Wow! I can’t even fathom how our stories have overlapped, but I’m so thrilled that you’re here!
I’m Alyssa, owner and artist behind Ascribing Glory! Using creativity to share truth and beauty in a way that helps you remember and embrace God’s love for you is my greatest passion. This life is hard and messy, and we all need reminders of God’s beauty, promises, and commands. I love to depict these truths with florals, beautiful script, and allllll the colors so that we see them on a daily basis and learn to celebrate His presence and activity in our lives. Wherever you are in your life’s journey, I’m so glad to meet you, and I’m happy to be able to share my story with you! (See a glimpse of my past and the story of Ascribing Glory down at the bottom of the page!) I’m here for you, as a sister, artist, sounding board, cheerleader, and fellow human just trying to figure life out! If you have a creative request for me or just want to chat, feel free to drop me a line here!
Some of My Faves:
When I’m not painting, you can find me hanging out or going on an adventure with my super handsome, greatest hero, total sweetheart of a husband, Caleb! He is both my anchor and my biggest cheerleader, and I’m so blessed that God has allowed us to traverse this life together. We met in Greek class, got engaged in Germany, live in both of our home state of Texas, and daily dream of what God has for our future! He’s a software programmer, house-tidyer, fellow daydreamer, and Mr.-Fix-It, and I couldn’t do any of what I do without him!
There are very few things that I hold onto in life with 100% conviction (because I know there’s a ton that I don’t know or understand), but Scripture is one of those things! It is the very word of God, written down for us, a glimpse into His activity in past human life and a manual for navigating this life the way He intended it. Without it we wouldn’t know of God’s amazing love for us, and that’s a miserable existence indeed. I struggle as anyone does to engage with it on a daily basis, but He is giving me an increasing love for it, especially as I get to paint and dwell on it regularly!
I am convinced that bowling (yes, I have my own ball, and yes, it’s sparkly gold!), volleyball, swing dancing, board games, 42, and painting are God’s greatest gifts to us! My interests are teasingly diverse, but I love all of these activities so much, especially if I get to do them with the people I love (and if you got that Gilmore Girls quote, you can add that to the list of things that I love most in life:))!
Being a Texas girl, Tex-Mex is at the top of my food chain! I can eat chips and hot sauce (or salsa if you’re not from East Texas) at any given time (I’ve even been known to sneak it into class). Another of my favorite products of East Texas life is the Icee. They can be found other places, but they’re best from a 50-year-old machine in an East Texas gas station. (And don’t even think about saying that Icees and Slurpees are the same thing… I have very strong feelings about this.)
I have always loved exploring and visiting new places; there’s so much beauty in diversity of culture, language, and histories! Little did I know that travel and cross-cultural living would be such an essential part of my career and passions! So far I have visited over a dozen countries, and I would like to visit as many as possible in my lifetime. We’re even planning to move overseas soon, probably in 2020!
My story
I used to think I had a boring story, but the more I think about it, the more grateful I become for God’s miraculous presence in every detail! None of us has a boring story, because there are so many intricate details that have come together on purpose, for a purpose that only God knows fully. My story may not be full of twists and turns (like some of yours might), but it’s my story that God has given to me to share with you, so here it is!
I grew up in the most loving home with parents who taught me the value of hard work, having fun, and honoring the Lord in whatever you do. We were always in church, and my social calendar was pretty much identical to the church calendar, which I loved. You don’t know real Southern hospitality until you veg out at a Sunday singin’ and potluck! I am so grateful for my roots, and my husband and I dream of living the small town life for the majority of our lives.
When it came time to go to college, I considered careers like architecture or teaching, but I really just saw one path that the Lord was laying before me: missions. With my love of travel and culture, plus His continual conviction that His Word is the crux of life, a theological education just made sense at the time. I pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on missions, which meant that I got to take a semester-long mission trip to Haiti. It was there that I fell in love with languages, the language learning process, and working with people cross culturally. I had no idea where it would lead, but in hindsight, I see how God was working in all the decisions that seemed second nature at the time.
After my experience with learning Haitian Creole and taking a couple years of Greek, the next step on my journey was to pursue a Master’s degree in Linguistics. Again, I had no idea exactly what I would do with this degree or why God had called me to it, but it was definitely the right step. Now that I have this degree, my husband and I are exploring our options, and it looks like we will be getting cross-cultural experience, likely in Mexico, in order to do Bible translation consulting to help get Scripture into the hands of people who don’t have access to it in their language yet! This is such an exciting prospect, and we are excited to see how God is working in these details too!
Now where does Ascribing Glory fit into all of this?? It’s a bit more complicated of a story, but equally as exciting! I have always been interested in art, but never had much formal education on the topic; I much preferred painting rocks with my grandmother or trying to mimic lettering styles I found in books or on tv. It wasn’t until college that I discovered the art of hand lettering, and I didn’t even try my hand at it until a friend suggested I give it a go! I fell in love with the process immediately, and I opened a shop on Etsy in 2014; thus began the era of Ascribing Glory in my life!
It took a back seat to my studies during my college career, but was always a hobby for me, because I desperately need a creative outlet to maintain my sanity! In 2017 I realized how much I wanted it to remain a part of my story, so I re-launched my little shop and started the journey that I’m still on today. I’m so grateful for this creative channel and the opportunities it gives me to meet people like you! It has been a challenge to develop my creative voice and learn who I am in this industry; there’s lots of voices out there. But I am finally settling in to my creative callings and giftings. I’m here to help you see beauty and to learn where that beauty comes from; I want to help you discover God’s great love for you and help remind you of those truths you love. We’re all on this journey together, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of your story as you are of mine!