THE WHO {Abigail}

"Every Good and Perfect gift comes from above."  I began with this verse because I feel that doing this work has been a wonderful surprise in my life, because for me "Illustrator" is a new job title; Something I envisioned as a child, put aside when I went to college, and can finally embrace as I entered my 30's. I've had a few other jobs, though I should say Mama is certainly my favorite! My husband Derek and I have been blessed with beautiful girls ages 3 and 11 months. They are the light in our lives, and so much of the reason this business is in existence.

I’ll close my eyes and try to go back before motherhood:

I grew up the middle child in a family with three kids in central Indiana. My parents were former Presbyterian missionaries, and converted to Orthodoxy when I was 5 or so. I grew up with a lot of freedom to be creative and imagine things. (My brother likes to tell the story of me lighting sticks in the bonfire pit and then pretending to put out the “fire” with the kitchen broom.) Church was always a constant in my life, though living about 45 minutes from the nearest Orthodox Church made it hard to fully participate in the church life. As a kid, I loved to draw, paint, and make things. My mom was very encouraging and let me do almost anything within reason. As a parent now, I really give her credit for this! 

By high school, we had moved to Kentucky, but I'll fast forward through those years (because that’s too long of a story to tell here)  and by college I was a student at the University of Louisville. While I had dreams of going away for school, I ended up close to home. The biggest blessing in this was that I was able to continue attending my home parish and become more grounded in the faith I had grown up with. St. Michael's church has been a center of stability throughout my life, a hub in the wheel of change and movement. I've met so many people there who quietly, steadily, do their work for God and all of this wasn't lost on me as I asked myself the big questions about where I wanted my life to go. One summer evening after my sophomore year, I would meet my future husband in the chapel. We were both at Vespers that night, and I was 100% distracted by this young hipster guy who I’d never seen before. (I should mention I knew who all of the available Orthodox men were off the top of my head!) Anyhow, through the help of some mutual friends Derek and I became friends and decided to be more than that after he converted to Orthodoxy. The thing About Derek that got me was his honesty, I admired it and knew having a partner who would be forthright was important. We were married soon after graduation, and both started our teaching careers that fall. He spent his free time reading and wood working, while I spent my time drawing and knitting. 

The first four years of our marriage  I  worked as an Elementary ESL teacher in the south end of Louisville. Much of my time was spent teaching early literacy skills to struggling and emergent readers whose first language was not English. There was nothing in the world like teaching someone to read, and I was very attached to my students. I wanted to provide the best lessons I could, which meant finding the best written books. I loved cataloging books for thematic units, or finding more of a particular author my students liked. Many of my students were refugees and struggled to connect with the cultural content in what they were reading, often leading me into mini cultural lessons before or after a reading lesson. Books are powerful tools, and I witnessed their influence first hand.  I often thought about the beauty of icons and the themes of the Orthodox Church... wondering how they could be made more accessible to children? How could the cultural barriers of Orthodoxy be revisited? What are age appropriate ways to share the truth of our faith?

As the years passed, and my students came and went, the word "baby" was forever on my mind. Derek and I traveled often in those early years, but we were forever thinking of making a home and filling it with children. By God's grace, we found out we were pregnant on Holy Wednesday (also my birthday) in the spring of 2014. A new journey was about to begin, and I suddenly realized that my time was limited. I had spent so long wanting to be a mother and now it was finally coming. It was coming, and the time I had for new endeavors was narrowing! As soon as I finished the year teaching I enrolled in an iconography course through Haexameron, having wanted to study iconography for years I thought "Now is the time!"  The course was incredible, overwhelming, and very humbling. I shared the table with iconographers and mosaic artists well practiced in the trade and learned so much about the history and practice of iconography. I came away very aware of my need to grow as an artist, but also reinvigorated with a love for iconography and wanting to share that beauty with others.

Fast forward to 2016, I was a year and a half into full time motherhood. One Sunday of Orthodoxy, while our daughter was napping, Derek and I wrote a little poem about how to treat icons. We wrote it over a few days, and then tucked it away in a drawer. Every so often we would talk about me illustrating the story and making it a book. Finally, Derek told me straight: "Stop talking about doing this, and just DO it." The first step I took was to start an Art Instagram account and begin to try to keep myself accountable! It was strange because people I interacted with regularly started noticing my art and it sparked conversations I'd never had before. Questions like "What is GOOD art?" "Why do children's illustrations often get the least amount of thought when perhaps they deserve the most?" Other people had been wondering about these things too, and it felt refreshing to make these connections!

