The Creative Process
Hey there! It’s been awhile, but I am back… and with a whole new look!
Meet Ezekiel Visions, now found on Erin Thomas Creative, along with all the other creative endeavors the Lord has nurtured in my life over the past 20 years.
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I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. Even before I ever knew that I was an artist, I was arting. My most vivid memories of my elementary days are filled with the joy of creating. I can still smell and feel my elementary art room and remember some of my favorite art projects. I now admire my primitive yet pretty sophisticated graphic designs for our basketball team shirts I made every year. I cherish the unexpected discovery of my love for drawing made in my Art I class during my senior year of high school. And, I am so grateful that God had me select a major I knew nothing about (and that made absolutely no sense for my life at the time) where I spent hours in art studios forming a deep well of worship within me.
After earning a degree in Fine Art at UL, I continued coaching basketball and working with young adults in youth ministry which eventually led me to the classroom. It was there that I discovered I loved sharing my artistic gifts with others. Then, through that avenue the Lord made a way for me into the Theology classroom, and, now, after 15 years of teaching and working in schools, I am in full-time ministry.
I have come to know the Creative Process very well. A work of art – a creative piece – begins with the preparation of gathering research and inspiration about an idea and leads to the marinating of that same idea. As the Holy Spirit works, so too does the artist. Together, they visualize, explore, examine, and develop the idea. Eventually, there is a “lightbulb moment” – the idea is clearly illuminated in the mind and the artist knows it is time to dive in. This decisive moment is not always a loud one… sometimes it’s only known through a quiet, contemplative whisper. But, since the creative process is not linear, you get started even if you are unsure of how it will go or of exactly where to start. The beauty of the process is that it will evolve and unfold with a chance to be remade or recreated as needed.
Last Fall, I entered into this creative process with God. With the realization that I was being remade, I dove in. As the Holy Spirit got to work on me, I learned to listen to the desires of my heart to develop a platform for my creative ministry. Today, I launched Erin Thomas Creative, a “mixed media collection” of the various gifts and passions I have fostered for many years. I brought over my blog that once lived elsewhere, incorporated speaking and writing into the mix, and merged my marketing and design endeavors here.
I am excited to see what develops, but, more importantly, to continue allowing God the chance to do more through me than I could have ever imagined on my own.
+ Ephesians 3:20-21 +
To learn more, visit ErinThomasCreative.com
