On this canvas known as our existence I explore the places where spirituality and creativity intersect. Here lies the profound masterpiece that is the soul, I pour mine out onto a page every couple of weeks for a check in with my self-development. This process is so deeply intertwined with my faith and belief, it is prayer in illustration.
I am a Creatrix. For me, to be a Creatrix is to bring my conversations and relationship with God into a form of physical expression. It is more than just creating art, it is a spiritual calling that connects me to the source of all creation. My innate feminine ability to nurture is translated into the nurturing of my inner visions, so they come into reality in a form that others can experience and witness. The act of creating anything, in any form is a sacred and transformative process. Art and creative expression are not simply non religious endeavours, they can be profoundly spiritual and meaningful. I use art asa means of self-expression, I learn who I am by telling stories and communicating with God. My art reflects my personal experiences, beliefs and the inner workings of my soul. The beauty in this to me is that I personally gain so much from this process, but when others get to witness this they have an entirely unique experience often completely unrelated to what I intended but equally they can gain just as much as myself. Something in their soul speaks to mine.
Prayer is powerful, we learn this from any form of religion or spiritual belief. For me it plays a pivotal role in the way that I prepare my mind and spirit to live my life in general. Every two weeks with the full and new moonI create a prayer illustration. I choose the moon for this because I love to mirror the cycle of interception and expansion within myself with the moon’s natural cycle. It also helps me to stay accountable, because no matter what is going on in my life if the moon is at either of those points I’m stopping and checking in with myself. I love to start the process of creating my prayer illustration by praying to God. Asking for guidance and clarity, allowing him to shine a light on the areas of my life and character that need work, or the dreams I need to further define. I often journal, meditate and use oracle cards at this stage to really clarify what my intention is behind my prayer for this moon. I have Faith in God and I trust that what I bring to him will be witnessed and transformed for the highest good. The importance of my faith in this process is deeply personal but this is the element that brings forth my soul and transcends my artwork from the physical canvas to become a prayer. Once I know my key intentions for the prayer, I will spend time writing out my prayer. They are usually long with many details and elements.
Once I have written my prayer, I usually read it back and pick out some key statements that I feel are the most important aspect of my prayer. With these key statements I create my own sigil intuitively just creating shapes thatI feel symbolise my statement. To me a sigil is a symbol that carries meaning. I don’t want to add words to my illustrations, so these symbols are the words, the sigils are my key statements that are the overall essence of my prayer. The prayer illustrations are entwined with a lot of symbolism, this is what creates the visuals that are the vehicle to a deeper meaning and messages. When I use symbolism in my illustrations they begin to unveil the language between myself and God.
It portrays all I want to communicate to him in an image. An example I feel open to sharing showing how this works is a prayer I had for the community around me to come together, support one another choosing love and compassion. A symbol for ‘community’ I liked was a well, a place historically that would have been a shared resource for water, bringing people together regularly for one purpose.Mine was drawn with blood oozing out to symbolise the death of all that doesn’t serve the community around me, to result in love and compassion being key aspects of how we interact as a community and society. This is just one example, each aspect of my prayers adds another layer and dimension to these drawings. When an audience views my work every individual will interpret it differently, but the experience is one shared spiritually. It provokes contemplation and introspection.
My prayer illustrations area prayer in their meaning, but the process of doing them is something that also connects me to God. It is a journey in itself, there are times when I don’t feel like doing it, but I know that I have made that commitment to myself and to God. So I journey through the prayer and come out of the discomfort feeling refreshed and renewed. Sometimes the illustration I hate the most, the next week becomes my favourite of them all. I have them all displayed on a door in my home, there is a deep satisfaction looking back over the year to see where I started and what has come of the prayers I have made during that time.
It is my spiritual journey displayed to see in this realm. I am journeying an eternal dance of creation and spirituality through expressing my soul and spirit in visualised prayers. Not only do I connect with God, but I connect with others’ souls too. It is such a powerful and transformative process, sacred in nature and has healed me in a way that words could never express.
Sophies Instagram: @shecreatesgrace
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