Tag Archives: Art as Worship

Jul 24 2012

Juliette Mansour: I Collaborate with God

Street photographer Juliette Mansour is a first generation American raised in the 1970s when other concerns besides artistic expression took precedence. After having completed graduate school studies, it made sense for Juliette to use her strength in learning languages and her ease with communicating with other cultures as a start to her professional history. She devoted her time as an English as a Second Language teacher – until an unexpected left turn inspired her toward self-taught web design, which turned into a career in Information Technology and web marketing projects. As the founder and owner of Casa Dresden, Juliette found a way to blend her love for languages, the written word, and cultural diversity with her career experience in IT, graphics and web development.

 “All my life I’ve been collaborating with God but until I hit a crossroads and was forced to redefine my spiritual life, I wasn’t ready to truly collaborate. Now, I feel more like a co-collaborator, willing to explore anything. So that’s what I did with photography…. Now, I just listen and do what my heart tells me to do.” ~Juliette Mansour

Listen to Juliette’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Juliette Mansour Photography was created as the artistic branch of Casa Dresden. Today Juliette enjoys a comfortable balance as a sub-contractor by day, continuing her web design and marketing experience, while at night she hones her passion for her photography work. Juliette actively grooms herself in the genre called street photography, using both film and digital mediums.

While she still uses her digital SLR for event photography for small clients, Juliette prefers film and loves to lose herself in the darkroom.  Juliette says, “Film requires a different kind of artistry — it requires almost a spiritual side to the photographer. There is a lot more waiting involved. There’s something absolutely magical about being in a dark room and picking that one negative that really speaks to you. It’s in its raw form and all you have to do is shine the right amount of light on it. You stick that piece of paper in the chemical and watch the image materialize.”

Juliette is one of the few street photographers in Atlanta. Inspired her own fascination with street photography and the amazing back story of street photographer, Vivian Maier, Juliette founded The Atlanta Street Photography Group, which meets actively each month and posts on Flickr.com.

About the art of street photography, Juliette says, “It is people living everyday lives. It’s that candid moment that you can find something really unexpected, something humorous, something sad. It’s about finding emotion and about what people are doing on the streets.”

Juliette’s recent street shot entitled, “The End,” was highlighted in a two-page spread in The Atlantan Magazine. She participates in Atlanta emerging artist exhibitions, competitions and local art festivals.

Juliette has an undergraduate degree in Romance Languages and a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language. Casa Dresden offers freelance event photography and over 15 years of experience in bilingual online media planning, design and development. Read more at www.casadresden.com.

Find out more about Juliette and her street photography at www.juliettemansour.com.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

Jul 11 2012

Kathleen Kurre: Adventure Happens in the Present Moment

Kathleen Kurre is an accomplished executive and entrepreneur, with a broad range of experience on the leading edge of technology adoption and organizational change where people, process and technology intersect for success.

“Life is like the wave. You take your surfboard — everything that you know how to do — then get up on the wave. The sweet spot of life is your adventure — and adventure always happens in the present moment.” ~Kathleen Kurre

Listen to Kathleen’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Kathleen’s work in the world of business and technology reflects her artistry in the world and includes teaching, speaking, writing and more.  She says, “I wasn’t really encouraged as a young girl in terms of my art work so I just went looking for other things that I could create. I’m really curious about things and I always like the leading edge. I like doing things that haven’t been done before. That’s really the definition of an artist. Even when I was in college and working with mathematics and technology, I realized that business is a wonderful canvas for us to create our lives.”

Kathleen has served as CEO of two venture capital backed healthcare technology services companies and of a social entrepreneurship, technology services nonprofit. Currently, Kathleen is President of Fusion Advisors LLC, which focuses on organizational change and adoption of new technologies.

She is on the faculty group for the Graduate Leadership Program at Georgia Tech for BioMed Engineering PhD students. Kathleen has served on the board of several companies and contributed to the start-up of new organizations.

She says, “We often think that the creativity comes from one place, but it comes from the heart AND from the mind AND from our physical body. It’s that total integration which is beautiful because that’s who we are. We are these wonderful physical beings and everything we do is through our physical body. We’re also these nonphysical beings and we get to work and play in the ethers. That combination is where the divinity is. That’s what we bring through in our artwork.”

She has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Purdue University and a Masters of Divinity in Spiritual Peacemaking from the Beloved Community in Ashland, Oregon.

