Miss Sorenson had me at “Hello, class. Welcome to fourth grade.” She was kind, not like that other teacher, who once rapped my knuckles at recess. Even more importantly to my nine-year-old values were Miss Sorenson’s suede pumps. These pumps were the color of purple crayons. Her glamour fascinated me. Purple shoes? But

I am so passionate about artists. We are a deep, wild, creative, unusual, inspiring, intuitive lot, aren’t we? We have the courage to turn ourselves inside out and put it out into the world for others to see. I’m also passionate about living life fully, embracing freedom, empowerment, and joy. I never want to live

“But I’m not a writer,” I whispered to the Lord. It was the last day of my last child’s last year of high school. Does that make sense? For this mother of four it meant my life was about to change drastically. For more than two decades my focus had been upon parenting my children.

  There’s a call on your life. God given. Purpose driven. Undeniable. So what’s next? If you’re like most creatives, it’s nigh on impossible to market yourself effectively. When someone at a party asks what you do, you either over-explain it till their eyes glaze over or under-explain your important work with one sentence. “I’m

West Michigan oil painter and illustrator Jim Connelly is a true believer—in artistic mission statements. A few years ago, he crafted a statement which named his artistic aim. “As an artist,” he wrote, “I humbly pursue the godly excellence I see in creation by practicing my craft daily with energy and reverence for the gift

Yes, you read that right. I’m going to be discussing talking heads. Now, I know you’ve all heard the expression before in writing classes. Too often, the gestures and actions only happen from the shoulders up! Once again, you read that right. Let’s look at these samples: “I don’t know.” Rob shrugged. “Nor do I.”