Unusual

I’ve been painting daily this month as part of a challenge to be creative for 31 days in a row. Today’s watercolor creation called for layers upon layers. Each layer left out one more piece of the puzzle.

With each new color layer, I was surprised with the result! I started in the middle of the rainbow, and instead of Roy G. Biv, I painted Yor Vib G. Yellow and orange were no surprise. Red over yellow and orange was just more orange. Violet over red just made a slightly darker red. Indigo over violet, the top diamond, still showed more orange/red than I expected. The blue was surprisingly dark over it all! I used a lime green for the last layer, but the blue underneath darkened it quite a bit. It needed two coats just to be seen. I’ll have to try this again with different shapes and colors, since it was such a fun discovery!

I’ve been posting my daily creations on social media for the simple need for accountability. Not everything I post is worthy of accolades, but knowing that folks are watching keeps me at it when I might have otherwise dropped out of the challenge.

I enjoy creating unusual designs and patterns, but I can’t say that I love abstract art. I can’t quite let myself get that messy.

Our creativity is a gift, part of our imago dei. We were created in the image of God, who is himself a creative creator! Whether we write, sing, act, paint, sculpt, design cities or buildings, decorate homes, or make beautiful, delicious new recipes, we were made to create. Something inside of us wants to make something never seen before–something unusual and extraordinary! We want to make a mark on this world.

Perhaps that mark could be our very lives shining as unusual lights in the darkness of our times.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life…

Philippians 2:14-16a ESV

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This post is written in response to Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday link-up! These prompts are fun to respond to, and only take five minutes to compose.