#254: Anne Neilson: Brushstrokes of Life
Anne is a world-renowned painter and her Angel series has grabbed the world by its heartstrings. I was so honored to chat with her about her latest resource - Brushstrokes of Life.
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EP. 254
Tony: [00:00:00] Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Reclamation Podcast. We're our goal to help you reclaim good practices for following Jesus. Today is episode 254, and if we haven't met yet, my name is Tony. I'm your host with over a decade in the local church. I care deeply and passionately about helping you connect to good practices for following Jesus.
Today's conversation was a little bit different for me. I sit down with an artist. Ann Nielsen is a world renowned artist for her Angels series, and she's got a brand new resource out called Brush Strokes of Life. It's such a good discussion around the creative process, about how she leans into God's way of doing things.
And how it's all about relationship. I think you're really gonna enjoy this conversation. It was fascinating, and she was an absolute gem to talk to. If you do [00:01:00] enjoy this conversation, do me a favor, hit that subscribe button wherever, listen to podcasts, and share this episode with a friend, maybe somebody you know who loves art.
Now, without any further ado, here's my conversation with Anne Ni. And thank you so much for taking the time to be on the podcast today. It's such an honor and a privilege to be with you and all the work that you've done.
Anne: Oh, thank you for having me. I'm excited to, to, I'm an open book. Share my story. Share the journey.
Tony: Well, you know, you've got an interesting story. You've done a number of things over the years. From, obviously painting is what you're most known for, but you know, you've done a whole lot of other things as well. H how would you describe the calling that God has placed on your life?
Anne: That is a very good question because we gotta go back to the little girl who. You know and you'll read all about this in my new book, but I came from a broken home [00:02:00] and and I did have an incredible experience with Jesus, so I knew that God was real. And but that was around, I think I was six or seven, but I knew as a little girl that I wanted to be an artist.
I knew that God created me to create and I was always, you know, doodling. You know, making jewelry, whatever it was, I love to create. And I will confess, I made a D minus in 10th grade art. I was not the greatest student. Flunked outta college. Kind of wandered in my twenties. Really didn't know, you know, I, I knew I wanted to create, and when I was in that creative mode, I, I just, you know, my spirit soared.
And so I did go back to college. It took me eight years. I became an elementary education teacher. I taught third grade for one year, and that's when I started my little pottery business and. So [00:03:00] I think it was, you know, just operating out of the desires of that child. The, you know, he says Delight yourself to the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
And so when I was creating, I knew that that little, you know, that dream of that child was, you know, coming alive live. But that was just a hobby. It was a hobby. I had a painted, a hand painted dinnerware line. I did move to c. I quit my job after a year. I taught school one year in Atlanta, and then I moved to Charlotte, quit my job, started a champagne and pottery business, and I thought, okay, this is what I love doing.
Hmm. And didn't think it was a calling, but I knew that I was just, I was operating out of that. That gift that God had deposited into my spirit and my soul. But then I met my husband, had kids and kind of put that dream on hold. And it wasn't, it was 20 years ago when I painted my first angel. And and I [00:04:00] sent the picture to my sister and I said, what do you think?
And she said, I think you found your. And still was a hobby. So I, you know, didn't really know that God was calling me into this, this journey. But I, we had built a home and my children were getting a little bit older, and so I had the time to paint and and that started this, this journey and, you know, it was my, you know, it, it, it just, it became this incredible.
Pathway. So now I know 10 years later, or 10 years ago, I self-published this. Angels in our midst. So it was my first coffee table book cuz everybody wanted an angel. Mm-hmm. And they started going into galleries. So they were not selling at my kitchen table like they were 20 years ago. And they had grown in value and I decided I'm gonna do a coffee table book.
That way everybody can have the stories. And and you can tear out a page and frame it. And you've got a, you know, you've got an angel. [00:05:00] Well that, hold on. This is so. The book went out into the world. I'll never forget I got a phone call from a lady saying I, my four year old granddaughter had passed away four y two years ago, and I have not been able to grieve.
