Where Do Artists Work?

Illustrations by Michael Harrar copyright protected.

When I was teaching elementary art I had a poster that listed 100's of jobs where artists could work professionally. It included everything from book illustrators to muralists to cereal box designers. The variety of jobs that require an artist is astounding! The poster was meant to be encouraging to the impressionable minds that passed through my classroom.

This last week I've had two opportunities that have once again led me to think about how artists are used in a faith community. First, I had an opportunity to share an afternoon rendezvous over ice cream while my friend Michael and his wife who were traveling through the area. They have spent their professional years working for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Living all over the world Michael has, among other things, had the opportunity to use his artistic gifts illustrating Bibles, teaching natives to be artists, creating murals to spread the word of the need for Bible translation and even a chance to create a series of postage stamps. Secondly, I spent time with an artist who will display her fiber art in my home church gallery. She was asking about the history of the space and the type of art that had been displayed over the years. I don't know who had the wonderful idea of creating this space but it's been there for at least 17 years. It's brilliantly surrounding the area that our receptionist desk is placed, therefore the art is not to be missed by anyone who walks through this entrance. I've curated this space for the past two years and we've seen photographers, illustrators, oil painters, pastel artists and much more have a chance to exhibit. Some of the artists create liturgical work and others are Christians that recognize their gifts as from God. We celebrate all of these artists and try to use the space to educate our faith community. Additionally, when it is appropriate we make a connection to something that we are studying or celebrating in the church year calendar.

If I made a poster listing where artists of faith would work I don't think the list would be terribly different from the list I had in my classroom many years ago. The difference is how does the church respond to this, how do we encourage the artists, and how do we include them in our purpose. How are you doing in this area?

Celebrate Peace During Ordinary Time

Webster's defines peace as: freedom from war, tranquility, calm, a state of no anxiety, and having freedom from conflict. But it is only in Christ that we have true peace. Having peace with God through Christ and living a life faithful to Christ will allow us to be at peace with ourselves and others. I think peace is a great topic during this time of Ordinary Time and I wonder what a peaceful kingdom would look like in our homes, our city, our schools and our country? We can think of a few ideas to promote this topic:

• supply children with alternatives to war toys
• listen to people....everyone deserves to be heard
• light a peace candle during times of small group worship or before sharing a meal with friends (new and old)
• pray, "May peace prevail on earth"
• eat "Imagine Whirled Peace" ice cream by Ben and Jerry
• wear a Peace stole by Carrot Top Studio

How do you celebrate and encourage peace during this time of year?

I Am....

My first born is 17 (and a half!). He is manly and wise in many ways yet is floundering with the many choices and opportunities he has upon him as he approaches his senior year in high school. We're thankful for the time we have this summer to explore his spiritual gifts, what motivates him, and prayerfully seek insight as to how to magnify these things through education and a career after high school graduation. It struck me today how appropriate this type of acitivty is for many of us during the church's Oridnary Time. During this time between special liturgical seasons we are called to look for God in all the moments of our lives. A fun exercise for anyone to do is to quickly write ten "I am...." statements about yourself (whatever comes quickly to your mind) then share them with someone. Do the statements reflect your gifts and motivators? Can you see God in them? How can you grow in these areas? How can you make these parts of your life more linked to your life with God?

Speaking of I am statementes, I've been trying to Twitter for Carrot Top Studio to connect with more pastors and ministry leaders. It's struck me that Twitter could be called a social network of "I am...." statements. I am doing this...., I am not enjoying this...., I am connected to this...., etc. I have yet to decide of Twitter is a good thing or not, but if you want to follow us you can do it here.

Lastly, I'm thankful we don't have to decide whether the "I am..." statements of Jesus Christ are good, bad, or worth following. I draw comfort in knowing that Jesus is the bread of life, the light of the world, the true vine and so much more!

The "I am" stole pictured here can be found at Carrot Top Studio on this page. I think I need stop bloggins so I can go find my son and get him to make his list of "I am's"....I'm sure he'll be delighted that Mom has conjured up one more actitivty to help him with his discernment!

Stoles in Action-part 2

When you see tie dye what do you feel? Maybe times of joy, a sense of freedom, or lighthearted days come to mind? This stole in action was a perfect gift for a pastor who loves his tie dye! It was a really fun commission for us to work on.

Carrot Top Studio is now offering a tie dye stole in our online store. Find one here and one here!

What else says joy? We'd love to learn your ideas....and turn them into a stole!

Stoles in Action

Because of the nature of our e-commerce art studio we rarely get to see our stoles "in action" after they leave us. Occassionaly we are sent photos...thought you'd enjoy a few that demonstrate the diversity of the ministry leaders we serve.

This Noah's ark stole worn at a pet blessing by a pastor who has a passion for animal rescue.
The tree of life stole was the choice of this pastor for his latest installation service.

And, this ordinary time stole with fleks of golds, oranges, and reds was a great choice for for this autumn wedding ceremony.

What's Going on at Carrot Top Studio?

Summer does an odd thing to me and my time in the studio. I get this urge to clean out, reorganize and set new goals for our busy fall selling season. What does that mean for our clients? A few things that might interest you:

• our eBay offers this summer are mostly ministry stoles that we just have one left of in stock and we're offering them at rock bottom opening bids! We're on eBay as seller "carrottopstudio". What else would we be?
• we're rotating selections onto our "SALE" section on the website. Check it out here!
• the stole categories on the website are becoming more defined. Have you noticed the new "peace and healing" category and "music ministry" category?
• preparations are under way to add visitation, travel and confessional stoles to the website. We'll let you know when this goes live!

What are we missing? Is there anything you've been looking for to support your ministry visually that you can't find? We'd love to hear your ideas! Add a comment to the blog or email us at jenny.gallo@CarrotTopStudio.com.