Heidi Cartagena invites viewers to use their talents to inspire others.
March 15, 2026 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News
Seventh-day Adventist women across the Inter-American Division (IAD) are being encouraged to combine creativity and faith through the new Creative Disciples online series featuring designer and lettering artist Heidi Cartagena. The session invites women of all ages to discover how their artistic talents—from lettering and drawing to simple creative expressions—can become tools to share hope and reflect God’s love in their communities.
Cartagena welcomes viewers into what she describes as a creative space where art becomes more than a hobby. Instead, she encourages participants to see their creativity as a way to inspire others and communicate messages of faith and hope.
“Today I’m going to tell you how you can create something so simple with your hands and inspire at the same time,” Cartagena said.
Throughout the session, participants are encouraged to gather simple art supplies—markers, watercolors, colored pencils, or brushes, and follow along as Cartagena demonstrates creative exercises, including drawing the word hope using simple shapes and doodles.
The series emphasizes that creativity is not about perfection but about using personal talents to communicate faith.
“Creativity doesn’t start with beautiful handwriting, a special marker, or high-quality watercolors,” Cartagena said. “Creativity begins in God. He plants that little seed in our hearts and makes it bloom.”
A Talent Surrendered to God
She shared how her own journey with lettering began as a simple hobby. Over time, she realized that her creativity could become a way to communicate messages of encouragement and faith.
“God wanted to use me to do something greater than just making pretty letters,” she said. “He wanted me, through this, to share hope and share His love with others.”
Through the Creative Disciples series, participants are reminded that their talents can carry deeper meaning when used with purpose.
“When you know God has given you a purpose, your drawing stops being just a drawing,” Cartagena explained. “It becomes a message.”
Cartagena also addressed common struggles many creatives experience, including self-doubt and comparison.
Creativity as a Message of Hope
“There are times when we doubt our talent or compare ourselves with others,” she said. “But when you give everything to God, He can take you to places you never imagined.”
The series encourages participants to embrace the creative process, even when mistakes occur.
“A process is trying, making mistakes, erasing, even starting over, and that’s okay,” Cartagena said.
As part of the session challenge, viewers are invited to select a favorite Bible verse and creatively illustrate it through drawing or lettering, using shapes and designs that represent their personal story.
Participants are then encouraged to share their creations on social media and tag the official accounts of the Inter-American Division along with Cartagena’s creative platform.
“What starts on a table, a desk, or in your dining room can reach a heart,” Cartagena said. “When you know God has a purpose for you, what you do with your hands can go further than you think.”
Create with Purpose
Cartagena said that no matter how simple it may seem, a creative message can become a powerful way to share faith, inspire hope, and point others to Christ.
“Create from the heart,” Cartagena encouraged viewers. “From what God is working in you, and from what you want to sow into others.”
The online Creative Disciples Training Series continues next week on March 15, 2026.
To view the 10-week special series, visit webcast.interamerica.org every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Miami time, from Feb. 8 to Apr. 12, 2026.