I had many opening lines for this blog post, but I’ve deleted them all and decided to just cut right to the chase: I believe the gifts I have been given in this life are to be used for the glory of God.
Not something you would expect to see on a designer’s blog post, right? Is this blog going to be all over the place? Yup! Welcome to a blog where there is full transparency and topics that range from faith to pixels. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but I promise I will always be writing from the heart. Here goes…
I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that a big part of the reason why I quit my job was because I wanted to do work for the Lord. As a daily reader of She Reads Truth, I see these beautifully designed scripture passages in my email and throughout social media. They make me feel a sense of inspiration and yearning that no other type of design work has activated in me. It made me realize that I want to use design to beautifully communicate the gospel and to reach others in need. I think we all have seasons in our life when we question our greater purpose in this world and we begin to think about if we are living to our potential of who we are really meant to be. There are so many easy excuses and distractions that keep us from reaching our fullest potential. Fear and time seem to be two of the biggest that hold me back, and that probably rings true for most of us. Questions like, What if I don’t get enough work to support myself? What if my work is rejected? What if I don’t have time to design these things that really matter?
So, when I quit my job, one of the first items on my checklist was to use my God-given skill for His work. My faith leads me to believe that nothing happens by accident. Yes, I believe my design skills were given to me so that I could make a living, but I also believe that there is a much greater purpose there. Design has such a huge impact on the world. You literally can’t do anything without it—it’s everywhere, influencing you without you even realizing it. As I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve realized that I have this incredible skill set that can be used for things much larger than myself. I am not fulfilled by designing a really great Facebook campaign or creating an awesome logo. Of course I give those projects 110% and I always choose projects I can stand behind, but that doesn’t make me feel really fulfilled. What gives me joy is seeing how design can change people, move people, inspire people, provide new perspective, give encouragement, release happiness.
This past month I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Hannah Bellows. Hannah is a Missionary Associate to the Netherlands. She is being led by God to reach people who don’t know Jesus and to share the good news through theatre. That means she has given up any other agenda she had for her life to be obedient to God’s calling. Wow — how many people do you know that would do that? She is simply inspiring and a true picture of love and faith. In a few months, Hannah will be traveling to the Netherlands to provide a free musical performance, Corduroy. In preparation for the trip, she is performing the musical in local churches to share her passion. I was delighted to design posters for these local events and a prayer card that Hannah can give out to the audience. She is accepting donations at the door that will help support her trip, and I will be there to support her this Friday for the opening performance of Corduroy at First Assembly of God in Brookfield, CT.
Below is the poster I put together for Hannah, and it’s where you’ll also be able to read more information if you’d like to attend a free musical in your area. If you are interested in supporting her effort through an online donation, you can do so here.
