1 Year of Gabrielle Martha Creative
Thirty years ago, my parents prayed and sought the Lord about what to name me. Out of a season that drew them into a deeper walk with Jesus, the name Gabrielle rose to the surface. It means God is my strength.
One year ago today, I sat in a Panera Bread after church with one of the kindest and greatest friends, Kayla, and she helped me file the paperwork for my LLC. Gabrielle Martha Creative went from a vision the Lord placed on my heart to something others could see and recognize.
At the beginning of last year, I could sense that the season I was in was coming to an end. The job I had at the time was no longer a long-term place for me, even if I had hoped it would be. Sometimes part of God’s plan is not to give you something permanent, but to use it as a bridge. What I thought would be an opportunity for something else was actually preparation.
Before that, I had walked through seasons where the work I did was good enough, but never quite as fulfilling as I longed for it to be. Whether I was promoting agriculture or recruiting students in higher education, each role refined me. Each one built something in me. But they were never the final destination.
Deep down, I always knew I would have my own business at some point in my life.
While it was a year ago today that it became a legal entity, this business has been growing and forming long before it was established. My family, my friends, colleagues… always encouraged me to seek the Lord’s will and perhaps start a business that would do just that. I will forever be grateful for their love and support. Without them, and all the ways God has used them in my life, nothing I am doing today would be happening. The possibilities of what this business could become have, at times, overwhelmed me. But more than that, they have energized me. To be entrusted with someone’s story, to help shape how it is seen and remembered, is a responsibility I am grateful for.
That overwhelming feeling has not only shown up in this business, but in moments of creative drought. In seasons where what I created for someone else did not meet expectations, I shrank. I began measuring myself against standards that were never designed for me, quietly convincing myself that falling short meant I was not capable.
That does not mean I think I am always right or that I do not need correction. Growth does not come from constant success. Falling short builds character. Missing the mark strengthens resolve. Most importantly, it teaches that on my own strength, I will always fall short and miss the mark.
And that is what this has always been about. Not building something for myself or by myself, but stewarding what was entrusted to me. This business is not just for me or about me. I am a steward of the creativity God placed in my hands. I did not invent it, and I do not always know what to do with it. Sometimes it shows up in pockets. Sometimes it feels loud. Sometimes it feels hidden.
To me, it is like collecting experiences the way I collect seashells from the ocean. Each one is small on its own, but together a reminder of where I have been and the masterpiece God is faithfully painting.
And this year has been full of those experiences.
To everyone who has chosen to work with me, who has handed me your story and said, here, help me carry this well, I am honored. Your trust reinforces the responsibility I feel to steward creativity carefully. This was never about building something impressive. It has always been about serving something meaningful.
This year is not marked by overwhelming physical success. It is not defined by numbers or possessions. But the courage, confidence, and humility that have been forged in this season have been a gift. What a foundation to build God’s vision on!
And somewhere along the way, I remembered who I was.
Gabrielle Martha Creative reminded me that my name was not random. It was prayed over. It was chosen with intention. I was named Gabrielle by divine appointment.
For most of my life, I lived as Gabbie. I was the homeschooled kid who wanted to fit in, and when someone gave me the nickname, I wore it proudly. In college, that identity solidified. While I love a nickname, I realized I had quietly begun living through the lens of an old belief.
This past year, hearing “Gabrielle” again and again has been humbling. It has been grounding. It has reminded me that I am not my own strength.
So I introduce myself as Gabrielle now. You can still call me Gabbie. I will always answer to it. But I am reminding myself who I was made to be. A walking reminder that God is truly my strength.
So to everyone who prayed for me, who saw what God was doing before I did, who prayed for this business, who hired me for sacred moments in your life, who trusted me to help tell your story, who believed I could do this, who cheered me on, thank you. Truly.
If you look at this year and only measure success by visible gain, you may miss what actually happened. Not all success is external. Sometimes, what is built on the inside is what carries you the distance.
When harder seasons come, I will remember His faithfulness. I will remember the stretching of faith. I will remember that this business is a gift to steward.
Soli Deo Gloria.
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalm 138:8
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.”
2 Corinthians 3:4–5