JOY TO the World
This Advent was driven by a desire to make something real. Art that could be held, lived with, and returned to, even on the digital platform. The process centered on translating joy into form, allowing the work itself to carry meaning rather than explain it. We approached each piece with restraint and intention, trusting simplicity, texture, and image to do the work.
The visuals were created to feel grounded and human. Real spaces, real light, real moments that were composed not for spectacle, but for honesty. Each image was shaped to coexist with its story, functioning as a visual echo rather than an illustration. The goal was not to document, but to reveal.
By turning these moments into tangible artifacts, the Advent became more than a seasonal piece. It became an object of reflection—designed as a gift, but created as art. Something slow. Something quiet. Something that invites presence and points toward joy without needing to announce it.
The drawing Process
This story lingers in the early years of Jesus. It draws a quiet comparison between a campus staff member walking with her own child and the reality that Jesus, too, once walked as a baby. A child who needed comfort. Who may have clutched a blanket, sucked his thumb, cried in the night. Fully human in the smallest, most ordinary ways.
This drawing was created on an iPad, allowing the process to remain intimate and unhurried—mirroring the tenderness of the story itself. Each line was built slowly, with space for reflection rather than perfection.
Not Everything makes the cUT
As with any creative journey, not every idea makes it into the final product. For this project, the first iteration didn’t make the cut.
In the beginning, I wanted to lean into who Jesus was, focusing more on Him than on the writers. It was a valiant effort, but it ultimately didn’t capture the full essence of the Advent theme.