Find out more about Kathleen at www.fusionadvisors.com or read her blog at www.kathleenkurre.com.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

Jul 5 2012

Matt Janke: I Became Grateful

Matt Janke is a glassblower. He loves the medium, the craft and building the equipment. Matt has been on one mission for nearly 20 years… to expose and promote the art of glassblowing throughout the Southeast.

 “For many years I didn’t fully appreciate my skill level. I didn’t think of my talent as a gift from God — I approached it like work and thought of it as a curse at times. I finally realized I needed to change my attitude and I became grateful for my talent and skill. I realized it came a lot easier for me than for a lot of other people.” ~Matt Janke

Listen to Matt’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Upon arriving in Atlanta in 1986, Matt discovered there were no glassblowers and therefore no studios to work out of in the metro Atlanta area. He decided he was going to blow glass in Atlanta even if he had to build a shop himself. In 1990, Matt moved his family back to his native Ohio and his alma mater Kent State University to attend graduate school on a teaching assistantship where he received his Masters in Glassblowing.

Returning to Atlanta in 1992, Matt built a glass blowing studio in his basement. In July of 1996, Matt and his wife Kim opened Janke Studios – Atlanta’s first glassblowing studio.

Matt says, “Glassblowing is sort of like controlled chaos. I like to create chaos every once in a while. Everyone always tries to control everything.”

Matt and Kim run an open studio with the mission to expose and promote the art of glass making throughout the Southeast and to provide a means for other artists to practice their craft. Janke Studios is Atlanta’s premier glassblowing studio and virtually all of Atlanta’s glass artists have all been active in Janke Studios over the years.

One piece of advice he gives other artists is, “Be persistent if you have a dream or a vision. Don’t let obstacles get in the way — just go around them.”

Find out more about Matt, his work and classes offered through Janke Studios. Check out the video where Janke Studios was featured on CNN as a Small Business Success story.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

Jun 28 2012

Jo Crawford: Make Your Muse Comfortable

Jo Crawford is an artist, teacher and intuitive reader based in Berkeley, California.  Through her business, Crafting the Sacred, she works with women to access their intuitive wisdom and express their creativity.

 “Nurture your creativity by producing a lot. Expect the first hour to be about clearing house — see it as tidying up before a visitor arrives. You do a bit of vacuuming and dusting before you invite a guest. Fill up your internal space so your muse is very comfortable upon arrival.” ~Jo Crawford

Listen to Jo’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Jo was born and raised in South Africa where she had her first art training in drawing, painting and fiber art in her teens.  She pursued a degree in Industrial Sociology and Adult Education at the University of Cape Town and spent several years of working in the non-profit sector. Jo relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 90s where she worked as a paralegal for the next decade.

In 2007, she took a leap of faith to leave her full-time office job and focus on her creative and spiritual path. Jo cashed out her 401(K) and embraced a year of self-discovery where she studied massage, herbs and tarot more deeply, went on spiritual retreats, meditated, slept late, made art, traveled home to South Africa, spent time with her loved ones, and delved into personal growth work.

It was during this time that Jo birthed her business, Crafting the Sacred, and recommitted to her creative passions of visual journaling, fiber and mixed media arts. She is currently working on the themes of Art as a Sacred Expression; Home and Belonging; and Fertility and Birth.

Jo says, “I have a lot of ideas. I keep notebooks of all my brilliant ideas —and they all feel brilliant at 2 am. Deciding which ideas to pursue comes down to questions like: What are my resources? How much time do I have? What do I have in front of me? What can I create right now? That will determine what urgency I have. Sometimes something keeps bugging me and it’s not really a choice then. I have to be the conduit to make it happen.”

She goes on to say, “Our creative force is a Divine force. We are creative beings and have to get it out. It doesn’t matter what your medium is, it doesn’t matter how well it’s executed or whether you ever show it to anyone else. It’s important to allow yourself the breathing room to get that beauty inside of you out.”

Find out more about Jo at www.CraftingtheSacred.com. Download her e-book, Follow Your Heart, and other freebies.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

Jun 25 2012

Kevis Antonio: I’m Constantly Praying

Kevis Antonio, writer/producer/director of Five Blocks Away, passionately promotes the independent film project at the Eucharistic Congress held June 9, 2012 in Atlanta, GA.
Photo by: Debbie Fitzgerald

Writer, director and producer Kevis Antonio has worked on numerous films and is founder of Rising Faith Productions. His documentary, Bread of Life, received rave reviews, was officially selected into the John Paul II International Film Festival and was syndicated on an international TV network. Kevis’ current movie project, Five Blocks Away, is his first feature film.

