Kimberlie Dykeman Reveals Latest Signature Art at Holiday Event

What a joy-filled day! The Riverbend Church Annual Jingle Bells Market event was a blast and a success! All the labor-of-love work to create my art over the past 8 months; the challenge of designing an engaging set; and the painstaking set-up and break-down over yesterday and today (thank you MJ!) …was worth it. Yes, I sold oodles of crosses and hearts and cards and books. I earned several commissioned projects. I may have even booked a speaking engagement for a huge corporation. Amazing what can happen in a few hours.

But I didn’t sign up for this event to sell stuff.

I decidedly joined a host of wonderful folks who came together in unity, in a church, to share their passion for using their gifts to create beautiful things.

I helped support an event and organization that gives back to charities, our community and, perhaps, society as a whole.

And. Well. I gave myself a platform in front hundreds of people to be an artist for the day. Just an artist. I got to set aside business, bills, computers, doctor visits, workouts and worries… and be… an artist. That might not sound like a big deal, but think about it. When was the last time you actually shed your weekday, workaholic skin and just let yourself be in the moment…or be completely creative… or share your emotions with zero expectations? And let fear take a backseat to focusing just who is in front of you?

Well, today I crammed that all together into a day I won’t soon forget. The authentic, heart-felt conversations about faith, love, life, family and fears that confettied just a few hours revealed that indeed God is involved in the littlest details of our days. I had folks pray for me and with me; well up in tears about the moms they miss and their sisters who are fighting cancer; tell me childhood stories of joy and new homes and new jobs and awesome grandkids. Complete strangers became beautiful connections in a blink. And that is powerful.

Anyone who thinks we’re just a bunch of humans on this big planet, slated only to eat, sleep, work and repeat, and not part of a bigger picture… is a fool. I definitely don’t agree subscribe to that view… but I sure as heck will keep praying that you have your aha moment sooner than later!

And I’ll keep creating days like this for myself…to step outside myself, wear my heart on my sleeve, and be the person God created me to really be.     ~ KD