avery weldy, itsdoodle.co
Today is another guest takeover on the blog! Avery is one of the most creative and aesthetic people I know :) But what I love about her is that she sees creativity as a chance to reflect the Creator. I asked her to share a little more about her mindset on this & I can't wait for you to see it & maybe even get a little "messy" with your idea of creativity. Enjoy!
make yourself at home,
Liv
From the first words that ever left his lips, reaching the stars stretched across the sky, to the paint brush in my hands - creativity is the core of our existence. every little bit of our earth breathes the artistic vision of a creator. Genesis 1 (aka the very first words of the Bible) : “In the beginning, God CREATED the heavens and the earth.” He spoke and everything he knew to be good and perfect and beautiful spun into existence. He crafted the trees to sway in the wind, He painted the sky with rainbows of color, He hand crafted every flower petal… and it was p e r f e c t. The bible teaches us that we take on the characteristics of God: God is love, therefore we are love. God is kind, therefore we shall be kind. God is a creator, therefore we are created to create.
Now, its easy to dismiss the idea of creating if you don’t consider yourself a top notch artist. Personally, I stepped away from any type of drawing or painting as soon as I discovered there were a lot of people who were “better” than me. This past year I have learned so much about what the word creative actually means. Going back to Genesis 1; God is a creator. And he was not some Van Gogh sunflower painting man from the Netherlands… God expresses his creativity through loving us, relationships, showing his justice and righteousness and SO MUCH MORE. You guys!! Allowing myself to get messy with my idea of what creativity looks like has changed the way I look at the world. I find so many new opportunities to connect to the father in the littlest of things. I have come to learn that worship is not meant to only be singing songs with bands and melodies, but it can also be sitting in silence, journaling, painting, and even making coffee! worship is us giving God the glory and living in a posture of thankfulness and gratefulness for what HE has given to us. Worship is a lifestyle and posture, not just simply a melody.
I want to share a few of the ways I connect to God through different creative outlets, and possibly spark a new interest for you!
simply musical worship. I love specifically teaching myself guitar & learning new worship songs, or some of the ones I have already known and loved. It gives me a chance to sing without thinking who may be listening or who cares, because in this moment its just me and God.
writing music. I’ve dabbled in writing songs and there’s honestly nothing sweeter than just sitting down and singing what your heart is feeling without any direction or train of thought. it gives you freedom to let the
Holy Spirit speak through you. try it once and see what happens :)
journaling. this has been a holy grail for me the last three years. there’s something so freeing and beautiful to be able to express what you’re feeling from pen to paper. it gives you the opportunity to make mistakes and look back and see how you’ve grown. writing down my concerns and prayers helps to keep me focused and look back to see how specifically God has answered those prayers and how much I’ve grown.
bible journaling & reading. (go to my instagram @itsdoodle.co to see a video of how i bible journal!) its such a beautiful way to fill your bible up with color & plus writing down things that stick out to you actually helps you to remember them &&& make it more fun to read!
visual journaling. this is the practice of using water colors, a pencil, or newspaper (really any art supplies) throwing on some worship music & just letting go! I’ve began to do this most recently & i feel so free. I begin with either just a specific color or shape or idea and just let my random art wonder. I let go of any perfection or specific thing im trying to do. really i do wh
atever first comes to my hand. after making a mess on the page i sit back and ask God, “what does this mean in this moment”. I usually journal for a bit and suddenly, (sometimes, not always) I walk away with a new perspective or a new understanding of what im feeling or where im at. (for great videos about visual journaling look up ‘cageless birds’ on youtube!)
exploring nature. This is always a go to for me. Gods creation is all around us and when we get into it he can speak so loudly. Nature gives me a sense of peace and understanding of who i am and where i am. as simple as that
And honestly you guys, it is so so easy to connect to God with literally anything you’re doing. invite him into your everyday moments. allow him to teach you something through the way that one bird always greets you on your morning walk. allow him to show you patience when the house feels overwhelming when you’re trying to make dinner. allow him into the everyday, because that’s where he wants to be.
If you need a breather- sit down in your happy place, discover your way to create something with him (whether that’s physical, emotional or mental) and breathe in his name, YAHWEH. one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever learned is that the word Yahweh, which is a Hebrew name for God in the old testament, is originally translated to YHWH, with no vowels. Now take a deep breath in… and out. do it again and listen closely, and notice how your breath speaks out YHWH. breath his name. allow him to work in your everyday life, in every breath.
From Avery:
Thank you for taking the time to read something that is so deeply set on my heart. I hope God blesses you through this writing and that you find more creative ways to connect to the Father through the everyday. My name is Avery, and I am the founder of Doodle.co - an instagram based community to help share the Fathers heart for creativity & connection. I also have a website with a collaborative blog, personally designed shirts for you to purchase, and stickers soon to come! If you would like to follow along as doodle.co grows, you can follow us on instagram for regular posts as well as subscribe to our blog to read something new every monday from someone different across the globe. If you would like to write something for doodle.blog, email me at itsdoodle.co@gmail.com and we’ll set you up! If you would like to follow me on my personal journey through life my instagram is @averyweldy ! I hope you have a wonderful day!!!
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