“I am constantly praying. I get to use my talents and my skills with my faith. I love the opportunity to strengthen my faith and to really trust God.” ~Kevis Antonio

Listen to Kevis’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

A member of St. Catherine of Siena Church, Kevis serves on the leadership team of Siena Pictures. Kevis’ twin passions are film and faith, and through his work in the film industry, he is able to combine the two for the benefit of those who wish to learn more about the word and will of God.

Kevis comments about balancing a full-time job, newborn twins and the activities necessary for this feature film project, “The grace of God gets me through each day. It’s definitely very demanding with everything that I have to do. I put it into perspective and prioritize — first God, then my family and then work.”

He continues, “It’s a big challenge, but everything is in God’s hands. He works His magic and miracles and we keep going forward.”

Kevis and his wife Stacy reside in Acworth with their newly born twin boys.

Find out more about Kevis and the feature film project Five Blocks Away at  www.fiveblocksawaymovie.com. Like the film page on Facebook for updates on the project. Check out the article about this project in the Marietta Daily Journal.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

Jun 7 2012

Lisa Black: Everything Radiates from Within

Lisa Black has entrepreneur blood flowing through her veins and is the Founder of Fields of Gold Farm and Greenhouse.

“I know everything radiates from within me. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the environment around me — as long as I stay crystal clear, I feel strong and empowered. My main focus is keeping my radiance where it needs to be and my frequency high so these beautiful things can come in when they’re needed.” ~Lisa Black

Listen to Lisa’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

After graduating college with degrees in Nuclear Medicine and Business/Marketing from Bowman-Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest, NC and USC-Columbia, SC, Lisa took off to explore the fields of conventional health and wellness along with starting her own business in Marketing, Advertising, Graphic Design and Public Relations in both Griffin and Atlanta, GA. Her dual passions of health and marketing led her on a wonderful journey.  While working in the Atlanta area, she gleaned from a wide variety of interests including fitness, nutrition, agriculture, alternative health therapies, networking, food, conferences, seminars, and body-mind energetics.

After almost 20 years in the marketing world, Lisa returned to the family farm in Hendersonville, NC to ‘cultivate’ a new project, Fields of Gold Farm and Greenhouse.  All of life’s roads have culminated to birth this latest project — making great health through incredible food, a major priority.  Through this passion-filled ‘God Project’, Lisa has found heaven on earth unfolding the symphony that nature offers in bringing nutritious superfood from farm to table.

Lisa says, “It’s an artist’s palette to have the creative juices flowing and roll out a project with the depth and breadth of Fields of Gold. When I came back to the family farm in 2004, I received this inspiration of possibilities. I kept hearing a voice saying ‘feed my people, feed my people, feed my people.’ That really guided me down the path. It’s certainly not just me — I’ve had a lot of guidance and support from all different angles.”

About detours and roadblocks, Lisa says, “Everything is a blessing. If we can look at those bumps in the road with different eyes and listen to the stories surrounding them with different ears, all of a sudden you’ll get the inspiration as to why that fell into place to either strengthen you or get you back on the right path.”

Find out more about Lisa and Fields of Gold at www.fieldsofgoldfarm.com.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

May 31 2012

Claire Paul: I Start with Impulses

Claire Paul is an instructor of art at Georgia Perimeter College. A graduate of Georgia State University, Claire completed her MFA in Drawing and Painting. While her art intends for the viewer to explore the unseen, her interests in music and sound performance also shape the content of her visual art.

“ I start with impulses, then I narrow from there — sketching, gathering thoughts, writing down ideas. Creativity is a lot of play.” ~Claire Paul

Listen to Claire’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

She goes on to say, “The beauty in making art is the mystery. I search for this quiet area where things recur, patterns happen and then I expand on that idea.”

Through her spirituality, she taps into the “cloud area of unconscious workings.” She says, “Whatever quiet wanderings or whisperings are happening in my life, I stop and record them. Whether or not that becomes artwork is on the side. I have a lot of work that never gets shown because it’s more about the process of making art and listening to that voice.”

In addition to her visual art, Claire holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University in music and continues to perform music.

Find out more about Claire and her work at www.clairepaul.com.

electric_pythiaListen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

May 23 2012

Trevor Wolford: I Play Every Note Like It Matters

Guitarist and composer, Trevor Wolford, began his career at an early age sitting in with many jazz musicians in Atlanta. While attending Brevard College, he was able to extend his musical knowledge under the wisdom of instructors including Lou Mowad, Roger Cope and Stephen K. Wilson. Studying classical and jazz music attributed to his wide palette of colors that are found in many of Trevor’s compositions.

