inspired.

Last week I had the opportunity to tag along to a creative conference in Texas with Josh & his bosses. I thought it would be fun, but I had no idea what would stir in my heart. The conference is put on in Dallas at a mega church called Watermark. Easily the most beautiful church I have ever seen, down to every detail. 

One of the days, we were lucky enough to catch a Rangers game! So hot. Like Clovis is hot, don't get me wrong, but that humidity is another ball game. Pun intended. 

The conference was designed and put on by people that work in churches, make church media, lead worship, etc. There was a ton that was over my head and not applicable, but there was a ton that was directed at artists in general though. I left feeling so inspired. And full, there was no shortage of food or caffeine at this joint. Chik Fil A, Krispy Kreme, one day there was even ice cream trucks they had rented out. 

The theme of fear // what fear does to us as artists was in almost every session we had. As artists we are so afraid that what we are making might not be appreciated or it might be just being plain bad. The funny thing is, we all have to be bad at some point in order to start our journey to being better, ok, and eventually being good. The loaded question of "what would my life look like if I acted like fear wasn't involved?" can only lead to me asking myself, "what am I afraid of?" One of the other speakers phrased it by asking, "what does the little voice inside you tell you can't do?" That made it a little bit easier. 

 I thought a lot about when I am doing hair and make up. And I thought about writing my blog. My fears for both are pretty similar. What if nobody cares? What if nobody likes it? What if people are talking about how much they don't like it? What if I am irrelevant? The thing is, we are all afraid. We are all afraid of failure. That is Satan's easiest foothold into messing with our heads, tempting us to back down from what we love and what we are called to. I am guilty of watering down my blog from too much Jesus talk because it won't be read by as many people as when I post pictures of my wedding. I hate that. 

What kept coming to my mind was, the power of stories. Then another speaker touched on how important stories are to us, how much we connect with them, and how much more we remember them in the long run. That is where I really stopped and thought, that's what I want my blog to be. I want my blog to be about stories. Stories that we read, connect to and hold on to. I want to tell my stories, my friends stories, little, big, funny, stupid, or emotional stories. I want to tell our stories. Stories are what make up our lives. Stories are what make us cry, laugh, and come to our knees. Stories empower us, move us, lift us up and encourage us. And the best part is, we all have stories to tell. 

I believe so deeply in being real and true to who you are at all times. This is a place where I am just that and can share my stories. I have a couple friends who are gonna share their stories here too, I can't wait. Thank you guys for your love & support! 

xoxo