In March of 2017, my friend Marian came to visit us and our new baby girl. She brought a basket of goodies, and refreshing conversation: Mentioning this dream that she'd had about us making an Orthodox Children's Calendar, and then with all seriousness said "What if we actually made one?"
Over the coming months we added Caroline to our team, and started working on a calendar that would foster Orthodox teachings in children's everyday lives. It started out as something we wanted to do for ourselves, and as interest grew the project eventually grew into a business! God has given me so many blessings throughout my life, and I certainly count Marian and Caroline up at the top. Everyday I feel humbled, grateful, and very unworthy to be doing this work. But "Its never too late to be what you might have been." As George Elliot famously said, and I'm ever grateful for the chance!

I was in 5th grade here!

Married in the summer of 2010

Our Girls

St. Xenia, Fool for Christ + FREE PRINTABLE

Hello all! 

We are having a fabulous time today getting to know more about the amazing St. Xenia and sharing her story with our kiddos and friends. We compiled a few resources and thought we would share them with you all today! Below is a summarized version of her story with questions to ponder as a group. Plus, scroll all the way down for a FREE PRINTABLE of St. Xenia drawn by the lovely ladies here at Draw Near Designs! 

St. Xenia's Story:

Xenia was once a young and beautiful woman. She was married to a man name Andrew who was a colonel in the army. Together they attended balls and parties and didn't have a care in the world. Then, one night Andrew suddenly died. He was young, and his wife Xenia was overcome with grief.

Why was Xenia so sad? Why had she spent her time going to parties instead of getting to know God?

Xenia disappeared for several years from the city. No one knew where she went, but when she returned she was wearing her husbands army jacket and told people to call her Andrew. She said to herself "before I found comfort in worldly things, but now I see all of that doesn't matter when you die. Now all I want is to find comfort in Christ."

She owned a house, but gave it away to a friend with the instructions that it be used to house people who were homeless. She gave away all of her money, and her family members began to think she had gone mad! "Let us help you Xenia!" They'd say to her "I don't need anything." She replied with a peaceful smile. She didn't sleep indoors herself, she wandered to a nearby field where she would spend her time in prayer.

A church was being built in a cemetery nearby. At night Xenia would go there in secret and help to carry bricks so that the workers wouldn't have to. "I want to help build Christ's church." She said to herself. One night the workers stayed and hid behind a building. They wanted to see who the mysterious person was that was helping them with their work. Very late in the night, they saw a tiny woman dressed in rags carrying an armful of bricks. It was Xenia, the homeless woman they knew. Some people said she was crazy, others said she was a "holy fool", but by this sign the masons truly knew she was doing God's work.

St. Xenia eventually died herself. Soon after her passing people started visiting her grave and miracles started to happen. Once, when a lady was visiting St.Petersburg, some friends told her about St. Xenia. That night, the lady asked St. Xenia to pray for her. She had a dream where St. Xenia was walking around the her house pouring water on everything. How strange! In the morning, the lady's nearby barn caught on fire, but the fire did not spread to the home and she was safe! Glory to God!

For the full version, check out this link: 

We hope you all enjoy sharing this story with your loved ones!

CLICK HERE FOR FREE PRINTABLE

THE WHO {Caroline}

My name is Caroline Gann and I am the graphic designer in our team of three! I was born and raised in Louisville, KY. Growing up, I loved to play soccer, sing and discover new foods. I still enjoy all of these things, especially learning about food culture and traditions associated with cooking and entertaining. Thanks to this, I was also able to help compile nearly all of the recipes for our calendar project. 

I was raised Lutheran (LCMS) and am still so, so thankful for my amazing family and extended family who created a Christian home for me and who encouraged my faith in any way they could. I graduated from the University of Kentucky where through the help of David, my husband-to-be, I learned about the Orthodox Church. David and I were married in 2013. After lots of learning, prayer, and thought, we were received onto the church on Pascha of 2014 at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Nicholasville, KY. Yes, I know, I'm just a baby Orthodox convert!

Those years after David and I got married we're a whirlwind! We converted, moved several times, bought a house, and had our little girl, Eleanor, before moving back home. I was finally able to get to know Marian and Abbi shortly after moving to Louisville to be closer to our families in 2015. I feel like we kind of danced around each other for a couple of years when David and I lived in Louisville and Lexington, but never really got to know each other until we moved back. Better late than never! 

