Rise Above

“Rise Above”

Well one thing is for sure. We have all been there. Defeat. Fear. Failure. Loss.

I took this original reference photo exploring the thick “beach forest” of Grayton Beach. The undergrowth looks like a tangled mess of thorns & branches that melt into a dark abyss. Perched right on top of all that mess was this adorable little birdie. His head was held as high as it could go. His belly was puffed up with pride. His little head was almost glowing with light bouncing off his fuzzy head.

I had recently had a major shift in drive and direction and this time period was the beginning of me deciding that I have always been an artist and always will be. The epiphany that making art IS my soul’s purpose had just started to sink in. On this particular day for me, my art had been rejected from yet another gallery I had applied to. I have heard “it just doesn’t fit” more times than I would like to admit. So that email I received that morning of “no thanks, that’s not for us” was a gut wrenching blow, again. I guess I just thought it would be like magic and these art galleries would be thrilled to show my work. I chuckle as I write that.

So this mom day for me wandering around the bushes at Grayton Beach State Park held a magic moment for me. You know. One of those simple moments that has a lasting effect that only you will ever grasp the depths of the underlying meaning. There it was. God gave me a simple subtle sign.

RISE ABOVE honey. Let it all go. All that tangled mess is still there BUT it’s under your feet. You are stepping over. Stepping above. With time, you will fly away leaving that chaos behind. So just like that cute little birdie I made the conscious decision to RISE ABOVE, hold my head up high, let God’s light warm my heart, poof my chest out with pride of who and what I know I am and can achieve. Leave all those rejections under my feet. Rise above it all and focus on the open skies ahead not the tangled chaos below.

Thanks for joining me on this journey!