Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone!

Today I am sharing more about this page:

I want to preface everything with saying that this layout, design wise, was completely out of my comfort zone. I hate black. Paint is fun but, it scares me. And I have a hard time making purple look good.

But, there is a reason I stepped out of my comfort zone. I wanted to address the word INTENSE. It has a lot to do with Energy. In fact, we have a journaling prompt about it. Check it out:

Intensity: Some of us are more intense and driven than others, and our drive changes based on our circumstances and our challenges at any given time. Are there areas in your life where you show a real intensity, and how do others react to it – are you ever ‘too’ intense? Are there both benefits and costs to being driven, and what have you given up because of your drive? Would you change anything about those choices looking back?

I have never considered myself an intense person. One thing I am learning, however, is that this is not how others view me. Necessarily. As I get older, and have more conversations, I am slowly gaining perspective on how others view me. And it's all verrrrrrrrrrrry interesting. INTENSE has never been a word that someone has described me as. However... the word PASSIONATE has crossed lips.

When I created this layout, I wanted to exude intensity. I chose the black background because it is such a strong color. By painting with white all over the background, there was no turning back with the boldness it portrayed. Add in the bold colors... here we go.

I love using layers for design purposes but I also love the symbolism they add. Our personality can be compared to an onion. Yeah? Okay so go with me here. As you peel back the layers, our character is revealed more and more. As people get to know me better, they realize that I do have an intense side of me. And, as my journaling tells you, it has to do with my faith.

If you ask me about my faith, I will go full throttle with you. Full. Throttle. I will turn red because I get excited to share my story. It's... well... intense.

It felt good to record this page for more than one reason. 1) Because I stepped out of my comfort zone in order to exude and energetic and intense layout. 2) I learned more about myself... I am intense when it comes to certain areas of my life. 3) In answer to the prompt, I don't find that people get turned off by my intensity. In fact, the opposite seems to happen. I get asked questions. Which keeps me talking. And I definitely think that's the opposite of being turned off. :)

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