Rock Solid

 

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

—Matthew 7:24-25

Created for a teaching series called "Rock Solid", with this image I really wanted to give a sense of movement and force to the waves. Their impact is powerful, yet it simply serves to demonstrate the sturdiness of the rock. The scene was also inspired by a day spent at the cliffs in Palos Verdes, though thankfully the waves weren't quite so rough!

Also check out this alternate version—"Upon the Rock" which is available as a high quality art print at Society6.com.

This parable image as well as several other sermon illustration images are available for licensing by churches, ministries, and Christian publishers.  Contact me if you'd like more info.

Stretching Routines for Artists & Designers

We've got to stay healthy so we can do what we love. But working on a computer can bring its share of health challenges. My natural tendency is to get engrossed in what I'm working on and stay seated for hours at a time. Over the last few years as a freelance artist, it has been crucial for me to develop a habit of frequent rest breaks and effective stretches.

For rest breaks I recommend installing a free Windows app called Workrave, which runs in the background on your PC and reminds you to take scheduled breaks. You can take microbreaks every few minutes, and longer rest breaks every hour or so. Workrave tracks the timing for you, but the hardest part is having the discipline to obey!

Stretching at the start of the workday has also been helpful; now I'm trying to increase the frequency to a few times each day. Again, discipline is a common challenge. I was happy to find some video stretch routines from SmartStretch. If you're a daydreamer like me, having a guided video reference might be helpful for keeping focused and making the most of the brief stretching break.

This set of videos totals 16 minutes. It's also available as a stretching playlist on YouTube that makes it easy to do the whole routine without interruption. Enjoy!

Shoulder Stretches

4 minutes for both videos, repeat for each side

Neck Stretches

2 minutes (longer version also available)

Hand & Wrist Stretches

3 minutes, repeat for each hand



How about you? How do you stay healthy in the digital age?