Meet Stephanie Lawhorn

We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Lawhorn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

In a world where your emotions, inspirations, and accolades are put on display for the world to see, it’s easy to succumb to the self-diagnosis of ‘imposter syndrome’. As a self-taught painter, I often found myself stuck in the cycle of comparison with the arts world around me when first displaying my own work. I have so much admiration for the talents of my artist friends! However, what became apparent to me over time is the value of our uniqueness in how we choose to create. As an Art Teacher, I’m often inspired by the unique qualities and talents I see in my students…and I love nothing more than to nurture the beautiful qualities in their God-given talents and watch them thrive! As I tell them, it’s boring to walk around an art room/gallery/museum and have everything look the same. It’s the unique qualities not just in our artforms, but also in our artistic journeys that make art come alive! As time went on, I began to appreciate the uniqueness of my own work and my own path…appreciating it as a visual representation of what I find most beautiful and meaningful, and loving the opportunity to share it with those around me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My number one priority in all I do is to bring Glory to our Lord. He’s the original ‘Creative’ and the beauty in His creations in both flora and fauna inspire a majority of what I choose to create myself. The goal I have for my small business, aptly named ‘Inspired by Him Fine Art’, is to create paintings that use symbolism from the Bible but in a more unconventional way. Patterns, numbers, shapes, wildlife and foliage representation, Light sources…they all play a role in each of the pieces that come out of my studio and are meant to share Truth in a more stylized, visual manner.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1) Find what INSPIRES YOU. What do you find beautiful/meaningful in the world you interact with? Let your inspiration be a starting point and see where it leads!

2) Don’t be afraid to TAKE RISKS. Your art isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea…and that’s okay! Celebrate the uniqueness of your own style! If you’re proud of what you create, your confidence in your work with shine through.

3) Don’t fear the ‘SLOW TIMES’, instead USE this time to listen and explore. ‘Play’ and experimentation in art are essential. Growth doesn’t happen when you’re trying to please the world.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

5-6 years ago, I stumbled across a book by Philip Graham Ryken called ‘Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts’ and it completely changed how I view my role as an Artist and Christian, both introspectively and socially. I create because God is the Creator, and as an image-bearer of Christ, I have this desire to create something from nothing as well. It’s a beautiful connection I have to the God of the Universe. When I work in my studio space, my desire is always to bring God glory with the gifts He’s given me, pulling inspiration from the beauty in His creations here on Earth. The world pushes self-discovery and satisfaction in the superficial, but that will never fully satisfy…we always want more and it becomes a never ending cycle of self-gratification based on other’s views and opinions of us and what we project to the world. The most impactful ‘nugget’ of truth from this short text was a reminder that my talents are not my own…and my work is not for self-glorification, because it’s not all about me. When you remove the burden of creating to please the world and instead create the way you’re inspired, there’s freedom and beauty to be found.

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