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Zella Horton, a graduate from Palmetto Christian Academy and ACSI Art Festival "Best in Show" Winner, shares how she is still pursuing art and prayer as a student at Clemson University.

Question: What does art mean to you as a believer? Are you still pursuing art while at Clemson? What is your major?

Answer: As a believer and an artist, I would consider art to be one of my most intimate forms of worship. When I am making art, I am using the gift that God gave me to praise Him and to point back to Him, which is why I think He blessed me with my abilities. The process of creating teaches me so many truths and practices that continue to apply to my life outside of the studio such as the virtue of patience, perseverance, and finding beauty where it is not easy to find. I am still pursuing art at Clemson, and my choice to switch from business to an art major this semester already has me excited for the path ahead of me. It was not an easy decision, but I continued to pray and feel the Lord pulling me back to art, and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me.

Question: Describe the importance of prayer in your life. What would you say to fellow Christians to encourage them to devote themselves to an active prayer life?

Answer: Prayer is easily one of the most important things that believers can do, because it creates and sustains a relationship with God. The more we pray, the more we get to know who God is and what His character is like, which in turn makes us more like God. As His children, we should aspire to be as godly as we can and to submit to God's will, and prayer is our most powerful resource in accomplishing this. We will never be perfect, but with consistency and earnestness in our prayer life, we will see results in our faith journey and become more like God in character and more sensitive to His voice and will for us.

Question: Describe the transition from Palmetto Christian Academy to Clemson, and how God has been with you as you've ventured from high school to college?

Answer: Going from Palmetto Christian Academy to Clemson was a crazy transition, but I thoroughly enjoyed the change of seasons in my life. While I will miss the small school experience, the people I went to school with since kindergarten, and the assurance that most others around me followed God, going to Clemson feels like I have opened a world of new people and opportunities. I truly do feel that God’s presence is strong at this school, and while I was initially nervous about finding a new community of Christians, I was able to meet so many people who are passionate for Christ almost immediately. I believe that God put these amazing people in my life to satisfy my need for Christian community, and between church, FCA, and even my sorority’s Bible studies, He has opened so many opportunities for me to find that community at Clemson, making me feel even more at home. There really is “something in these hills,” and I look forward to my years ahead at this special place.

Question: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Answer: I always try to have the subject matter of my art remain positive and hopeful. In a world full of negativity, I think this stands out as a representation of the hope I have in Christ. Trials are inevitable and life does get difficult, but despite this reality, I always include an element of hope in my work to point to the joy and peace of knowing Christ.