🖌️ A Soup Kitchen for the Soul

I still find it strange to call myself an artist.

It’s only been a few years since I picked up a pencil again, and painting didn’t begin until September 2019. To be honest, it still feels so new, so delicate — like a tiny sprout in early spring that hasn’t quite figured out how to stand tall yet.

I’m not what you’d call “eloquent.” I stumble over words, I lose my train of thought. I’ve felt more like Moses than any modern-day visionary, questioning why God would entrust me with something so big, so sacred, so seemingly beyond my skillset.

But the vision won’t leave me.

It’s this picture of a Vibrant Creative Community Centre — what I’ve come to call a Soup Kitchen for the Soul.

• A place where people come not just to create art, but to reconnect with the creativity stitched into their DNA by the Ultimate Creator Himself.

• A place where no one has to behave before they belong.

• A space of safety, restoration, joy, and honest worship.

Some days, the vision feels like a mountain too tall to climb. The business side of it? Frankly, it scares the daylights out of me. I didn’t sign up to be an entrepreneur. I just wanted to help people heal. But I’m learning that ministry often flows through the most unexpected vessels — paintbrushes, spreadsheets, even spreadsheets (sigh).

What I do know is this: creativity is not just for “artists.”

We’ve been conditioned to believe that unless it’s perfect, it doesn’t count. But every child knows better. They sing loudly, draw wildly, dance messily — and it’s glorious. Until someone tells them they’re doing it wrong. And then fear steps in. Shame silences the song.

But here’s the truth I’m clinging to:✨ God is the Ultimate Creator, and we were made in His image (Genesis 1:27).✨ Creativity is in our bones.✨ And when it’s done in partnership with the Holy Spirit, it becomes a form of worship — one that brings deep healing.

It has for me.

You see, I’ve battled anxiety and depression for most of my life. High-functioning on the outside, falling apart inside. But something began to shift when I started creating again. Painting, Bible journaling, singing — it’s like the Holy Spirit breathes through the process, brushing colour back into the parts of me that went grey from pain.

Now, whenever that familiar heaviness creeps in, I know where to run. Not into hiding — but into worship. Into colour. Into creating with God.

I still don’t have all the answers. The “where” and “how” are still unfolding. But I trust the One who gave the vision will also send the provision — whether that’s people, resources, or courage.

So here I am, taking one small, obedient step at a time.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ve got a creative spark inside you too. One that’s been buried under years of responsibility, fear, or the lie that you’re not good enough.

If that’s you, I want you to know — there’s a place for you here. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to show up.

This is your invitation to breathe again.

• To create.

• To heal.

• To belong before you believe.

• To be loved into the Kingdom.

Let’s build this together — not perfectly, but faithfully.

🎨 Want to connect or join the vision?

📩 Email: trixi.schwartz@gmail.com

🖼️ Browse artwork: Trixi’s Portfolio

🛠️ Creative Prompt: Try something playful this week. Doodle on a napkin. Sing a song you loved as a child. Finger-paint with your kids. Let go of “perfect.” Just let your soul speak.

🙏 Prayer for the Journey: Lord, I bring You my trembling hands and my hesitant yes. Teach me to create with You — not for approval, but for healing. Make beauty out of the places in me that still feel broken. And may this little vision grow into a big story of redemption.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.