Jeremy Cowart - I’m Possible: Jumping into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose

PRAISE FOR IM POSSIBLE

Coming out of a long life of familial human trafficking, and believing that I am just a story with shattered pieces and all the ugly truths that come from living that life, I made the decision to end my life in 2016. Jeremys story saved me moments before I was about to meet my demise. I thank God for the Im Possible story and Jeremy every day. This book is another reminder that we all have struggles and overcoming them is possible!

Saoirse

Jeremy is not normalhis gift allows him to capture stories of beauty and hope and redemption in ways normal people typically overlook. This is a guy who had to look fear in the face to get to where hes at today, and his story will inspire you to do the same. Plain and simple: the world is a better place because of Jeremy and his work. Once you read this book, youll understand why.

Chip Gaines

This is a dangerous book if theres a dream youve been running from that feels too big. The stories inside will call you to the edge of a new adventure, just beyond the border of what you think is possible. Bravo, Jeremy Cowart. Thanks for a dare we all need to hear.

JonAcuff

New York Times bestselling author of Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done

In the greatest stories, the hero finds a meaningful life by serving others. Jeremy Cowart has lived a meaningful life and shows us a path to do the same. This is a wonderful book by a wonderful man.

Donald Miller

Author of Building a Storybrand

What a pleasure to be inspired by one of our generations great humanitarians with a creative genius.

Gabe and Rebekah Lyons

Authors and founders of Q Ideas

Ive had the privilege of knowing Jeremy for many years now. There is no doubt he is an incredibly gifted artist. But what I admire most about Jeremy is that he is always thinking beyond whats just in front of him. He is a man of God-sized dreams. Sure, anyone can dream, but too many times we are crippled by the voices of fear and doubt. Few actually take the steps of faith to make what seems impossible a reality. You will be inspired to read of such a faith in Jeremys story, Im Possible.

Chris Tomlin

Music artist and author

If you crave a life of meaning, pick up Im Possible. With his own artistic journey as the backdrop, Jeremy Cowart will lead you find your purpose, harness your gifts, and impact the world.

Michael Hyatt

New York Times bestselling author

Henry Ford once said, Whether you think you can or cant, youre right. Jeremy Cowart has spent a lifetime believing that he caneven when it didnt make sense. His story will inspire you and remind you that you can do more than you ever thought possible.

Dave Ramsey

Bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio show host

Jeremys story is a great reminder for all of us that every turn in our lives matters, every dream is meant to walk us toward another, and every person we come across has purpose.

Annie F. Downs

Bestselling author of 100 Days to Brave and Remember God

Jeremy has a gift to see the depth of humanity and therefore create pieces, projects, and movements that the human soul deeply needs. Ive always been inspired by him to dig deeper to make my art a bit more unique and spiritually inspired.

Caitlin Crosby Benward

Founder of The Giving Keys and songwriter

Jeremy Cowart is the most creative person I have ever met. He sees the world differently from the rest of us. But Jeremy is much more than a dreamer or an idea guy. He also possesses the rare tenacity to overcome resistance to bring these dreams to life. When we spend time together, I always come away inspired. Im Possible is not just his remarkable story; its like sitting with Jeremy and letting him fill your heart with belief for your dreams too.

Darren Whitehead

Pastor of Church of the City and coauthor of Holy Roar

Jeremy is a longtime friend of mine, and hes painted a beautiful and engaging book using words instead of oils. What youll find in these pages is a load of honesty and authenticity. What you will take away from this book is a desire to get out your own canvas, fill it with the kind of gracefilled observations Jeremy has written about, and lead a more engaged life.

Bob Goff

Author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody Always

2019 Jeremy Cowart Photography, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

Author is represented by the literary agency of The Fedd Agency, Inc., P.O. Box 341973, Austin, Texas 78734.

Insert page design and photos by Jeremy Cowart.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Any Internet addresses, phone numbers, or company or product information printed in this book are offered as a resource and are not intended in any way to be or to imply an endorsement by Thomas Nelson, nor does Thomas Nelson vouch for the existence, content, or services of these sites, phone numbers, companies, or products beyond the life of this book.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

ISBN 978-0-7852-2377-1 (eBook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-2374-0 (HC)

Epub Edition February 2019 9780785223771

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018915208

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.

ATTRIBUTED TO LEONARDO DA VINCI

Im prone to artistic obsession. I obsess over certain films, certain artists, the motion of certain athletes, the music of certain musicians. And among my musical obsessions, Thom Yorke, the front man for the alt-rock band Radiohead, ranks near the top. In fact, youre reading this book because of him.

On a slow afternoon, I searched Google Images for a photo of the rocker to use in a mixed-media piece of art. I found the perfect image, a photo of Yorke staring straight down the barrel of a camera. Hair cropped. Beard short. The whiff of a smile. It was perfect in its simplicity.

I downloaded the image, threw on my favorite Radiohead album, and got to work. And just for kicks, I decided to capture the entire process on a time-lapse video using both a cell phone recording and the screen capture feature of my monitor.

I pencil-sketched the photo on a piece of paper, glancing at the monitor as I worked. I went over the pencil marks with a charcoal stick, using short and wispy strokes. I tossed the pencil sketch to the side, grabbed another sheet of paper, and redrew it again using blue oil pastels. I drew it again in red pastels. A third time in green. I scanned the four stand-alone drawings of Yorke into my computer, then imported them into Photoshop and layered them one on top of the other. I created a fifth layer, using a touch screen to draw over Thoms face with my finger. Another layer, another finger painting. Another layer, another finger sketch. Repeat, repeat, repeat.