At the center of my work is photography. Inspiration catches my eye on a walk or what comes across my path in the normal course of a day. I remember telling God I would obey and create the book, In Plain Sight: Faith Is In The Everyday and then I was done (you know, the hands brushing together/hands-up move). But, you guessed it, I wasn’t done. Another idea came which I knowingly accepted creating, Sights of Faith: The Cross and Clouds. Then my third book, in the series of photo-based devotionals, came In Plain Sight, Volume II: Finding Extraordinary Faith in Ordinary Days, with a unique twist of our connection to a community faith. My photography, books, and speaking connects people to the presence of God in ordinary, everyday surroundings.

I’m not a trained artist or photographer. I didn’t go to art school or take classes. I’m using the gifts God has given me. Leaning into faith when the Devil of Doubt speaks and when tests arise, my trifecta of faith is prayer, patience and perseverance.  Deepening my faith in my early 40s, and as I was taking steps of faith, I started seeing patterns appear— patterns in the form of in the form of “everyday” crosses. I received each of these sightings as my spiritual nudge, made for me, placed for me and timed for me — with the message,”Keep going, Amy.”  I took photos of the everyday cross to remember it, with no intent to do anything with the images. That’s one of the cool things about faith — doing before the knowing.

Although I’m not a theologian nor a biblical scholar, I read my Bible every morning. I’m on my fourth reading, cover-to-cover; a different Bible translation each time. Raised Methodist, I grew up going to church every weekend, but missed the internal aspect of faith. 

A little more:

• Born in Macon, Missouri, grew up in Springfield and live in Kansas City (MO, since 2000.)
• Professional experience/career: Received a Bachelors’ degree in Business from Missouri State University, Masters in HR Management from Webster University and held senior-level strategic human resources leadership positions for 20+ years in the private, for-profit sector, (LinkedIn).
• Prior to starting my own business & HR consulting practice, Arbor Grove, LLC in 2014, I was Senior Vice President, HR Director at Arvest Bank, for the Kansas City market.
• In 2016 I found myself taking photos of crosses while deepening my personal faith relationship.

Fun Facts:

• Motto: The little things in life are big.
• Favorite activity: Walking outdoors with no ear-buds, no noise in my ears so I can stay attuned to God’s surrounding beauty in sight, sense and sound. Time in nature is one of my favorite forms of worship.
• My love of rural America and my artistic perspective of seeing nature’s extravagant beauty in simple objects originates from growing up & spending time on my grandparent’s farm (the place where this whole photography journey, and then faith journey, started, The Rural Collection).
• The first everyday cross photo I took was at my grandparent’s farm. Of course, I didn’t “see” it at the time. That’s how good God is.