Today one of my beloved cousins, Marta, will be sharing about her love for creating and sharing beauty. I was lucky enough to enjoy a magical few hours shooting her one Saturday morning, and man did she make my job a dream to accomplish! She was incredibly fun to work with and was willing to climb into things and get super friendly with nature just to give me interesting shots- she’s a GEM. This sweet lady is not only beautiful and talented, but she also has a gentle heart with which she loves her community; she has a fiery and passionate spirit that breathes excitement into whatever she is a part of; and she balances her brilliantly inquisitive mind with an outpouring of service and strength in work ethic. Besides all this, Marta somehow manages to also be a free-spirited and silly joy-bringer. Enjoy her story.
When My Hands are Tired, I’ll Keep On
If you were to ask me what I love most about myself, or what I consider to be my best attribute, my eyes would quickly fixate on my hands. I believe that hands are one of the most beautiful features. They caress our loved ones, create new things, build shelters, heal the sick, feed the hungry, and protect the vulnerable. The scars, wrinkles, and callouses that we feel on our hands are proof that our hands are capable of anything. As a little girl, I found an interest in drawing and my parents encouraged this natural ability to put emotion on paper. As I grew older, I also discovered a magnetic pull towards music. I started taking violin lessons when I was five years old and played for ten years. Along the way, I picked up piano, guitar, and flute. When time came to pick a major for college, I decided that I wanted to use my hands to their utmost potential. I picked biology with a dream of becoming a surgeon one day. As studies grew harder and more stressful, I found that drawing was once again an escape for my tired soul. My love for human anatomy, nature and charcoal quickly became one and a passion for drawing human emotion and human bodies was found. For me, it was easy to place my tiredness on paper; to leave it there. That is why every work of art I create has a personal story of hopelessness, pain and sorrow behind it. The beautiful things that come out of my exhaustion give me hope to keep going, not only in school, but also in trusting our stunning God that everything will work out. One of my favorite songs, “I’ll Keep On” by NF (really heart-wrenching song!) talks about how when our hands are tired, when our hearts are broken and our souls are exhausted, to keep looking towards God. He is our strength and the One who will never leave us. His hands took us out of bondage of sin; His hands hold us, they break every chain, and protect us. There is no better feeling than when we look up at the sky and know that no matter what; His hands are outstretched, waiting for us to come home. The reason why we are able to craft beautiful things is because the beautiful Creator has molded us into beautiful beings. If I can turn a lump of clay into an exquisite piece, God has no problem taking our sinful and flawed hearts and turning them into hearts that seek and desire Him through all things. This gives me so much hope in this journey we call life.
Some of Marta’s work:
Oh Hiraeth 