 I’m always in the frame of mind that whatever happens today, I’ve got to give God the glory. When I play music, it’s my expression of that and I play every note like it matters.” ~Trevor Wolford

Listen to Trevor’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

While attending college, Trevor played in numerous jazz groups around Asheville, North Carolina and recorded with artists including the renowned jazz-vibraphonist Jason DeCristofaro. He currently resides in Atlanta and performs as a sideman to many groups around town. Trevor says, “Playing music with other people is a lot more fun than playing solo. The improvisation of jazz is like a conversation. I like that family aspect of playing in a group — relying on other people I trust.”

In addition to playing music, Trevor also loves to compose. About a current composition he says, “Many people talk about how they experience God in nature and I complement that with Scripture saying ‘the mountains declare His glory.’ I take that concept and apply it to music. I’m working on a composition right now that’s based on the sounds I woke up to one morning of the birds outside my window. It’s a work in progress, but I think the Lord inspires me in little things like that.” Trevor’s own group is expected to release a new album by December 2012.

Find out more about Trevor and listen to samples of his music at www.trevorwolford.com.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

May 17 2012

Roz Zollinger: I Am a Channel

Roz Zollinger has an international reputation for her therapeutic work and instruction in Reflexology and Aromatherapy. She has 20 years of experience in the practice and teaching of these healing arts.

 “I ask Source to help me, help my client. I am a channel and touching them is really touching God. I do my best work when I let go and let God use me.” ~Roz Zollinger

Listen to Roz’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Roz qualified in Reflexology in 1983 through the South African Institute of Reflexology in Johannesburg, and in 1984 trained in Aromatherapy with the Institute of Clinical Aromatherapy in London. She subsequently pursued advanced Aromatherapy studies with the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in California, and has taken the International Training Program in Essential Oils at Purdue University in Indiana, USA.

Roz says, “Essential oils have energy and there’s always something that can help a person. Roses, for instance, have the highest vibration of all flowers and being in a room with beautiful fresh roses changes the energy.”

Roz founded the Heal Center in 1992 and currently has multiple practitioners offering a full range of natural therapies. The center has gained a national reputation for its therapeutic services and instruction. Roz lectures at regional and national conferences in addition to teaching courses and workshops from their Atlanta location.

She developed the BodySystems Method of Reflexology and Aromatherapy, which stresses the interaction of all bodily systems and addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual well being of the individual.

She says, “People think that I love feet because I work on the feet, but I love the connection that the feet give me to the soul of the person.”

Roz is co-founder of the Georgia Reflexology Organization and is a regional director for the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). She is Assistant Director of the US Branch of the International Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy (ITHMA), which is based at the Heal Center.

Find out more about Roz and the offerings at the Heal Center at www.healcenteratlanta.com.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

May 10 2012

Vyvyn Lazonga: You’re Only Limited By Your Imagination

Vyvyn Lazonga picVyvyn Lazonga has been a tattoo icon for more than 40 years. She began tattooing in 1972 and in 1989 opened her shop in the famous historic Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA. She’s world-renowned for her art and has garnered many awards over the years. For much of that time she worked alone, but in recent years she brought together a small crew of talented artists to create a safe, and inviting environment where clients can get beautiful custom tattoo work.

 “You’re only limited by your imagination. Even if I do a theme, I try to make what I do original. I don’t copy or do things twice or repeat things. The trick is to help my clients open up their mind to the possibilities that exist.” ~Vyvyn Lazonga

Listen to Vyvyn’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

When Vyvyn began tattooing, there were very few women who had tattoos, not to mention who were working as tattoo artists. Her work opened many doors for women in the tattoo industry, and is seen as an example of a fine artist working in the tattoo medium.

She says, “There is no separation for me between my expression of spirituality and my art of tattooing. It’s a day-to-day experience. My days go easier if I take a few minutes to pray or meditate. When I’m working on someone, I’m usually pretty quiet because I’m in the zone and go into that meditative space.”

Vyvyn creates custom tattoos for many clients wanting to cover scars with art, including women who’ve had mastectomies. She says, “The art of a tattoo is so much more precious because it is on skin.” Here’s an article where she talks in more detail about this work that helps clients have a different view of their body after surgery.

Find out more about Vyvyn and her tattoos at www.madamelazongastattoo.com.  Here is an article from Finding My Religion where Vyvyn discusses the spiritual side of body art.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!