I got your book. I read it cover to cover, and it's like the heaven, the floodgates of heaven have opened up in the healing processes begun. Wow. And so at that moment, which was 10 years ago, I knew that this hobby had become now a calling and it was a ministry. And so the painting. You know, the, the writing, it's, it's turned into this ministry.
So it was a hobby, you know, this little girl who just so desired to create and become an artist, you know, went through a lot of bumps in the road and twists and turns along that journey. But today, I, I do know that God has a calling on my life and it's to bless and to bring hope and healing in a [00:06:00] broken world.
Tony: That's a, a beautiful answer and I love that the depth of that story. I, I think that there's a lot of people listening who are who tend to be a little bit more rigid in thinking and the thought of being creative. In their faith and in their expression of their calling feels like a daunting task.
And, and so one of the questions that I was dying to ask you, especially after I read the introduction of your latest book, where you talk about that staring at that blank page, is how, how do you recommend people get started and they're creative. Journey, like, you know, obviously God is a creator we're designed to create.
Yes. What does the beginning of creativity look like for you and, and maybe any, any tips you have for the rest of us?
Anne: Well, I think for me and I, I do tell my team and myself this all the time that. You know, God has given some, we've, he's given, put something in our hands. For me it's a paintbrush. And and we can hold [00:07:00] tight to whatever he's put in our hands, that gift that he has given us.
And, you know, I like to say we have got to open our hands and surrender it back to him. And so by surrendering it to him, have an open hands and an open heart and truly trusting him. For whatever, you know, that journey is for that person or for me. But it is a daily practice of not clinging to that paintbrush, but surrendering it to a mighty God.
We have, we serve a big God who. Can do big things in our lives. And so being able to, and for me, control you know, that is my middle name. I like control. I think a lot of us, you know, wanna control whether it's our situation or our dreams or, but we gotta let go. We gotta let go and let God into the process.
And so, and [00:08:00] another thing for me, I listen to praise music. I think that is just a way of just grounding me into God's word, his truth just worshiping him and allowing, you know, those words flow out onto this blank canvas that is staring at me when I start a a painting. But just really coming to the throne of grace and surrender.
What is it that hinders? You know, what are our fears? Do we struggle with? And if we can just open our hands and trust and surrender and have an open heart to see where God is gonna lead us. Because again, I had no idea when I painted that first angel 20 years ago that I would be here getting ready to, you know, launch a book all my life.
And but he does immeasurably more and than we could ever ask or imagine when we truly trust him and s.
Tony: Yeah. That's, that's a good word. I think for all of us, he does so much more. The, the book is [00:09:00] incredibly vulnerable and it's, it's getting ready, I'm sure it's, you know, book processes that people who listen to the podcast have heard this before from me.
It's, it's a lot like birthing a child, right? It's a process of like, I love it. I love it, I love it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. Yeah. I love it. Again, I just want this to go out in the world and do whatever it's gonna do and be okay. Right. Yeah. Like, What did you learn about yourself and about God in the process of writing this book?
Anne: Interesting because about, I don't know, maybe it was 15 years ago, I was with a group of, we had a very strong prayer group and I'll never forget prayer one day, and I literally thought I was birthing a. And and I had this vision in
my
Anne: head and when we built our house, the home that, you know, I started painting there were so many levels of.
God showing up in that process. And I truly thought that I was gonna write a book called Building a House God's Way, because he was showing me so much in the physical [00:10:00] things that were happening in the spiritual and Oh wow. But that did not happen. And so I was a little disappointed. Let me just back up and say I did make a C minus in English, but I had that desire, you know, those.
Those little highlight magazines back in the day. Now I'm really dating myself. I love those things First day. Yeah. But you could like, you know, do a little paragraph and submit it in and maybe you get your, you know, story published or whatever. Never that never happened. But God had bigger plans cuz I've got now five books out there.
But I. Really, you know, just the process. I then when the, the other book, the coffee table book came out, I thought, okay, this is the book. This is the book that was birthed in that prayer room. But no, I truly think that this, you know, the brushstrokes of life really sharing my story and being transparent and being vulnerable and you know, just showing.
