It's Not Too Late

A Missive from the Field: Issue 5, vol. 1

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

My neighborhood is bursting with signs of spring. 🌿

Leaves are sprouting from winter-worn branches, the buds of flowers are unfurling in a riot of color. Everything is growing so quickly, that if you stand still long enough, you can almost watch it happen in real-time.

But as I make my daily rounds, I notice some trees aren’t leafed out yet. Bare, scraggly branches stretch out, reaching beyond their green-clad brethren. I know from my years in agriculture, that sometimes, it takes a little longer for certain trees to come out of dormancy. Patience is a virtue, but especially when it comes to growing things. Many amateur gardeners have ripped out trees a couple weeks into the growing season, thinking they are dead, when they just needed just a little more time.

Getting outside to paint is a highlight of this warmer weather.

In a similar fashion, the temptation can be the same for us as creatives. Every day we are inundated with the highlight reels, the social conditioning that we need to have it all together by the time we’re 25, and plain-old comparison rearing it’s head, and it can be hard to look at our own location in the journey with anything other than a mix of fear and despair. (I’m guilty of this, too.)

But I need you to hear me: It’s not too late.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who didn’t step into their destiny on man’s made-up schedule. Abraham was over 70, Caleb and Joshua were advanced in years entering the promised land, Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) didn’t conceive until she was in her old age, and even Jesus didn’t begin his earthly ministry until his 30s. Over and over and over again, we see the affirmation that when we are walking the path He designed for us, earthly timetables do not apply. As creatives, this can be an immense encouragement, because not all of us are where we want to be. Some of us never had the opportunities at early ages to begin understanding the gift that is within us. Some of us had to fight uphill battles to even have the privilege of exploring and discovering that we had a gift in the first place.

Those perceived setbacks, while undoubtedly frustrating, don’t negate your path, and don’t make you any less worthy than the younger, more accomplished artists you may meet along the way.

Newly Released Work 🌱

• “Sword of Truth” and another of my paintings titled “Joyful Carp” appeared in Wandering Lights Magazine’s inaugural issue.

• My painting “At the Fish Ladder,” featuring my sons, will also be appearing in Pure in Heart Stories at the end of April

• I created a Discord server for Christian and Catholic creatives of all disciplines to fellowship, encourage and pray for one another, brainstorm, collaborate and enjoy community. If you’ve been looking for a creative community, maybe this is for you!

Onward with Courage… 🌿

The important thing to remember is this: with God, nothing is wasted. Perhaps even those struggles and delays and non-art experiences are the very thing needed to set your art apart from all the rest. Would Grandma Moses, Paul Cezanne, and Hokusai be the artists we know them to be if they had achieved early notoriety? Probably not. Lasting greatness needs time to percolate.

Don’t let Instagram lie to you.

It’s not too late for your art.
❦ Heather

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**If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider checking out some of my other work or purchasing something from the shop. 🌿

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