The Creating with Beauty Podcast

In this heartfelt conversation, Melanie welcomes Donna Waldrop, founder of CraftiGirl Creations, to share her journey of creativity, faith, and transformation.What began in 2008 as a small business using a Cricut machine to create scripture tiles, to help cover grocery expenses, has blossomed into a deeply meaningful ministry.Donna shares how her work evolved from selling handmade items to creating watercolor art as an act of prayer, worship, connection, and healing. Through seasons of growth and grief, Donna discovered that creativity was never just about making, it was about meeting with God. Her studio became a sanctuary, a place of prayer, peace, and restoration.Today, she teaches workshops, shares scripture through her art, and gently reminds others of a simple but powerful truth: Jesus loves you. This episode is an invitation to listen for God’s voice in your creative life, to step forward in faith, and to allow your art to embrace every season of life, faith, and creating.To connect with Donna, visit her links below:Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yc87an84Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3399erznEtsy: https://tinyurl.com/mumbdedYouTube: https://tinyurl.com/57bpjwbr----Connect with Melanie: www.melaniefaganart.com

In this heartfelt conversation, I’m joined by my friend, artist, and creative soul, Jeanie, who shares her journey of discovering that creativity has always been a natural part of who she is, even before she had words for it.For Jeanie, creativity has never been separate from faith. It has always been woven into daily life, through making, noticing beauty in nature, and creating meaningful pieces filled with scripture, prayer, and symbolism.Together, we talk about the courage it takes to create, especially during difficult seasons of life, and how creativity can become a way of living that brings peace, healing, and connection with God.Jeanie also shares how her love of nature, trees, paint, and getting her hands dirty with mixed-media fun influences her art and reminds her of the beautiful ways God shapes and refines our lives.This episode is a quiet invitation to see creativity not as something reserved for artists, but as a way of living, a way of noticing beauty and responding to God with our hearts and hands.In this episode, we also discuss:• Discovering creativity as something innate and God-given• How faith and creativity naturally flow together• Finding light and peace through art during difficult seasons• The beauty of mixed media and embracing the “ugly stage” of creativity• Creating meaningful art that incorporates scripture and prayer• How nature reflects God's creative beauty• Creativity as a form of prayer and healing• Creating even while living with chronic pain or illness• Learning the courage to keep creating• How creativity can happen in small moments instead of big projectsJeanie has a FREE OFFERING - the Lean Into Christ PDF download she mentions. It's perfect for slowing down, reflecting, and leaning into the love, care, and guidance of Jesus.Download here: https://subscribepage.io/NVQ6VGJeanie's deeply meaningful and sweet little charm necklace is available on her Etsy shop.https://www.etsy.com/listing/858383979/heavens-reminders-locket-necklace?ref=share_v4_lxTake Jeanie's latest class: Angels Among Us - Mixed Media Angels https://tinyurl.com/yc79mfsnConnect with Jeanie:Website: https://www.jeaniedstudio.comYouTube: @jeaniedstudio-1Instagram: @jeaniedickinsonartFacebook: jeanie.dickinson-----Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mho38-7hnw8Connect with Melanie:https://www.melaniefaganart.com/links

Episode 01: Sacred Rythms with Alissa MillsapHello Friends! Welcome to the very first episode of The Creating with Beauty Podcast.In this deeply tender conversation, I sit down with my dear friend Alisa Milsap, who is an artist, weaver, photographer, writer, and Beauty-seeker, to talk about creativity, anxiety, and how God meets us in the smallest of places.Living on a quiet farm in Nebraska, Allisa shares how debilitating anxiety once froze her at the easel and confined her to walking up and down her long country driveway. It was there, among gravel and wild grasses, that God began restoring her heart.Through petrified wood, feathers, broken robin’s eggshells, and seed heads swaying in the wind, she discovered something life-changing:God is in the details, and sometimes healing begins by simply noticing them.Join me, my friend, on the path of the Beauty Seeker where together we'll savor God's Beauty, grow in His Love, and create with joy.You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/LlX0npbaWy0?si=Q3Rjz88Zu_0gWWA9You can find Alissa on:Website: https://ellaandrubys.com/YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@ellaandrubysInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ella_and_rubys/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alissa.millsapNewsletter Subscription: https://ellaandrubys.com/connect---To connect with Melanie: https://www.melaniefaganart.com/links