Hello World Changer!
As many of you know, Milan Art Experience is one of my favorite events of the year because it brings together artists and dreamers from all over the world.
This year, I'm especially excited because my dear friend and mentor, Beverly, will be a featured guest speaker and is joining me in leading a Prophetic Art & Dream Interpretation workshop.
Beverly has had a profound impact on my life, my confidence, my faith, and even the way I understand creativity and symbolism in art. So with early bird registration for MAE now open, I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit this story about how our friendship began and the unexpected ways she helped shape the person and artist I am today.
If you'll be joining us in September, this will give you a glimpse into why I am so excited for you to learn from her!
My Unexpected Mentor
When I was a young artist, I so badly wanted a mentor; I approached many artists who were more successful than me and asked them if I could pay them to mentor me. Not one of them wanted the job. A few were honest in telling me they didn't want to teach someone else what they knew and create competition for themselves.
So I went about my career, making a ton of mistakes, getting cheated and mistreated, taking the long road and doing far too many stupid things. Finally, when I was thirty years old, I met Beverly and asked her to mentor me.
Beverly is not an artist — she is a preacher! She travels the world, says the things out loud most people only think, and is about the most hilarious person I know. When she gets a microphone in her hand you never know what will happen: the whole place could be in tears, sobbing through one of her heartfelt stories, or laughing in hysterics, rolling in their chairs while gripping their sides.
Through the Wilderness
Beverly told me the key to public speaking is to “get them laughing and get them crying, then you have their heart.” I asked Beverly to mentor me because I knew I wanted to grow and I needed wisdom. I had a lot of fears and limiting beliefs. I knew if I could overcome these and have true wisdom, I would be unstoppable.
At the time, I was a bit of a church girl. I spent my weeks buried in the obligations of women's groups, Bunco, and “giving back” to Sunday school. John and I painted all the time and sold our work to dealers to make a living, but we lived with very little purpose. Deep down I knew there was greatness inside of me, but my humble-little-church-girl self felt ashamed to even admit it to myself or live it out.
I shrunk myself back into a very small world with a voice that ruled over me saying, “Who do you think you are? How dare you think you can be great?! You are so arrogant. What will everyone think?” I was a mess! I lived in the vast wilderness of living for others, terrified of what other people would think of me, and afraid of being showy, too much, or not enough. I was miserable.
Breakthrough
Beverly set me free. She would often shower me with words of my potential, of my greatness, and tell me that God saw my future and was calling me to it. With every word I could feel myself opening up and blossoming.
I traveled with Beverly to many countries, but my first trip was Mexico City. I was still horribly shy and insecure. I watched Beverly go all around the city speaking with one group after the next. She made them laugh and she made them cry; I saw how she made an impact.
No one was ever the same after they met Beverly. She would speak to them in the most powerful way, revealing ancient mysteries of their destiny that was planned before time. I saw people lift and expand with the possibility that they had a purpose in God. She inspired me to want to empower people in this way too.
Shedding My Fears
I was never the same after that trip. I shed a thick layer of false humility and pride and left it in Mexico. After I returned, I noticed I had the confidence to go into stores alone. I could speak to strangers and walk a bit taller. I had the confidence to begin to dream again and imagine my life in the fullness of my own destiny.
I continued to travel with Beverly to the Philippines, Ukraine, France, Hungary, and Greece. There were so many adventures, laughter, tears, arguments, victories, and joy. She gave me opportunities to teach, share, and speak publicly. I taught art in universities and small groups.
My fear of other people's opinions faded, and I became a fully functioning, confident person. Beverly gave me much more than I ever gave back, but the best gift of all came through her love of the poem Song of Solomon.
A Life-Changing Poem
Anyone who knows Beverly will say, “She tells a great story. She will make you cry, she will make you laugh. And she loves Song of Solomon.” When she talks about this poem, she is transported. She lights up the room. Before long she is in tears at the thought of how much God loves us.
At first I thought the whole thing was weird. I was concerned about my new mentor and why she loved this erotic poem so much. As the church girl, I couldn't figure out why this “preacher” constantly talked about a poem that was all about SEX!
After countless times of listening to her dissect the poem and explain the symbolism, I started to understand it. She showed me how every word mattered and had at least five levels of symbolic meaning.
For example, most poems and songs speak about the color of someone's eyes. This poem is different. In this one, he says her eyes are like doves. If your eyes are glowing white like doves, they are clear and opened wide. Only someone who has stared deeply into someone's eyes for a long time will notice how the white in the corners are the shape of a dove's wing.
Infinite Wonder
Beverly says, “He says her eyes are like doves because he loves her faithfulness. A dove has no peripheral vision and can only see straight in front of her. She mates for life!”
Beverly's favorite part of the poem is: You have ravished my heart with a single glance of your eyes, with a single bead of your necklace. She grips her chest and throws her head back every time she recites it and says, “Did you hear that? With one bead of her necklace. Your neck is your will, and if you just move it the slightest amount, a bead of your necklace will move. It's her obedience! She ravishes his heart with one small gesture of obedience!”
Coming to Life
This poem unraveled a deep mystery for me and showed me how magically profound the Bible is. God has a language that speaks right to our spirit. Just one image can represent a universal, multidimensional wisdom and a personal message directly from Him all at once. I began to see honey, figs, and wine so differently.
Through Beverly and this poem, my whole spiritual life became alive. I started to see how God spoke to me in the dreams I had at night and everything meant something. There were no coincidences, and life was no longer random.
As an artist I realized that what I painted, like the Song of Solomon, had prophetic meaning and were symbols that spoke of deeper mysteries. Art could be interpreted like dreams. My world, which was once gray and flat, became vibrant, rich, and round. Everything seemed to be lit.
The Ultimate Reward
One day, after about ten years of being mentored by Beverly, I heard her say from the stage, “I've been mentoring Elli for a while, but now she's passed me up and I don't mentor her anymore.” I was shocked. I didn't feel the same. I thought, Is she dumping me? Just like that, I'm orphaned and on my own?
It wasn't until years later I realized what a great mentor she was. Insecure and controlling teachers want their students always just behind them or not quite succeeding. Beverly's greatest desire is to watch the ones she teaches surpass her. This has inspired me as a mentor.
My own daughter, Dimitra, has already passed me up. Many of our students are on their way. One of my greatest achievements will be to see thousands of artists change the world with their art and know I got to be a part of their journey.
What are some unexpected places or experiences where you found wisdom and growth?