The readers, how God connects with us on such an intimate level. So [00:11:00] I, I'm, it was, it was hard. But it was beautiful. It was a challenge when I submitted the manuscript, you, my publisher came back and said, Hmm, there is no structure. We need a book, doctor. We got a fabulous book, doctor. And it is a, it's, it's beautiful.
So, Praying that it really blesses people and meets people the readers just where they are. You don't have to be an artist. You can be a wife, a lawyer, a doctor a father, you know, just meets them right where they are and encourages them and their walk with Jesus.
Tony: Yeah. O one of the interesting things about the way that you wrote the book is that there's these little call out boxes called brushstroke moments, and I'm super interesting.
If you could tell us a little about what a, a brushstroke moment is and and how you decided what they would be, because they're, they're. They're beautiful [00:12:00] thoughts in the book that are kind of in that moment, but I would imagine it's hard to figure out what exactly you wanted to, to put in those boxes.
Anne: Yeah, that's a good question. I just, you know, when we were putting this book together and let me just back up. When I. Was asked to, you know, do this book with the publisher. I was cleaning out all these books on my bookcase in my in, you know, at my house. Mm-hmm. And I'm like, piles and piles and piles of books.
Some books I never have even opened. And I'm like, Why in the world am I writing a book and who in the world is gonna read my story? Hmm. And I really felt the whisper of the Holy Spirit just saying, you know, we all have a story. Not everybody has to publish their story, but it's when we can truly again, be transparent and.
Just kind of open, you know, your [00:13:00] life and bear your soul and all the trials and the tribulations. And I just think that is, It just allows the reader to say, okay, they can connect on a certain level. And and so the brush stroke moments it just, it's an opportunity for those readers to really connect and, and reflect on their life where they are in that moment.
One of them is, you know, I talk about forgiveness and what does forgiveness look like to you? You know, this is what forgiveness look like to me, and the things that I was having to go to through. Not be walking the same, you know, rocky path that I am, but you might be on a different path. And so how is God, how is the Holy Spirit really touching your heart at this moment, reading this chapter?
And so we just thought that would be a beautiful way of connecting with the reader. And it's not all about me. This book is my story. Yeah. And it's how God has interrupted my story with his [00:14:00] grace and his mercy and his love. And his forgiveness and his, you know, his, you know, his glory through it
Tony: all. Do, do you think, I, I mean, how long did it take you to get good at handling God's interruption?
Because I, I'm kind of a control f. Freak. I'm not afraid to say that I, I wear that with pride. I, I prefer to have things work and be in charge and all the things. H how do you get, how'd you get good or are you good at handling God's interruption and, and how do you deal with it? I am not
Anne: good at handling God's interruptions.
No, but I do, I, I, I feel like my life is a. Devotional. I do feel like he speaks to me whether you know, he's showing me something like when we were building our home I'll never forget this, we You know, I had prayed and prayed. My husband and I, we, our family grew to four children. We out, you know, we were [00:15:00] outgrowing our home, so we had the opportunity to build this house.
I was steeped in God's word. I really felt like he said, build this house. We prayed that scripture that unless the Lord, you know, builds a home, it's labor's. I. What is it building in? Anyway, whatever that scripture is, eh, I need to know that. But anyway, we really surrendered this home to the Lord and I always wanted to put him first in the process.
And I'll never forget, I was at a Bible study and I had to meet an electrician there, and I was struggling because I had to miss Bible study and I was driving to the house and just really, You know, to the Lord, please forgive me. Cuz I've always wanted to put you first. Meaning I had to be physically at Bible study, but he had other plans.
He wanted me to meet with the electrician and I kept hearing, I want you to pray with the electrician. And so I'm like, oh gosh. I get there and we have all the plans spread out and I just said, can we pray? [00:16:00] And I prayed the most incredible prayer and well it was God through me, but He looked at me and we were just praying that God's light, his spirit would be the, the, you know, the light that's shown through the walls and the windows and throughout the, you know, the halls of the home.
