University Blog

Art of University

Posted by Alyssa Carroll on

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

-  Ephesians 2:8-10 

Throughout my childhood, I was one of those kids that liked to draw and sketch. I never really gave it much thought, it was just something I did to pass time. As I grew to be a teenager the inevitable questions of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life came flooding at me. You see, I wasn’t a very decisive teenager and so I put off making this decision until my junior year of high school. I had just assumed I would go into the medical field like the rest of my family. As I explored those options nothing really clicked or felt right. One day I was messing around in Microsoft Paint editing a photograph (something I now find very comical) when my mom walked in and saw what I was doing. She suggested I look into graphic design. Not knowing anything about it I started doing research and this led me down the path of eventually getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. 

Looking back it never occurred to me that pursuing something like art or graphic design was even an option in my life. I thought art was just something you did for fun, not something God would call you to do as a career. As I have grown in my faith I have gained a new appreciation for the creativity God has weaved into each one of us. I’m not just talking about the creativity to make visual art. Each one of us has been given the gift of creativity to organize spreadsheets, navigate relationships, raise children, run businesses, treat the sick, and many other callings that require us to think outside the box. With all of these gifts, the people of God make a beautiful mosaic of different colors and shapes that reflect His glory and power.  

As the community at University continues to grow, we are trying to find new ways people can explore the calling God has placed on their lives. One of the ways we’re doing this is through Art at University. In what I hope to be an ongoing quarterly exhibit, we are asking folks that feel called to make visual art create pieces based on certain themes. The theme for this summer is hymns and worship songs. This is something I’m really excited about and I hope you join me in making a piece inspired by your favorite hymn or worship song. 

For more information about submitting your artwork click here.  

Happy Arting, 

Alyssa Carroll

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