Art As Worship On Empower Radio

Carrie Newcomer is a rare breed of singer/songwriter: the kind who illuminates life with startling depth, humor and clarity. Her ability for sharp observation of the world lead the Dallas Morning News to rave, "She's the kind of artist whose music makes you stop, think and then say, 'that is so true'." She has been described as "a soaring songstress" by Billboard, a "prairie mystic" by the Boston Globe, and Rolling Stone has said that she "asks all the right questions." “There’s a spiritual current in my work because there's a spiritual current in my life.” ~Carrie Newcomer She says, “When someone creates a work of art or when we hear a song and a person has put their finger right on the open palm of something true, it shakes the world just a little bit.” In the fall of 2011 Carrie released her fifteenth album, Everything is Everywhere, as a special benefit project for the Interfaith Hunger Initiative on Available Light Records. The Interfaith Hunger Initiative is an organization including faith leaders

Chuck Cogliandro is a drummer, teacher, healing practitioner and Director of Kumandi Drums & Healing. Since 1992, Chuck's path has included bringing people together in the shared joy of West African drumming. He is a graduate of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and is completing his second year of studies in Family Constellations work with Peter and Jamy Faust. “Drumming brings so much joy. It gets people out of their minds and out of their anxieties – out of the mental level of worrying. It raises their energetic level of vibration into the spiritual level. That's where healing comes through the music and the drums.” ~Chuck Cogliandro Chuck hosts and organizes the annual Kumandi African Drum & Dance Camp near Asheville. He has directed performing community and professional drumming groups, helped organize and performed with the 100-member drum tribe in the Opening Ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympic Games, and has made CD, commercial and soundtrack recordings. Chuck’s company name, Kumandi, is fr

Patricia Hayes is an international lecturer, teacher, author and artist. She is the author of five books and has been a pioneer in intuitive and spiritual development for over 45 years. Patricia and her husband Marshall Smith are the founders of Delphi University in McCaysville, GA. Patricia is also an artist that works in soft pastels. She has developed a technique of channeling art that she has named Entura Art. Patricia has used this method of art throughout her career to establish a relationship with Spirit. Of all her accomplishments, her favorite thing to do is channeling art and teaching aspiring artists this unique technique. “What you worship in life and what you value in life does matter. Everyone of us is creating this world. Every single one of us matters. I think that's the biggest thing that people are awakening to. I matter. How can I, just a little me, matter? But we do. Because we are all collectively changing the world, positively all the time.” -Patricia Hayes She says, “I've always love

Jill Felts is Founder, CEO, and lead designer of Atlanta-based Compelling Creations, Inc. As a faith-based, party-plan direct-selling company, the name Compelling Creations has become synonymous to marketplace ministry as the inspirational jewelry is passed from one woman to another by independent sales Consultants. “Some people write out their prayers, and I kind of draw them out.” ~Jill Felts She says, “I let ideas bake. I come up with a new jewelry line by paying attention to what keeps reappearing in my life throughout the year. I just doodle and doodle the same design over and over and over again.” Jill finds that listening and being still are important to her creative process. She says, “I feel like God already knows everything about us and what our heart’s desire is and so a lot of it is being still and letting go and just letting the flow happen.” Find out more at ArtasWorship.net or “like” the Art as Worship Facebook page and get a daily boost of inspiration and creativity.

Kim Oberheu holds the reins at Plants Forever, Inc. ensuring that her team stays current on innovation and trends. With a strong background in business and as an artist, she leverages her creativity to daily inspire staff members and clients alike. “As an artist going through the creative process, you're almost forced to address the spiritual side of things. There is something about the experience of creating that puts you up against that. It's bringing something into existence that didn't exist. In that process of going from nothing to something, you realize it's something bigger than yourself.” ~Kim Oberheu She says, “I think it’s good to constantly go back to God and say I would like your help in this process. Especially to seek God’s wisdom when you're coming up against something that you can't solve.” Find out more at ArtasWorship.net or “like” the Art as Worship Facebook page and get a daily boost of inspiration and creativity.