And he looked at me and said, I've never in my entire, you know, career had an interruption like that. Hmm. And I just knew, I left there thinking, okay, I think in my mind's eye that, you know, being a Bible study and leading this Bible group, and that's what I needed to do, but God had a. Different plan for me and stepping out and fate and listening to that whisper of, you know, I, when I was driving over here to the house, I knew that God wanted me to pray and I could have totally ignored that and not prayed with the electrician, but I had to out of obedience, pause, pray.
It was, it was a beautiful thing. So and I still have to do that today. We live in this [00:17:00] world where there's so much noise in Yeah. Our world, and we have to be still, and we have to, and it's hard for me even today. And that's why painting and worshiping and having my praise music on, it's such a grounding thing for me because that is, That is my pause.
It is my worship time. But we have to tune out that noise and tune in to God and let him interrupt those little little things in our life that tend to pick us up sometimes.
Tony: Yeah, for sure. I think one of the interesting things that I hear more and more as I hear your story is that you have this familiarity with the Lord.
And a saying that we say around here pretty often is that if you're not dedicated to your disciplines, you'll be destroyed by your distractions. And so I would love to just hear a little bit. I love that. Oh, thank you. You should steal it. I, I, I just really love that. Well, it's, it's just been so true in my life, right?
It's my distractions that always get me in trouble. But then there's [00:18:00] also this obedience part that you're talking about that's equally important is that the discipline helps us be obedient. How do you hear God's voice and how do you discern like, oh, that's from the Lord, or, oh, that's just me wanting to talk myself into a, a bad decision to make it good.
Like, what's that process like for.
Anne: Well, and I just hopped off the Zoom talking about we serve a big God. Mm-hmm. And sometimes we wanna keep him in a small box. And there's so many stories about how I have kept him in a small box, but I think for me it is. And you talked about, touch on it briefly, is the intimacy I had a girl call me, this was 10 years ago when the book came out and she wanted to have coffee with me.
And you know, she said, you're so religious, I just need, I wanna know more. And I'm like, whoa, let's stop right there. It is not about religion, it is about a relationship. And so [00:19:00] for me, and I try to tell this not only to myself, to my children, to my family. It's 24 7. You know it is talking to God 24 7. It is praying to a big God 24 7.
It is knowing, you know, all the characteristics of our God 24 7. And so, Yes. There are times that I feel like I hear his voice and I question is was that you was, you know, you telling me to do that. But I truly, I, I think that when we empty ourselves and when we are surrendered that word, surrender, surrender, surrender and creating me a clean heart.
Wipe away all the stuff, all the anxieties, all the fears, all the, you know, things that I'm going through today. Dump it out so that I can be filled up so that I can hear your still small voice. For me, it's just it, it is. It is a dialogue. It is constant prayer with a [00:20:00] living Lord Jesus Christ, who so desires that connection, that intimate relationship with each of us.
And so it is not about religion, but is about a deep, intimate friendship.
Tony: What's the role of that friendship as you go to create art? Right. Because I, I feel like one of the words that you say in the book is that you're an apprentice to God. Right. And I, I love that language. But it, it denotes relationship, you know, that there's a, a natural.
Relationship in there. When you sit in front of a a blank piece of canvas, canvas, are you like, okay, God, what are we gonna create today? Or is it more like, Hey God, I'm gonna create this, and if you could hop in or be like, I'm not moving till God tells me to move, what's the process like?
Anne: Okay. I love that question because I do start with a blank canvas and.
And let me just side note here. When I come home after painting, and there are days that I don't paint [00:21:00] and you know, you can tell and, but when the days that I do come home, my husband looks at me and says, wow, you've been painting today. So there's a, there's a shift and whether it's my actions, reactions, whatever it is, but he can tell.
But as I'm sitting there, praise music Allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart. I sometimes I'll have a vision in my head what I wanna paint, but a lot of times I will, the whatever comes, the ethereal beings that get sculpted out of oil paints onto the canvas, I'll step away and I'm like amazed cuz I'm like, gosh, wow Lord, I think you just did that.
