it in the end. 

I used to think of waiting as a bad thing.  A set back in life.   I still struggle sometimes with this thought.  I tell myself;  "I should be out their chasing my dreams, instead of here waiting".  But the problem is that I forget who I'm waiting for. I'd rather be waiting on the everlasting God who holds my future in His hands than aimlessly trying to chase my dreams on my own.   Not to mention that each day I spend waiting for God I'm learning to rely completely on Him.

Okay, God, I'll wait.  

You know what, when I look at waiting with this perspective, it's not that hard anymore.  It's actually exciting.  

So here's to waiting!  Thank you God for this season of waiting on You and for using it grow me closer to You. 

I will be strong and take courage and I will wait because my God is going to do great things for me :)