Ashley Pun Eveson
As with a Flood
Submitter Statement:
This ceramic vase is a visual expression of Elder David A. Bednar’s 2014 invitation to “sweep the earth as with a flood.” In that address, he gave a powerful apostolic call to use social media and digital tools with wisdom and purpose, to share messages that uplift, inspire, and testify of Christ.
That call has influenced my time in BYU’s mass communications program. Over the past two years, I have studied writing, storytelling, and qualitative research with the goal of sharing light through mass communications methods. This program has transformed how I view social media, not as a distraction, but as a divinely inspired tool.
When I later discovered that Elder Bednar also graduated from this same program, his invitation became even more personally meaningful. Through my work with the BYU Neal A. Maxwell Institute and Meridian Magazine, I have had real-world opportunities to help fulfill that vision and “flood” the earth with faith-filled messages.
BYU has helped me discover that communicating and storytelling are my strongest beacons of light and important parts of my discipleship. As I look to the future, I want to continue to follow Elder Bednar’s call by using my voice to sweep the earth with truth, as with a flood.
Entry Description
This piece is a ceramic vase, hand-built from clay coils and fired at a high temperature. I then glazed the piece, blue on the inside, and a mixed tan/blue color on the outside. It is 7 ¾ inches tall and 5 ½ inches wide.
I shaped this vase in the form of a wave, but also as a vessel; something that can hold and carry water. To me, it symbolizes both Elder Bednar’s invitation and the space we create for faith in our lives. The color on the inside is blue, like a wave, and the outside is tan, more of an earthy color that has flecks of blue in it.
I used clay because I like that the medium is associated with the Savior, who is the master potter, and shapes his disciples into masterpieces. Clay is also a natural material that comes from the earth, so I liked that connection to nature.