And and I'll gosh, it was about six years ago I was preparing for an art show. And Ocean Reef. And I, you know, didn't wanna be just a factory of cranking out these paintings. And I just, I remember praying this prayer, Lord, I believe you've given me this gift. It is a [00:22:00] gift to bless others. And there's so many stories of how people have, you know, traveled and.
Told me their stories and we prayed and cried and so I just need to know that these paintings will connect with the collector or the people, you know? Mm-hmm. I just need to know they have meaning, deep meaning, and it's not just. Paint on a campus. So I, and, and if you're ready, if, if I'm just stop painting angels, I just, I need you to tell me, no, I need you to just show me, give me a sign.
So I go to the show, signing books, talking to this girl, cuz I was, it was a dual thing book signing an art show talking to a girl who had just lost her husband or her father, signed a book to her, gave it to her. And about a few minutes later she did a beeline U-turn back to me sobbing. She's like that.
I've never had art speak to me. The way that painting at the front door spoke to my heart and at that moment I knew, okay, Lord, [00:23:00] this is, this really not about me. This is about the gift that you have given me and is to bless others. So as long as you want me to paint, I will be painting. So it's, it's a, you know, I, I wanna make sure that I carve out time.
Life gets busy and I, I like to tell people, everybody's like, you're so busy. You're so busy, you're so busy. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no. We don't ever wanna glorify that word. Yeah. But I came up with little acronym, be uniquely serving Yahweh by using what is specifically. And so, you know, when I have that paintbrush in my hand and surrender it to the Lord, he does immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine.
And he gets all the glory for this journey. It's been a journey. Word.
Tony: That's a great acronym. Yeah. Lots of prayer. Yeah. [00:24:00] Hey guys, just pausing this conversation with Anne to remind you to subscribe to the Spirit and Truth CK it's kind of like a blog that gets delivered to your email. It comes out twice a week.
There's a free version and a paid version. So there's lots of options, but it's a great way to lean in to what it means to be a spirit led leader. The team at Spirit and Truth puts out great content. I do writing as well. I think you're really gonna enjoy it. Go to Spirit and truth.sub.com. O one of the things that we say around here is that we're perfectly full.
Right? Instead of saying busy, we're perfectly full. Yeah, and perfectly full. Yeah. And it's, it's the same idea though, right? It's the, Hey, I'm gonna use the gifts that God has given me in the way that I can to honor him and to live out the mission. I. One of the things that you talk about in the book a little bit is how you're not necessarily wired for the crowds.
And when you go to these art shows and books and so, so I, I was kind of, I [00:25:00] was, this is on one of my questions and I wasn't sure if we were gonna get to it, but this is the perfect transition. How do you deal with the emotional part of giving yourself away to the book lines and but also to the, to the art, right?
Your art, I mean, like your art is part of you and it just walks away. Like, these aren't mass produced things. This is your heart that somebody's walking away with. Talk me through that process. I've never been a creator that way. All. Creation has been more mass production. And so like, you know, distribution, distribution, distribution.
But this is different.
Anne: It is different. And it's, it's, you know, part of my soul that, you know, I, I just, in the spirit, I mean, it's that birthing of, you know, whether it's the books or the piece of art and I don't know. It's just a supernatural feeling. Hmm. You know, knowing that [00:26:00] God, you know, this is my, this is my path.
This is the journey that God has me on. It's not a hobby anymore. Yeah. No more hobby. Sometimes I'm like, Lord, what the heck? What, what, why, why? But no, it's been, it's been amazing. But it's part of my heart. I mean, you know, I pour my heart and soul and. And these paintings. And I gotta share another story.
I don't know, it just popped in my head. So I, someone out there. But speaking of big crowds, you know, I don't like concerts. But I did go to my first concert. I was 20 something. It was a Rolling Stone concert. I'm gonna kind of tattle on myself, but I was like, oh, they play this song. I didn't know they played this song.
