Hi, I'm Melissa, founder of Framed In Joy

This is my Story

In my growing-up years, creativity was easy. I danced, colored, and dreamed my way into the future. In fourth grade, I won a coloring contest and a simple point-and-shoot camera. A love of photography was born. Through junior high, I wrote my way through angst and friend drama with poetry and journal entries. High School brought pointe shoes and theater.

Those seeds of creativity sank down deep in my soul. Occasionally, they sprouted, but life began to cover them up with marriage, jobs, children, and the demands of routine days.

The sprouts looked like coloring and dancing with my Littles, teaching High School English, one very random Cajun Ballroom dancing class with my husband. (Y’all, he will NEVER do that with me again, but oh, it was fun!)

I found my way into middle age, a little dinged up by life and wondering if those seeds of creativity could still sprout. Do you, like me, ever wonder if those glorious days of creativity and productive joy are gone?

Seeds need time in the soil. They are waiting for the right season. In the messy soil of our everyday lives, they are nurtured by God. Today, you can begin to cultivate a life of beauty and purpose, rediscover your creative design, and dream again.

With our roots sunk deep into the love of Christ, we can trust that dreaming is really leaning into our creative design. 

• I still love photography, though I’ve upgraded to a digital camera. It comes on field trips and vacations with me. In my daily life, my phone works just fine.
• I still dance all the time, but not in pointe shoes. Come over for dinner sometime and dance with me. I may hand you a spatula to sing into.
• I still color. Now I use a watercolor brush and ink. Pandemic anyone? I learned a new skill in 2020, and it’s still serving me well when the days feel crazy and chaotic. Watch a watercolor time-lapse video. Trust me, it’s soothing.
• And I still write.

The seeds of creativity God planted in my heart are just beginning to sprout and bear fruit in my mid-life. It’s glorious, really, and hopeful.

Ready to reactivate your creativity? I’d love to link arms with you through my monthly newsletter, resources and encouragement, coaching, and online courses.