Introducing Lexi Staab!

Source of Light is so blessed to have an excellent artist join our team to help create our new children’s courses. Let’s find out more from Lexi herself.

I’ve been interested in art since I could walk. I started out decorating my parents’ couch with a black Sharpie marker, and from there I became a regular doodle monster. Everyone loves stories and, for me, there is just something so special and powerful about narrative artwork. Whether it comes in the form of classical paintings in the Louvre, storybook illustrations, comics, or animation, art is the most beautiful way to get your point across. I like sketching with pencil and paper, but I also like coloring digitally on the computer. It gives it a clean, animated look, and I’m a huge fan of animation.

I was born in the United States, but my family moved to Romania to be missionaries when I was five years old. I have three siblings. All our names start with “L”: Lauren, Lexi, Liam, and Luke.

I’m actually a second-generation missionary kid. My mother was born and raised as an MK in Japan. I got to visit once as a child and I hope to go back one day.

Growing up in two different countries definitely gave me a unique perspective on cultures. I didn’t feel like I was American or Romanian, just out of place. I know that sounds terribly sad but I understood what being a Christian in a fallen world meant. I grew up a misfit, surrounded by a bunch of other misfits from places like China, Japan, Brazil, Turkey, and Africa, all struggling and growing together. It was the greatest experience of my life.

There were things I liked and disliked about both cultures. I like how, in Romania, time seems to slow down. You spend hours at a restaurant talking or, like me, doodling on napkins waiting for your delicious meal to come out. No one was in a hurry. You could just enjoy life together. America is very convenient, though. You can get what you need quickly and efficiently.

Moving back to America for college was very strange. I remember being able to taste the sugar in the pizza at the airport and being completely dumbfounded why everyone was staring at their phones all the time. The culture shock has definitely worn off by now.

I’ve always wanted to use my art and creative writing skills to spread the Gospel, so when my father, Scotte Staab (Regional Director for Asia and Europe), told me SLM was looking for an illustrator, I jumped at the opportunity.

I see SLM as a means for building up God’s people all around the world: discipling them, helping them grow in their faith, and assisting in spreading the Gospel. My contribution will hopefully bring forth literature that is both visually engaging and easy to understand.

I don’t know what God has in store for me, but as long as this is what He wants for my life and provides for me, I’ll continue working at SLM. I’m excited for what we are trying to accomplish with these new lessons and I love illustrating them. My goal is to make artwork so engaging that people from all over the world will want to read the new material and get closer to Jesus and have a better understanding of His truths.

I hope I can leave behind something timeless that will further the creation of high-quality Christian materials.