I love this song. Fast forward. I love Christian music. That's all I listen to. I couldn't tell you, well, I could probably now [00:27:00] because I have some relationships with some of these Christian artists, but like, if a song was playing, I, I wouldn't know that that was Amy Grant's song or Stephen Curtis's song back in the day.
I couldn't tell you the words, but I love it that just the, the words and the. Speaks to my spirit. Mm-hmm. So, anyway, fast forward I'm painting, I'm painting to praise music. A friend of mine had lost her husband. She had commissioned me to do five little small paintings of her husband. Kind of a back angel, a painting of an angel from the back.
And she was gonna give one to each of her children and her in-laws. And so I go into the studio and and I'm. You know, randomly put on my praise music and the song. Every time I was working on those five paintings, this song always came on and it was, I know you've lost a loved one before. It's time.
And, you know, anyway, it, I, I got the cd, I printed out the song, the lyrics, and it was just God reminding this [00:28:00] family that he sees them, that he is in the details. Hmm. So as, as. It's just this deep ministry and it's my heart that goes pours into these paintings. And you know, whether I'm praying over a, a loved one that has lost, you know, a husband or a child and you know, it's a commission or whether I'm praying over just a random painting that I'm doing, I'm pouring my heart and soul into each of these.
So when they walk out the door, it's like, wow. Wow. And they, if you can imagine, 20 years I've been painting these things, they have evolved over these 20 years. I'll never forget it was early on and they started flying off the shell, off the walls of the galleries. One painting I did for. Fundraiser.
There were five auction items, so it was my painting, Elise Mercedes-Benz took us to the Super Bowl, a golf cart and a trip somewhere. So those were the [00:29:00] only items. Wow. And it was for an organization here in Charlotte. It's for children with disabilities. And I'm sitting there young at heart, you know, new in my hobby and I was just sitting there, is my painting gonna get a bid?
I mean, you know, kind of sheepishly having the little bid thing over my face. Like, is anybody gonna bid on my painting? And the painting outbid everything. Even the least Mercedes, the tune of $18,000. And you know, that's when God kept hitting me, you know, over the head with his hammer. I've called you. I have a plan for you.
Keep painting, keep picking up that paint brush, keep believing. And so there were all these crazy stories like that. So anyway, yes, I surrender trust. Trust him, walk, you know, seek
Tony: him it. The process of creating a painting to me is such an interesting thought, and I know that there's a lot of people who who can't see obviously what we can see, [00:30:00] but behind you there's probably, there's that 60 to a hundred paintbrushes there.
I love them. Oh. Yes. Yes. I, I just wanna ask this question. I, I don't know if it has any merit at all. I'm gonna show my ignorance around painting, but how, how do you know which paintbrush to use?
Anne: I have a few of my favorite, well, these are, and let me just, can, can I say I am a messy painter? Mm-hmm. But life is messy, and I love how God gets in those messes and he creates a masterpiece.
So I, I don't ever throw away my paintbrushes. I never clean my paintbrushes. These will never be used again. Well, some of them may if they are still pliable and I can, you know, put up some paint on them. But but I save all my paint brushes with Caked one oil paint. So these are all like 20 year old paint brushes.
But I have some of my favorite trial and error over those 20 years trying to [00:31:00] find those favorite paintbrushes. But when they get hard and crusty, they go in the little jars that you see behind me and. I love '
Tony: em. That's amazing. I, well, I think it's probably just a good a good note for all of us, right.
Is to, to find, find. And then, you know, there's a, it's kind of a, there's an act of worship that happens in remembrance. That is, yeah. Beautiful. Yes. And so the fact that those paintbrushes are still there and they're still, they're still part of your, kind of the tapestry of your life. That's be.
Anne: To look back and to see what God can do and what he has done and what he will continue to do.
Yes, yes. A good
Tony: remembrance. One of the things that I love to do is to look at dedication pages and I read your dedication page and it's beautiful. And so I'm gonna, I'm gonna read it for the audience and then I'm just gonna ask you to maybe give us a little bit of context. It, it says, This book is [00:32:00] dedicated to my mom who taught me the power of praying God's word through all the seasons of life, and to my dad who taught me to be adventurous in every area of life.
