Category: Testimony

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How Inspired Joy Started

 

 

 

I am Emily, usually known as Em, and I'm the artist behind InspiredJoy.  I live with husband Tim, who does something computery for his job, and our cat, Petey, whose hobbies include sitting on the paper that I'm trying to draw on and chasing the top of the paintbrush that I'm using!  As for Tim and I, we love to play our collection of musical instruments, play board games and spend time with our friends.

 

I've been drawing for years, but more and more frequently in the last couple of years.  In 2019 I decided to do something with my art and Inspired Joy began.   I puzzled over the name for my artwork for quite some time, with no success.  Once I stopped trying myself, and God gave me the name, ‘Inspired Joy’ one day.  I knew straight away that this was it, the name to put on all my artwork.

 

I looked at the dictionary definition for ‘inspired’ and it means

'of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external impulse'

… and that’s where the designs come from… they are Inspired by God.

 

My pictures come from all sorts of places.  Sometimes I see a picture when I read the bible, sometimes it’s when I listen to songs, sometimes my notes from listening to a sermon are in the form of a picture or sometimes I have a particular verse that I would like to study.

 

When I get a picture, I try to scribble it down straight away so that I don’t forget it. Then begins the process of drawing, painting or writing it.  I try to seek God on every aspect of the piece of art work, such as whether it’s a painting or written piece and which materials and colours to use.

I don’t always get it quite right, but this is the start of my new journey!

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‘Rooted’

This new art print is originally from my Envelopes of Joy project, so some of you may have seen it before, even though it is brand new to the shop.  You can read more about Envelopes of Joy here.

 

The Design Process

I've had the idea of a flower as an illustration to go with this verse for a long time, but every time I tried to paint it, it was never quite right.  So I put the idea to one side for a while.  Fast forward over a year, and it was time to begin getting ready for the next Envelope of Joy design.  Each month I spend time praying about what the verse should be and I really felt it was to be Colossians 2 v 7 with some red tulips.  This design has actually ended up incredibly similar to the original paintings I tried, but this worked first time.  Just shows that in God's timing, things work better!

 

To me, the splatters of red coming from the tulip show the 'overflowing' and the stem needs to be strong just like we need to be strengthened.  (We'll ignore that fact that tulips are well known for becoming droopy quite quickly - then again, look what happens when they aren't connected to the roots!)

How It's Made

I usually create each print in parts - mainly because if I make a mistake with one thing, I don't have to start again!  Sometimes the original piece is all one together, but if I'm making it as a product, I do it in sections to enable better editing digitally.  I begin with the painting which is usually done with watercolours.  I then draw out the text separately, although for this particular print it is more written than fancy writing.   I do this separately to enable me to play about with layout and text size without damaging the painting with endless rubbing out.  The next stage is to scan everything in and put it all together (I use photoshop).  Here I can play about with the layout again and ensure that everything is neat and tidy.  Finally, it's ready to print  and send to it's new home.

 

 

This design is now available to purchase in various sizes in the shop.

 

 

 

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Mary and Martha

 

This latest piece of artwork is based on something I’ve been pondering on this week.  As everybody finds, sometimes life gets so crammed with things and we find ourselves being busy all day every day.  I was reminded of Mary and Martha  in the bible and felt challenged about whether I’m being a Martha or a Mary?  Am I being so busy with the things that I think need to be done or am taking the time to focus on Jesus first?   Sometimes I find the ‘to-do’ list gets so long that it begins to control my day and the deadlines that I feel are there dictate what becomes a priority – just like Martha.  Really I should be like Mary, putting all those things on the to-do list aside to seek Jesus first.  I’m definitely not managing to achieve this all the time, but having this picture in my mind or up on the wall is another prompt to help me along in the right way.

 

 

 

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‘The Oak Tree’

This print is based on a verse that remember learning in Sunday School as a child. It also reminds me of a song we used to sing too and I can’t help but sing the verse now when I read it!

 

I painted an oak tree for the illustration on this print, because oak trees remind me of great strength. I’m sure we could argue that all trees are strong (once fully grown or established) but to me, an oak tree can withstand far more storms and is maybe the strongest and most resilient.  When we are following God’s plan and seeking his will in everything we do and face, no matter what storms come our way, if we keep fixed on Him we will find the strength we need in Him.

 

You can now find the print to buy here.

 

 

 

‘The Oak Tree’ print was originally painted for my Envelopes of Joy project.  Here you can sign up to receive a small A6 size print in the post every month.  There are various length bundles available, with a brand new print each month.

Click here for more information on Envelopes of Joy.