Last January, Marian approached me with the proposition of creating an orthodox children's calendar with illustrations, crafts and activities to correspond with each month on the liturgical calendar. Needless to say I was in love! I had been doing freelance graphic design for a couple of years at that point and was so excited to learn even more with this project (both about liturgical life, and about graphic design)! We got to work, and less than a year later, here we are! I'm so grateful to work with this team of ladies, who are so ambitious, but still recognize the need to stop and say a prayer or refocus before proceeding with most tasks. How often do you get to work with a whole team like that! 

I'm so excited for the projects to come with this team! I've also been loving getting to know other Orthodox makers around the country. Everyone is so inspiring and it's fantastic to have a reminder of how very very much I have to learn!! AND thank you guys for all of your support! Our customers' desire to further educate their children on the beauty of God spurs me onward to do the same for my children, and to continue creating these materials that we can use in our homes.

THE WHO {Marian}

We wanted to introduce ourselves, and give little more background to the people behind the logo! My name is Marian Bradshaw Adams, and I was born in Huntsville, AL, and raised Orthodox Christian from birth by my loving parents, Mary and David Bradshaw. Growing up, we moved to Austin, TX, Hobart, IN, and finally settled in Lexington, KY, where my dad still teaches Philosophy at the University of KY. I have loved art since I was a little girl, and as a child I created "M & E Card Company" with my cousin, where we made cards and had them for sale to relatives. On a good year, we would make $30 apiece, so I don't want to brag, but it was quite a successful business venture. In many ways, Draw Near Designs feels like coming full circle with my entrepreneurial dreams! 

I went to college in Birmingham, AL, at Birmingham-Southern College, and graduated with a Bachelors degree in French, with minors in Psychology and Art History. For most of my time at college, I dated James Adams, who lived in Louisville, KY. We had met at church in Nicholasville, KY, at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church before I left for college. We stayed in touch, eventually recognized a kindred spirit, and fell in love. When I graduated college in 2011, I moved to Louisville, KY, and became wife to James and step-mother to his sweet daughter, Kyleigh. 6 years later, we live in a cozy house with a big backyard, a vegetable garden, a creek, 3 cats, and a turtle. Kyleigh is 14 (we met when she was 4!), and our toddler Emily is 2. Yes, we have a teenager and toddler in the same house! It's crazy sometimes, but it's wonderful all the time! 

Since moving to Louisville, I have worked in a bakery as an assistant pastry chef (cooking and baking has been my job and hobby since high school!), and managing shipping and receiving and Anthropologie. When Emily was born, I made the decision to devote my time to raising her and caring for our family, and it is a beautiful season of life that I am savoring. In my "free time" I love to cook, read (especially mysteries!), travel, market Rodan+Fields skincare, and try my hand at every new craft I can get my hands on (weaving, embroidery, Cheerio necklaces with the toddler)...and of course, I'm drawing and painting all day every day. My favorite subject matter is nature-- leaves, pinecones, flowers, herbs, trees-- and I thrive on bright colors and hard work.

One of my favorite churches that we attended had an icon corner in the back of the church, with icons placed at child eye-level. Making Orthodoxy an accessible part of a child's life is deeply important to me, as I raise my girls to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God. Draw Near Designs is the best way for me to use my love of art for good, and I am so proud of the calendar we have created this year. My dream is to continue creating Orthodox Christian educational products for children (the calendar and more!) for years to come, and working as a freelance illustrator while raising my girls and loving my husband. Glory to God!

THE WHAT {are we making?}

So what is this calendar we keep talking about? We wanted to create a calendar that was useful and beautiful for children to have hanging in their rooms. We wanted a calendar for children like our own, who are Orthodox and culturally American. We wanted something with warm illustrations of children living life as Orthodox Christians, something that encouraged them to participate in their faith. 

Abigail and Marian decided to split the work of illustrations, each painting 6 full color illustrations for the months, and sharing the black and white saints drawings (there are around 50!). We brainstormed as a team to decide on activities, memory exercises, and crafts for each month. Caroline wrote everything up, and worked her magic to make all of our ideas come to life! After consults with our priest, infinite texts and e-mails, meetings over coffee, and toddler disputes that we refereed, Love & Joy: An Orthodox Children's Calendar began to take more definite form. 