And then you close it out with Exodus 2012. Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land. The Lord your God is giving.
Anne: Mm. I love that. And I'm telling you, I'm in a season of really taking care of my parents. They divorced when I was five. Mm-hmm. It was in, you'll read in my story of, you know, broken home, very rocky.
My mom really came to know Jesus when I was a teenager. She took us to. These Holy Spirit, spirit-filled churches. I'm a teenager, you know, just cowering in the pews, like, why am I here? And people are speaking in tongues and I'm just, I'm, you know, beat red and, you know, [00:33:00] hiding. Yeah. But she, Truly has a journey herself.
Mm-hmm. And she wrote a book called The, sort of the Spirit, the Word of God. And she was, this is my kind of mid-teens was volunteering at a healing ministry and she was in charge of all the intercessory prayers and they, oh, wow. Everybody would write their prayers on a little piece of paper and put it in a little basket, and she would organize 'em.
Pull scripture because God's word is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword. And that is our weapon for amen for anything that we're going through. And so if we can memorize scripture, if we can dig into God's word and truly know that back to that big God, we serve a big God. And it's not how big our prayers are, but it's how big our God is.
And anyway, she. Pulled all the scriptures for physical people who need physical healing, people who need, you know, emotional healing [00:34:00] relationship healing. And that's when she decided to publish the book. And I think that book's been out for. 35, 40 years long time. Oh, the handbook of How to Pray God's Word.
And so she really taught me through the journey of life, pray, pray without ceasing. And then my dad, he was a fighter pilot for the Navy. And just, he was one of the, there were five guys I think back in his early days where they were called the Florida. Expeditionary men, something like that. But they were the first men to climb Angel Falls and then go down this piran infested little river in rubber kayaks.
And I'll never forget, I was in the sixth grade and he came back and he did a big presentation to our sixth grade class. And so he was an adventurer. And you know, I'll never forget, you'll read about this too in the book, that a group of us wanted, [00:35:00] Go skydiving jump al an airplane. And so immediately went to my dad, who was a fighter pilot.
Yeah. And, you know, I said, daddy, you know do you wanna go join us? Let's go jump al an airplane. And he looked at me and said, honey, w why in the world would I jump out of a perfectly working airplane? No, you do not need to go do that. But I did. Just not once, but twice. Okay. Exhilarating. So anyway, he taught me the, you know, to be adventurous in life in all areas.
So
Tony: yes, it's beautiful. It's beautiful. Well, and the best part is in just those descriptions, I can easily see where you get your control, part of who you are and where you get your creative part of who you are. One is clearly your dad and one is clearly your mom. So that's that's a beautiful picture.
I love that. I, so I know that my. Podcast, family loves to pray. So as this book gets out into the world, what's the prayer [00:36:00] that we can pray alongside you as it gets in the hands of, of all the people?
Anne: I just wanna pray that you know, people would have a connection. I don't know where they are in the stages of their lives or their walk with, you know, God, but You know that people could truly see that God sees them wherever they are.
They're you're, you know, wherever you are in the high, at the highs top of the mountain or you're low in the lows, at the lowest point in the valley, God sees you. And he has a purpose and a plan, and I just pray for that connection that people could pause and their busy days and truly connect with a living.
Lord Jesus Christ. I share a lot about my life, the rocky parts, the decisions that I made. Sure you know, knowing that God saw me, that he was right there beside me, that he loves me, that [00:37:00] he forgives me, that I forgive myself. And some of those, you know areas you'll read all about it. And that we can.
Just truly be a light in this world. This world is crazy and broken. Amen. You know, invited and you know, can we not just link arms with each other and love one another right where they are, wherever they are and let them see Jesus through us.
Tony: Yeah. Amen. That's a great prayer. I love. Okay. I have one more question for you, but before I ask it, I know that all the people are gonna wanna find you on the Innerwebs.
Where's the best place to learn all things and, and what God is doing in ya and three ya?
