I have worked all kinds of jobs, from dishwasher to injection mold operator while in school, but mostly librarian. I won a few art contests designing logos, posters, and t-shirts, etc. I even earned $1000 one summer illustrating a book. But I never seriously pursued art as a career. What I wanted to be when I grew up was a daddy. Second to that, was a science fiction writer. Architecture, professional ministry, science, and teaching mathematics had all been considered in third place (you know, to make enough money so I could work on the important things like playing with my kids and writing my novels), some even were listed as a college major. But art was never high on the list.
You see, as a high school student the adults around me convinced me that art and my primary goal of having a family were incompatible. "You can't support a family on an artist's pay," was a statement I heard from many sources, including the guest artist who spoke on career day at high school. A relative who worked construction jobs for years before he became a successful sculptor in Seattle actually gave up full time art and returned to construction work disenchanted with professional artist life. The basic conclusion I made from this was that art was a great hobby but that I should put any thought of pursuing art as a profession out of my head.
After finishing school, I pastored a small church in Northern Idaho for a year and served another while working as the office manager/secretary at a medium sized church in Spokane. For the last two years, my wife has supported my continuing trek toward ordination (her secretarial/clerical skills being considerably more marketable than my 8 years worth of college degrees).
So here I was, Mr. Mom to three kids (the house slob now the housekeeper), when my grandmother drops a brand new computer in my lap. "An early inheritance," she calls it. "God will give you the wisdom to use it," she told me (She knows I'm a video game addict). Our tax "refund" finally arrives (6 months late), just in time to by me a nice printer and scanner duo. Then an uncle just buys me an old version of CorelDraw that I'm able to upgrade to Corel8 the next month with Christmas gift from my in-laws (and still get a $100 rebate). I'd already started building my own home page, but suddenly I started having wild thoughts about designing web pages, doing graphics like I saw on Moyra's Web Jewels, AND GETTING PAID FOR IT! I started praying about it.
I'm one of those people who always expects some sort of Damascus road experience when I'm trying to discover the "Will of God" (to be read with heavy reverb). If you haven't heard the story, when Saul, a special prosecutor appointed by the Jewish ruling council to arrest Christians, was on the road to the city of Damascus. A bright light from heaven knocked him off his horse, blinding him. He heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him telling him exactly what to do. He went on to become Paul the Apostle. Well, that's what I want, some sort of supernatural revelation of "the Plan" (also with some reverb). Of course, Paul was the exception, not the rule. Usually you just have to pray for the wisdom to discern the difference between a God opened door, and a tempting short cut. And then pray for the faith to go on ahead and chase the dream and follow the call.
I hope you can imagine what a miracle it was for me to walk into the Revenue Office, my 1 year-old in hand, and ask for the form to obtain a business license. And even more amazing, two days later I walked back into that office and handed in that form with the $20 fee.
Liljenborg.com is still a work in progress. The hard part about making money with my artistic abilities is that for me "professional" and "artist" are mutually exclusive concepts. I know a few artists who are consummate professionals, but most artists I know are, as a rule, undisciplined. I am very inspirational. I will sit and work on a picture or story when something inspires me to do so. Then when I get about 50% done, the inspiration wears as I move from the phase where I've captured the essence of the images in mind, but now must fill in the gaps and details. The awful thing is, that is the point where the work really comes together, where whatever skill, genius, and talent God has given me really bursts through. I think that one of the reasons God prodded me into starting this (ad)venture was to put me in a place of subjecting my inspirational creativity to discipline.
Finally, and most basically, I started LILJENBORG.COM to help my own church discover the power of the Internet to minister to people. Being a computer junkie (specifically a computer game junkie) when I finally had the chance, I took to the internet like I took to swimming (I was swimming before I was two). This site here was inspired by other web designers and artists, most of whom have nothing to do with Jesus. I thought, what could I inspire through this medium, especially since I KNOW the true source of all inspiration?
I don't know who you are, what you came here looking for, or what you want out of life. I don't know why you're reading this somewhat egocentric mind gush, other than my belief that somewhere there's a God nudging your mouse trying to tell you something through these ramblings. I wrote this in the hope that other kids, who love the doodles they scribble on every scrap piece of paper in spite of the condescending glances of self-proclaimed "pragmatists" who think that nothing can come of your "hobby", will bite the bullet and at least try to pursue making a career out of their love for creativity.
If you've been inspired or even intrigued, you can e-mail me.
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