 

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The God Of Comfort

This print features one of my most important verses from the bible.  It comes with a story to tell, a very personal story, but one that I would now like to share.  I’ve been drawing for a long time but until recently I’ve hidden my art away, because to me, each one tells a personal story and I like to hide away and not share what I’m going through.  Sometimes it feels like I’m opening up my diary for someone to read and that’s almost how it is with this verse.  The picture itself isn’t important, it’s the words that mean so much, so here is the story.

 

When I was 16 I had a bible that was divided up so that you could read the whole bible in a year  I wasn’t doing a particularly good job of reading it – in fact I’d barely read any at all.  Now comes the emotional part – when I was 16, my mum died very suddenly.  That night as I went to bed I picked up my bible and began to read the chapters for that day.  I only got a few verses in…here’s what it said:

 

2 Corinthians 1 v 3-4:

‘All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us.  He can comfort us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.’

 

That verse gave me so much comfort.  I almost felt like after a strange day of bewilderment at what had just happened, living in a daze, suddenly it made sense.  One day I would need to have been through this experience.  It didn’t mean the following days, months, years became easy, but I remember feeling a sense of purpose to this sudden extreme change to my life.

 

So here is a new print.  Hopefully you’ll use it remind yourself and others, that we have a God who knows all.  He knows the bigger picture.  He knows the purpose of why we go through the things that we do.  He is the source of our comfort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Available to purchase here)

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Keeping Close

So this is Petey, our cat, and he reminded me of something. Quite often Petey follows me around the house just wanting to be in the same room as me, if not sitting on me! One afternoon I was working at the computer and he was trying to sit with me. He tried sitting on my hand using the mouse, tried sitting on the keyboard, until at last he settled on the printer and curled up to go to sleep. I resisted the urge to print something just for fun and I laughed to myself as this is really not the most comfortable place to sleep when there is a sofa in the same room or even the carpet!

 

It did, however, challenge me. This is what we should be like with God, trying our best to stay close to Him. It won’t always be comfortable like curling up on a sofa. Sometimes it might feel like we’re trying to sleep on a printer, but that’s ok if we’re close to Him.

 

So this is Petey, our quirky cat, simply remind me of something very important.

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Occasionally Asked Questions

Here are some questions that I sometimes get asked about Inspired Joy, so I thought I'd answer them here!  You can also read more on my 'About Me' page.  Do get in touch if you have another question and I'll add it on to the end.

 

What is your favourite media to work with?

I love using watercolours, they’re probably my favourite media to use, but I am rapidly developing a love of pencil crayons.  I particularly love using them to add details over the top of the watercolours.  I enjoy using my graded pencils for little pencil drawings too.

 

Where do you get your ideas from?

My ideas come from various places:  reading the bible, spending time listening to God, listening to sermons, worship songs… the list goes on!

 

What is your vision?

My aim is not to become the next multi-millionaire, but simply to share my artwork of God’s messages.

 

What are your hobbies?

Drawing!  I do love to spend lots of time doodling, drawing and playing about with pens and paint.  However, I also have other interests!  I enjoy jigsaws, playing musical instruments and spending time with friends and family.

 

Do you have a favourite piece of artwork?

Usually whatever I’m busy working on!  My favourite changes constantly!  But if I had to choose, my 'Clothe Yourselves' print is probably on the favourites list and my favourite product are the 'Envelopes of Joy'.

 

How long does it take to complete each piece?

The time it takes to produce a piece of artwork varies from piece to piece – and how many times I file it away in the bin and start again!  I know when it’s not my best and will often start again until I’m happy!

 

How does Inspired Joy look after the environment?

Firstly I have a paper recycling box right next to my desk.  Where possible, my prints and postcards are printed onto recycled card.  I specifically chose biodegradable clear bags for my packaging when it is needed.  There are other little things, like using cardboard boxes that my orders arrive in as storage instead of buying plastic boxes and the rubber stamps that were made with my logo are from eco-friendly companies.

 

Where do you do your artwork?

I work at home, in a variety of places.  Sometimes I work in the kitchen if I need to make use of all the worktop space.  Sometimes I curl up with my sketchbook in the lounge (occasionally with the log burner going and usually a blanket!)  My favourite place to work though, is our ‘Spudy’ – the spare room / study!  I have all my resources up there, a desk by the window, my drawing board and plenty of space to spread out all my products and designs – also has the bonus of being the warmest room in the house!

 

Where did the name ‘Inspired Joy’ come from?

I pondered on the name for quite a while, with nothing feeling it the ‘the’ name.  Then one day, I was just scribbling down a to-do list for the day, which included some business planning, the name just came to me.  I instantly knew that this was the name to use.  As soon as I stopped trying, God gave me the answer.  ‘Inspired’ means 'of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external impulse' which is exactly where the designs come from  - inspired by God.