Anne: Oh gosh. Well, so I have anne nielsen home.com and I also have Ann Nielsen fine art.com. Okay. So I little side note. [00:38:00] Coffee table. The first coffee table book came out 10 years ago. That's all I thought I was gonna do, was a coffee table book.
It got into the hands of Kathy Leifer, who holds it up on the Today Show. Everybody's like, why'd you send her a book? I said, well, marketing 1 0 1. She is on the Today Show. I have a new book, so it would be a great partnership. She became one of my dearest friends and I did her Christmas card the next year, which she held up on the Today Show.
Oh wow. And everybody started calling. Do you do cards? I'm like, I do now. And so we have a full home line of, you know, not everybody can afford an original angel, but everybody we've got access to, you know, whether it's the devotional or the art or, you know, we wanna create incredible product. Through the paintings early on the year after I had published that book.
Same kind of different, I mean, not same kind of dif angels in our midst. I. Had read Same Kind of Different As Me, which is an incredible true story [00:39:00] about an international art dealer and a homeless man. And that was my heart was, you know, painting and partnering with the homeless. I met Ron Hall, the art dealer.
We were in Miami at a big art show. And the art there was selling for hundreds of thousands and not millions of dollars. And I'm like, Dang, I just wanna be a light in this world. And I felt the calling, the whisper to use art to give back. And so I took a leap of faith and opened a gallery. We celebrate nine years in May.
Wow. But it's annual art. It's not just my art. We represent about 60 artists all over the world. Mm-hmm. And you know, we partner with different organizations throughout our. Our community and and beyond, and we give back through art. So it's really been this incredible journey. I have, you know, the homeline, the art gallery, the published books, and it's, you know, God is right there in the center.
Tony: You're doing all the things. All the things. All the things. All the [00:40:00] things.
Anne: And it's good. It's good.
Tony: Okay. Remember she uniquely
Anne: serving Yahweh.
Tony: Amen. I like. Last question. I always love to ask people. It's an advice question. I'm gonna ask you to go back and give yourself one piece of advice, except I get to name the season of life that you're in.
And so I want to take you back to the day that you finished your very first angel painting. Before you, you put it out for consignment before you did any of those things. Just, it's done. You're still covered in. You put it off to the side. If you could sit down with that younger version of yourself and sit and knee a knee with her.
Look her in the eyes and hold her hand. Take a big, deep breath. What's the one thing that you're gonna tell her? I
Anne: would say believe. Hmm. Believe. Believe in yourself. Believe that God has equipped you. For a purpose, [00:41:00] believe that there's a higher purpose in your calling and believe, don't listen to the lies of the world or, you know it is good to get art lessons believe in the messes because out of a.
Becomes a masterpiece. And just believe, believe the one, believe in the one. And don't, you know, in that whole believing we have to not compare ourselves to. You know, others and, and even today, gosh, that it's, you know, back then we didn't really have phones where you can see everything, what everybody's doing, all the highlight reels and everything.
So you've really gotta disbelieve what God has called you to do beautifully set, and that look to the light or nor the left.
Tony: That'll preach any day of the week. I'm here for it. Anne, [00:42:00] thank you so much for being so generous with your time today, and your words, and your painting and all the things.
There's an absolute joy to connect with you and just know that you've got an open invitation to come back and share any more of your story whenever we can celebrate what God is doing through you. Yes,
Anne: I love it. I love it. I love it. Grateful to be here. Excited. To see what God will do. That goes for everybody.
Surrendered hands, a surrendered heart. Believe that he can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine what a
Tony: fresh perspective on following Jesus through art. It's not something that comes natural to me. So I loved Ann's perspective. I really appreciated the way she talked about building your house and just that creative process and all of that.
Also that it's not about religion, it's about relationship. So many good things in this interview. Do me a favor, let Anne know that you're hurter here on the Reclamation podcast. Share this episode with a friend and and thank you. Thank you so much for [00:43:00] all that you do that continues to give us the opportunity to share our heart on this podcast.
I appreciate you so much. And remember, if you wanna follow Jesus, you must be willing to.
