The Heart Behind The Art:

March’s GraceGram has an extra special story and place in my heart.

It’s the very first ‘Gram that I had the pleasure of collaborating on!

Launching GraceGrams, I knew I wanted to collaborate with other Christian artists to help support each other! This is a dream come true!

Back in September, I started by marketing to my friends and family on Instagram and Facebook. I was surprised when Josie joined the club.

She was a new person I had met in passing at church and was totally blown away by her willingness to join the club.

GraceGrams pretty much brought us together!

Over the months, we’ve grown into a deeper friendship, which lead Damion (my husband) to say, “You should ask Josie to design a GraceGram.”

A few days later, we went out to eat at our favorite place, Itachi Teppanyaki, with Josie! She had been there once before and had always wanted to go back.

While we were on our friend date, I asked her how she is creative. She mentioned that she is creative through photography.

A light went off in my brain as we scrolled through her favorite pictures from her recent mission trip to Japan.

I had recently discovered an interest in Japanese design, specifically artists like Hasui Kawase. Their use of texture, color and depth really caught my eye. I knew I wanted to try my hand at their distinct style.

After researching, studying and getting inspired, I asked Josie if I could use one of her photos from her trip as a starting point for March’s GraceGram. Of course, she said yes!

I wanted to make the ‘Gram extra special, so I asked Josie, “Are there any verses, phrases or words that particularly stood out to you on your trip?”

What she shared really spoke to me.

“When I was getting ready for Japan I bought a cute little book about Japan and the culture. One of the first pages had a section about this phrase ‘God is in the details.’ It really resonated with me and I believe that God really meant that. We saw it so much during our time there.”

In Western culture, we hear the phrase “the devil’s in the details,” but in Japan, they focus on how God is in the details. I love how this phrase has gone from death to life and how we were able to capture that through this month’s ‘Gram.

In blue, you see that phrase and if you look closely on the left side near the bottom, you’ll see the Japanese translation for GraceGrams!

I am super stoked about getting to share Josie’s story!

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