For my MFA thesis, I developed A Walk with the Prophets: A Woman’s Guide to the Old Testament Prophetic Books, a comprehensive resource designed to provide deeper insight into the prophetic books of the Old Testament. This book explores historical context, key themes, and theological significance, offering readers a clearer understanding of these sacred texts.

To enhance comprehension, the book features handcrafted visual elements—including timelines, illustrative maps, and original artwork—designed to present complex information in an engaging and accessible way. Below, you’ll find selected spreads and detailed breakdowns showcasing how this project integrates thoughtful design with in-depth research to support readers in their exploration of the prophetic genre.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a pink and red patterned cardigan, holding a magazine, standing next to a white dresser with a large mirror behind her. The background has a floral textured wall, with candles and a basket on the dresser, and a window letting in natural light.

A Walk With the Prophets: A Woman’s Guide to the Old Testament Prophetic Books

An open book with text and an illustration of a man reaching out, placed on a tray and resting on a cloth, on a wooden surface.

Informative Pages

To bridge the gap in understanding the role of prophets and the significance of prophetic literature, dedicated sections were written and designed specifically for women. These pages provide clear explanations to enhance comprehension and engagement with the material.

A table with a potted plant, an open book, and a small decorative object, with a brick wall in the background.

Hebrew Literature

To enhance understanding of Hebrew literature, this section introduces women to foundational concepts, including parallelism—a key poetic structure frequently found in the prophetic books. This interactive component encourages readers to actively engage with the text by identifying and analyzing different types of parallelism. Additionally, each form of parallelism is represented by a distinct symbol, allowing readers to visualize its function and apply these symbols when annotating their Bibles or study notes.

Open travel book displaying a map of the Middle East and surrounding regions, with illustrations of palm trees and camels, in a wicker basket, with a green plant and a gold ornate mirror partially visible in the background.

Historical & Cultural Gap

The historical and cultural gap was addressed by creating maps, timelines, and specific sections on the ancient empires of those days: Assyria, Babylon, and Medo-Persia. The timelines have warm colors and easy-to-read typefaces to utilize the research. 

Open book with the word 'Ezekiel' on the page, placed on a tray on a person's lap, with a stone-colored cloth beneath it, a brown wooden table, a small vase with white flowers, and a gold-colored pen nearby.

Prophet Summaries

Each of the books of the major and minor prophets have a summary to help the reader have a quick grasp on the background and themes of the book. Because this book was designed as a hand guide, each prophet has 2-4 pages of information for accessibility. To accompany each book, a custom illustration was created based on a theme, visual, or moment found in the book. For example, the book of Ezekiel is paired with an illustration of the temple being filled with water, which creates fruit and life as it pours out of the temple.

Sketches of architectural scenes and landmarks from Babylon, Assyria, Persia, and Persepolis, with handwritten labels and notes.
Ancient map of the Middle East and surrounding regions showing major cities, rivers, seas, deserts, and landmarks with illustrations of pyramids, palm trees, a camel, and a boat.
Digital illustration of an ancient multi-tiered palace or temple with towers, trees, and steps, depicted in shades of brown and white on the iPad screen.
Hand holding a book titled "A Walk with the Prophets" by Olivia Smith, with artwork of biblical symbols and animals on the cover, against a plain background.
Open book on a white textured surface, pages about Assyria, with a diagram or map illustration partially visible on the left page.
A palace with a river flowing in front and trees with brown and orange leaves surrounding it.
Illustration of a wooden bowl filled with whole and sliced oranges with leaves.
Digital illustration of a plant with green and brown leaves, small pink berries, on a light background.
Digital illustration of a multi-level building with water features and palm trees, reflecting in a body of water in the foreground.
Illustration of a man with a beard, sitting at a table surrounded by various vases and pottery in a room with a small arched window and a pale wall.

Want to learn more? You can view my entire thesis here.

A book titled 'Visualizing a Woman's Journey Through the Old Testament Prophetic Books' resting on a white surface, with an open booklet in front of it. Behind the book is a large white vase filled with green and white variegated leaves, set against a textured brown wall.

If you’re inspired by the depth and intentionality of this project, imagine what we could create together. Whether you’re looking to develop a thoughtful, research-driven publication or a visually compelling planner, I’m passionate about crafting beauty-forward work that merges meaning.

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