Week the First

As predicted, fatigue is preventing me from getting as much done as I would like, still, things are slowly moving forward and for that I am grateful. Though this does not look like much, I must remind myself that I have also watched a few hours of tutorials (which, while I need to rest is both a blessing and a frustration- I'd rather be doing something myself than watching someone else, but at least it's not time wasted?) and course material, done a fair amount of reading, bible study, reflection and planning. There has also been more insomnia than usual which has been less than helpful. On the plus side, I have had more dream recall and slightly less anxiety, which are both signs that my body is responding well to new supplements, so I am going to be thankful for that and not worry about the next thing on my 'to worry about' list. No, I don't actually have a list. And I know worry is fruitless, but that's one of the things with anxiety- you don't have to 'work on it', it happily wakes you up in the middle of the night and says, 'you'd better freak out about XYZ that could possibly happen in the future at sometime, or not....' Then leaves you there unable to fall asleep again with thoughts to take captive while you are in an excellent state of mental capability, and while your body is trying to control the breathing problem you didn't even notice at first over the expeditious beating of your heart. It takes over by stealth then exits leaving you to deal with it. In short, it sucks!

I thought I'd post the two prompts I've managed to complete.

The first is from Wanderlust. There was a lovely tutorial and the prompt to complete our own page using whichever techniques or materials we chose to complete the sentence: 'Today I am....'

I struggled a bit as usually my feelings aren't something I'd choose to make art about. For me, feelings are fickle, and they lie- that is to say, reality isn't always as my surroundings appear, so I prefer to chose something that would inspire me, or make me rise above how I am feeling. Let's face it, 'Today I am depressed/anxious/exhausted/frustrated'- as true as they may be, don't make for something I would want to look at (ie, in a piece of art) and would only feed that feeling. Well, that's my opinion. I also don't like to wish, or to 'speak into the universe' how I would like to feel/be. From a biblical viewpoint, that is akin to magic/witchcraft. That's not to say God wants me to be depressed or doesn't want me to be blessed. That is probably a theological  discussion for another time!

So, after having a lovely chat on Facetime with a friend (out of state), and a great Skype with my Mum (out of the country), I felt all warm and fuzzy, and I knew I had to capitalise on that! So, as my feelings lined up with a truth, I chose: Today I am LOVED. I mean, I know I am loved everyday, but somedays it just seems more real, more tangible. So I had a blessed little time feeding my creative self and was a nicer person to deal with for the rest of the day. At least I think I was ;)

Acrylic paint, alcohol ink, distress ink, gel medium, washi, empemera, dymo tape, ribbon, stamps, stencils and metal embellishment.

The second piece is from His Kingdom Come, TMD DNA 2016. Or first devotional for the year led me to think about how much God loves us; how He has provided perfectly for us to be forgiven and to be with Him. It was titled: Come as You Are.

It put me in mind of another devotional I had read this week that compared God's daily gift of mercy and His continuous love towards us.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases:

His mercies never come to and end; 

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

The devotional I read (link above) quoted Psalm 103:8 as 'I am full of mercy and grace and I overflow with love.' (as opposed to 'The Lord is compassionate and gracious. slow to anger, abounding in love' - (NIV) for eg. It said the version was WEB, but I can't seem to find any version that translates exactly these words 'overflow with love'.  I mean, overflowing and abounding are synonyms and to me it doesn't seem out of character for YHWH  to be described as 'overflowing with love'. I guess it visually made a better picture for me to grasp the staggering amount of God's relentless love! The photo for the verse was from Niagra Falls, suggesting the idea that God's mercy and love is unstoppable as it tumbles over us. I know that standing under a waterfall like that isn't going to end well for us- the metaphor is more about the sheer volume. Anyhoo. I have a personal preference for Iguazu Falls in Brazil, so I chose to do a watercolour of Igazu. I am still playing with my watercolours- and not often enough so I am still 'getting a feel' for them, but they are so fun to work with. Then I used an app to put the verse on my picture. 

Watercolour, digital media

And I am still prepping surfaces for the next few on the go. 

Trouble is, I moved furniture around last week and I have piles of books and art supplies etc to finish putting away before I have my space to move back... and that is going to require overcoming humidity, fatigue and not a small amount of procrastination... :)