The paintings for the months were inspired by either the season or a church feast occurring around then. For instance, January's painting is a scene from Abigail's daughter's baptism, inspired by Theophany. June's painting features two children's playing together, emphasizing the friendship of Saints Peter and Paul. August's scene is Marian's daughter reaching for the icon of the Theotokos over her crib, referencing the Dormition of the Theotokos that month. December shows Marian's other daughter putting Jesus in his manger on Christmas morning, while the icon of the Nativity of Christ reminds us of the glory that a child's manger scene is mimicking. 

Caroline chose a color from each month's painting to become the watercolor background for the days. In an effort to make this calendar as practical for American Orthodox children, We chose to include American holidays, church feasts, and 3-5 saints for each month (with the drawing of that saint shown in their feast day). Fasting days are denoted by a circle of a slightly different shade than the background. Fish, wine, and oil days are marked with a small, white logo in the corner of each day. We wanted the calendar to include pertinent information, while remaining uncluttered and clean looking. 

The crafts and recipes are some seasonal activities, and some church-related. For instance, in February we suggest making a string of paper hearts with names on them of people we want to pray for, and then hang the string in our icon corner-- a less candy-oriented take on Valentine's Day. For June, the recipe is Marian's husband's favorite apple pie that they always make him on Father's Day-- but we also add a prayer for children to be praying as they make the pie! In October, the recipe is for a child's version of Koliva, an invitation to discuss the Orthodox view of death in the face of Halloween. Caroline expressed it best in our Kickstarter video, when she shared our desire to use the cultural history of Orthodoxy and the beauty of the church cycle, and make it easier for busy parents to teach their children about these rich traditions. 

The calendar is spiral bound so that it will hang flat on a wall, and the covers are thick and durable to support the extra weight of the 52 pages. We love the thought of families using these calendars throughout the year, inspiring new crafts, lessons, and traditions. Glory to God!

THE HOW {did this even start?}

Marian Adams here today, to tell you the story of how Draw Near Designs began. In 2016, Abigail began to illustrate a children's board book about icons. She would post her beautiful paintings on Instagram, and I would admire the sweet faces and gentle colors. One night in December of 2016, I had a dream. I dreamed of creating a calendar for Orthodox children and collaborating with Abbi for the illustrations. In my dream, the calendar would include activity and craft suggestions for each week (things like "Write your Godparents a letter," "Thank a family member for something they do for you every day," or "Make a card for an elderly friend or neighbor."). When I woke up, I mentioned in to my husband and went about my day, and then a bit later, I wrote Abbi and mentioned this odd dream I had. 

There's a line from a children's book, Rosie Revere, Engineer, that I love, "But questions are tricky, and some hold on tight." This question held on tight, indeed: Could I really create something like the calendar in my dream? With no experience, no budget, and not much free time? I just couldn't stop thinking about it, and more and more ideas for this calendar kept popping into my head. So a month or two later I asked Abbi how serious she was about pursuing this hairbrained idea. Once we both agreed we wanted this to happen, we were off running!

The previous year, I had written, illustrated, and self-published a coloring book, "That's Nonsense: A silly ABC book to color and read" (it's available on Amazon). Caroline Gann, a graphic designer friend I had known from my church in Lexington who had recently moved to Louisville had kindly and generously helped me format the coloring book, which I had just drawn on looseleaf paper! When I approached her about my idea for an Orthodox children's calendar, and asked if she would be willing to team up and be in charge of the graphic design part of it, she was immediately on board. Abbi, Caroline, and I began talking more about what we wanted this calendar to look like and how to make it happen. We are all busy mamas with multiple kids each. None of us had "free time" to pursue hobbies. But we all felt a passion in our hearts to find the time to bring this calendar into existence. I say this with great humility, because I know there are so many other people with greater artistic skill, more experience creating resources for children, and years more practice leading children through their Faith-- but it felt like God had given us this project and put the desire in our hearts. And so we set out to make it happen. 

We divvied up the "who would do what." We talked about what we wanted to include in the calendar. Who is our target audience? Should the recipes and activities be at the end? A separate booklet? Following each month? Spiral bound? Saddle stitched? How were we going to print these? How many did we think we might sell? So many decisions! When we decided to launch a Kickstarter to fund the publishing costs, we decided to start a company along with it. I loved the image of children drawing closer to Christ, and Draw Near Designs was born. And that's the (short) version of how this Abbi, Caroline, and I started working together to create Love & Joy: An Orthodox Children's Calendar. A dream, a hope, and a prayer!