Before I left the race, I was finishing 2 art degrees and graduated in December. I’ve been a bit anxious ever since I knew about going on the world race as to how I’d live my life after school. I knew this next year would be spent traveling and doing missions work, but I didn’t know how I was going to squeeze in art as I’ve known it for the past 3 and a half years.

I’m used to being challenged creatively and making things; using power tools, cutting things with an xacto and ruler, using a decent sized vehicle to transport supplies and finished work. Having these things brings comfort to me-or at least allows me to realize artistic ideas. But on the race we’re limited on baggage space and weight (our next flight allows 15kg [33lbs] checked and 6kg [13lbs] carry on!)…..and I so wanted to bring along a cutting board, xacto and ruler.

So the challenge was finding out how I can be artistic this year with limited resources, time, electrical power and internet.

And so far, for the last two months, God has been showing me ways to really do that.

I had the chance to produce a video that I wanted to add a little flavor to, so I incorporated simple animations. I had to figure out how I was going to do it without normal resources. But I found a way to simplify it, find a printer in town for fairly cheep, use my camera, discover ways to simplify to save money and time…next thing I know, I had a video I could be proud of. Check it out from an earlier blog here.
 
 

I also brought some charcoal with me. I’m not the biggest fan of drawing, but I love the benefits of having it my journal and looking back at memories drawn rather than written or photographed-so I brought some. In NZ, when we were helping out at the YMCA, I brought it out one day and was drawing portraits of some of the kids. They’re pretty terrible and my drawing 2 teacher probably wouldn’t give me a very high grade, but having drawing utensils out got the kids involved and excited to be drawn and draw their own things
 
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And most recently, when we were in Byron, we were helping out a local youth center by painting the awning covering to the front of the building. There was talk about a mural and waves to be painted on the posts so I had an opportunity to dream up possibilities for it. I’ve never done a mural or really do I even paint at all aside from bedroom walls, but it was great to stretch my brain in that. Time didn’t allow for the mural, but I have a cool sketch and idea for one and we did paint the waves.

 
 
So I’m mostly encouraged to see what’s going to happen this year. I was anxious to see how I’d be able to stick to my morals of producing art on a trip like this, but God is showing me how it’s possible and how I can be stretched to think creatively. For that I’m more than grateful, at peace and excited to see what inspiration will come next.