The Chronicles of Janie

I smelled Africa tonight. I was driving through Washington in an old, boxy van with a pleasantly rumbly engine. I was just thinking how much like a choppa it was (minus a lot of extra passengers), when that smell wafted in through the windows. In my mind, the smell was linked to somewhere in Africa. I couldn't quite remember where (still can't), but a long, long chain of good memories was attached to it. It wasn't a particularly  good odor, but I leaned back, closed my eyes, and drank it in like the finest perfume. In a way, it was perfume - perfume for my soul. I suppose God works through smells the same as He does through anything else. When I scented my 'Africa smell', a big weight of uncertainty and discouragement lifted off of my heart. I felt immediately more peaceful than I had in...how long? I think that smell was God's way of renewing my hope, courage, and trust. It was His way of saying, "You're as much My child here as you were there. Do ...

As an artist, I often wish that there was a place where I could go and get artistically re-charged. A place that was full of all the music, pictures, and poetry that made me feel like 'I can actually do this'. So, my thought was, 'why not create a blog?' Yes, ANOTHER blog. I guess I should just face up to the fact that I have an addiction. ;-) Anyway, this wonderful new blog would be a place where I could collect all of the things that inspire me into one organized, easily accessible place and possibly also post some tutorials, articles, or other kinds of what-not that I find interesting. But, of course, I must be a visionary. Whatever ideas I have must immediately be expanded into some big, grandiose dream. So, I decided that it would be really amazing if other artsy souls could contribute, and the blog could turn into some sort of place where artists could just hang out and be inspired. This idea is still very much in its infancy, but I'm pretty sure that it...