5 minute read
HER STORY
her story PAULA BROWN
A Journey of Rediscovery
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“Much is yet to happen in your life. ere has been much despair, but my hand is on you for good. I see you in association with the work of the Lord. You will be a catalyst among young people and there will come power and anointing through your hands and mouth” – God
These words were spoken over my life 25 years ago, by a visiting preacher who knew nothing about me, or the turbulent journey I had been on so far. When God speaks, we often feel very excited thinking, wow, God has great plans in store. The reality is, those great plans have taken me to the absolute depths of utter despair time and again. I have often wondered, what the heck am I meant to do with my life? I couldn’t wait to leave school after being so cruelly tormented and persecuted, just because I went to church. As such, I left school at the age of 15 with just one qualification, ‘Typing’.
I got a job working for a large teaching hospital in Sheffield (UK) as a Typesetter in the Medical Illustration Department. I supported Graphic Designers, Printers and Photographers in their roles of producing various patient related materials. This is where my passion for the creative industries began, and where God led me to acquire a whole new set of skills. As a child, my parents had an old ‘8mm cine film camera’. I loved capturing footage of family moments. Fast forward a few years and I purchased my first digital video camera and a manual editing deck. This was before computerised edit suites, like we have today. I absolutely loved editing footage and seeing what stories would emerge. For me, the icing on the cake is watching the audience engage and respond to the completed films. It is truly an incredible experience. I knew that this was my dream and my passion, to tell stories on film and through animation, but I had no idea how God could ever turn this from a hobby into a career or ministry. I was married to a Graphic Designer and we eventually set up a part-time business providing Graphic Design and Video Editing services. From this, we produced our very first official corporate video for a company based in Suffolk, UK. This also led to my husband being head-hunted, and in 2002 we relocated to East Anglia.
I worked for Cambridge University for a couple of years, and from day 1, God opened up the opportunity to witness for Him to a laboratory full of scientists. It was such an amazing time of being able to share the love of Jesus. Unfortunately, this was also a season where my husband and I started to grow apart, as we worked long hours. This almost destroyed us both. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come back out, utter despair yet again.
Thankfully, God was far from done with me yet. I changed jobs to try and have a fresh start, but I just wasn’t enjoying admin work anymore. So, I took a leap of faith. I quit my job and returned to full-time education. It was extremely risky not knowing if I was doing the right thing.
In 2011, I graduated with a degree in Motion Graphics (distinction), and a First Class BA Honors Degree in Film & TV Production. I also won first prize in a local film competition. This led to acquiring some big video production contracts and as a result, Positive FX Studio was born. I thought I had arrived at the start of my God given destiny. Unfortunately, that was not the ‘happily ever after’ ending to the story. In fact, it was the just the beginning of yet another season of utter despair and one of the darkest valley’s I have ever had to endure. Instead of celebrating, I was now grieving the loss of my mum who passed away and didn’t quite make it to my graduation.
As such, the last 8 years since starting Positive FX Studio, have been an intense struggle with so many steep learning curves. There have been some real successes of brilliant projects to work on, and then others that have almost drowned me. Despite the challenges and struggles, I can honestly say, I am exactly where God wants me. Yes there are moments when I want to pack it all in, but then God steps in and encourages me to keep going. He constantly challenges me to trust Him for everything. I have had to, and am still learning, that it is God’s business and it is Him alone that I need to depend and rely on, not clients, not money, not highs or lows of running the business. Staying focused on God keeps me balanced and at peace, rather than how I am feeling about the circumstances. God reminds me every day, to enjoy the work He has provided, enjoy the day He has given, and enjoy spending the day in His presence. My story so far has felt like Joseph and Job in many ways. They lost everything in order for God to establish His purposes. I am incredibly humbled before God as He has faithfully demonstrated time and again, that His hand is indeed on my life for good. I am excited at what stories have yet to be told and the direction in which God is now steering Positive FX Studio. I truly believe my story has only just begun, but the stories God wants to tell through us, to positively impact many lives, that is what keeps me going forwards and why God allows showers of blessings in the midst of the valleys.
As a little girl, God always led me to read Romans 8 and it has sustained and kept me through it all. I can still declare today that:
“in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
by Paula Brown
WWW.POSITIVEFXSTUDIO.CO.UK
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