Connie Quill Bowers is an artist, a poet and a photographer. She travels all around hiking and writing and capturing moments of immense beauty and sometimes terror with her camera and an eclectic use of her imagination. “A book featuring my poetry and photography was recently published and is titled Lyrical Space. The word lyrical means rapturously. When I’m in nature, I’m just enthralled and enraptured. Stories and poems flow to me and I just get into the flow.” ~Connie Bowers She says, “When you're hiking, you don't know what you're going to find. You just follow this path. I think that's the way it is in life. You just follow this path. Maybe that's the spiritual aspect for me — that life is a journey. You don't know what's going to come up next.” Find out more at ArtasWorship.net or “like” the Art as Worship Facebook page and get a daily boost of inspiration and creativity.

Diane English is a self-taught artist and creator of the Great Cosmic Happy Ass Card Company, combining her art and career with her spiritual path. She says, “I think God has a fabulous sense of humor. The spiritual evolution of my art was learning to play instead of taking it seriously. More often than not, artwork for me is play.”

Michele (Shelly) Wendling Ryan is a comedian and an author. She was born funny with a vivid imagination. Being an only child this trait was useful, although her parents never determined how many imaginary siblings Shelly had. By high school, she realized a sense of humor was more than entertaining; it was therapeutic. “Laughter connects people. Look at how contagious it is. Someone can be laughing and even if you don’t know what they are laughing about, it makes you want to start laughing.” ~Shelly Ryan The conglomerate of Shelly’s work, known as “Comedylove,” includes: sketch comedy scripts, stand-up comedy (including emceeing charity events), humor columnist and blogger, host of Feel Teal Talk and author of Floor It! Road Trips Down the Humor Highway. Shelly’s spirituality is based in gratitude and she believes her unique blend of humor is a gift from God. Her mission with Comedylove is to make the world a happier, healthier place. Her fans comment how laughing with Shelly helps them cope with both emoti

Anita Beyer is an interior designer who thinks of herself as a “creator” (with a small “c”) more than as an artist. She believes her talent for turning her client’s dreams into the reality of a beautiful space is a gift from God. She says, “The aesthetics of our homes and offices are so important. Your surroundings can be harmonious and make you feel wonderful, or they can deplete you of energy.” She goes on to say it’s not only important how YOU feel in your space, but how others feel when they come into that space. “Listening is the initial step in any project. Not only listening to my client, but listening to my inner voice.” Anita says, “Often when I walk into a space, I see a flash of the color that is going to be in that room or how accessories should be arranged. I get amazed knowing it’s divinely inputted to me. I'm just an instrument — the person who's interpreting it.” Find out more at ArtasWorship.net or “like” the Art as Worship Facebook page and get a daily boost of inspiration and creativity.

Molly Elkind is an artist who works with fibers. She says: “I love the tactility of it – the texture of those materials in my hands. I love the repetitive process of stitching, weaving or papermaking. I also love making larger works from lots of many small pieces. I was away from church for 20 years. I feel like God lured me back to a life of faith through art.” In this interview, Molly talks about her personal creative process, as well as collaboratively creating through the liturgical art team at her church. Find out more at ArtasWorship.net or at MollyElkind.com. “Like” the Art as Worship Facebook page and get a daily boost of inspiration and creativity.

What Will You Do for the First Time This Year? With guest David Greer from FaithOn.com. David Greer, entrepreneur, songwriter and filmmaker, looks back at the end of a year and says “What did I do last year for the first time ever?” In this interview David shares examples of pursuing new venues of creative expression by giving himself permission to NOT be perfect. In the world of business, from marketing to publishing, and now in music and film, David Greer believes it all starts with a story. For more than 30 years, David has harnessed the creative tools of the day to tell the stories of clients and causes – in print, online, through images, video, film and song.