Inspiration...Where does it come from? God, of course!

I go through  periods of time, where it seems like everything I do creatively, is work.  I mean, like hard work.  I struggle to pull everything out, from wherever it is, and to make it good.  Those times are rough.  Those are the times when staring at the tv seems like all I can do.  Those are the times when I look for anything else to do, so I don't have to think about what I am NOT doing.... ....creatively, that is. 
Thankfully, those times are not usually long lasting.  And when all else seems to fail to inspire....I go to music.
Music, for me, is a deep part of who I am.  I can't go a day, an hour, sometimes even a minute without music somewhere in my background.  All kinds of music...rock, country, hip hop, alternative, and worship especially.  Wherever I seem to be, at any point in my life, there is a soundtrack.  And the soundtrack of my life inspires!

At this point, I am soaking up the worship music.  Everyday, all the time, every chance I get, right now even...this is the soundtrack of my life.  There is something that happens to me when I am in worship and the music is really touching me.  I mean deeply. 
And right now, it happens to be a wonderfully annointed leader named Richard Andrew.  Please check out his music here, it's amazing.  Sometimes it's even overwhelming.  What I mean by that is, sometimes I can't even process the overwhelming feeling of entering into the presence of God, it's so powerful.  And God has truly annointed Richard to be able to take us, in worship, to the place of the Most High. 
So there I was, sitting in the front row at The Rivers Edge (local peeps, check it out...awesome) minding my own business, and worship started, and it was 36 minutes of overwhelming.  Really!

So back to the inspiration.  We worshipped to a song that reached my heart, and all day yesterday, I had a vision in my head about where I wanted to go with it.  I wanted to do a journal page, but I did not yet have the images put together how I wanted it.  So that started a whole process.
First I had to create the original image, which I did, using the image of a tree that I had drawn for another piece a few years back.  I printed the tree, did a gel medium transfer onto watercolor paper to get the image directly on the paper (without having to draw it again) and some background color.  I then added some details and scanned it into photoshop.  I wanted parts of the journal page in black and white, so I added layers and textures so I could make the water a monochrome image.  I then adjusted color and added the dove image and printed.  Now I had images to use in my journal, so I took bits and pieces, added charcoal and oil pastel and gesso.  (These journal instructions are part of Pam Carrikers Strathmore journal class I am taking. I needed some prompts to get working, and this class has been just the ticket. click the link to sign up...it's free!!)

So, at the end of a long, inspired process, not only do I have what I wanted for my journal, I have three separate pieces, very different, inspired by the same worship song. So one more time, I thank God, as He never ceases to amaze me, and never stops inspiring!!
"You'll find me there, singing hymns of praise.  Under the shade of a tree, down by the rivers edge.  Where His people gather and sing, unto the Lamb"........richard andrew