Monique Sarkessian is an “artrepreneur”, a fine artist painter/sculptor business woman working mainly in oil/ mixed media paintings and raku ceramic sculpture. Monique Sarkessian have a mission through her artwork to transform hearts and rooms by expressing the love of God through her art for all humanity.
She also does commission like the one she did for Christina DiArcangelo. She also does prophetic ministry and workshops using art and spiritual principles for heart healing in body, soul and spirit through the work of Jesus Christ.
TheDiArc Magazine has recently interviewed Ms. Monique Sarkessian for May 2022 edition. The interview Q & A are given below:
TheDiArc Magazine: Childhood to Adulthood: How was the transition from your childhood into adulthood/teenage and what good and bad things you remember?
Monique Sarkessian: Probably the best part of my childhood was knowing at age 4 that I wanted to become a painter and the fact that the Lord never gave up pursuing me. I had a lot of trauma as a child from the beginning so I was totally a mess by the time adolescence arrived. I needed so much heart healing from all I had been through. Things got worse and worse as I tried to make my life on my own terms determined to get the love I did not receive.
Things did not start to change until late teens when I reached the end of my strength and asked Jesus to come into my heart and take over as my Lord. That was the fulcrum. It was the edge of a cliff that I reached out my foot by faith and a golden bridge appeared in my life to a whole new life and unfailing love. God used art and His love as tools in my life for healing.
TheDiArc Magazine: What hardships you faced during your life?
Monique Sarkessian: This is only a few, I was born early as 3 pound preemie and kept away from my mom for 2 months so I never got that basic early nurture, child of Armenian descent who was constantly aware of the genocide and the racial hatred that my ancestors endured, my father whom I dearly loved was emotionally explosive and many times I felt like I just stepped on a land mine.
I grew up under great condemnation and very conditional love. There was no money instability but I always felt I had to prove myself to be worthy of love, fight to get love, fight for what was mine, fight for approval or being seen or acknowledged. I had an art teacher who crushed my planto be an artist nearly every week. It was a never ending struggle and most often I was punished. Consequently, those soul wounds affected how I perceived others and experienced more rejection.
Happily, I found God’s plan for healing those wounds and no longer am bound to that awful repeating cycle. The way God’s kingdom works for His kids is that whatever you overcome, you then get dominion in that area to help others. So I am so grateful now for all the hardships because I see how He can use me for His glory.
TheDiArc Magazine: What ‘Expert Advice’ you want to share with the readers about professional and social field of life?
Monique Sarkessian: Let go of all bitterness, hurt, trauma, and unforgiveness in your life. It will poison your mind, heart and soul and kill your destiny. Love God first and love others better than yourself.
Don’t compare yourself to others: God made you with unique qualities that reflect Him in a way that no one else can. Give way more than you take and stay humble.
TheDiArc Magazine: What makes you different from your competitors in the industry and life?
Monique Sarkessian: My work is unique as it starts with intimacy with God, and direction of His Holy Spirit. I get very specific direction and unique visions that He gives me as I spend time with Him. Its something that no one else will have exactly the way I do. I have a very personal use of vibrant color that reflects the vibrancy of Heaven and His love for His children. I often create from those visions or when working from life trying to bring in a fresh perspective based on what our Heavenly Father desires to express from His heart. It doesn’t get more unique than that to have artwork custom made from God’s heart. I work in quite a few art media and styles but always from the heart.
TheDiArc Magazine: Family & Affections – Tell about your family, friends and loved one?
Monique Sarkessian: My family is most precious to me. I’m married to a wonderful man and have 5 beautiful children who are gifts from God. My life is not perfect but I cherish every moment and am grateful for all I have.
TheDiArc Magazine: Lesson learnt in life – What are the lessons you learned so far in your life?
Monique Sarkessian: Be thankful in all circumstances. God loves each of us so much more than we can imagine. Once I was able to really understand just how incredibly good He is and how He has wonderful plans for me and all of His children, how He looks at all of His children with eyes full of endless love, all my rejection fears melted away. Even the worst circumstances in our lives, He will make good come from it. He never leaves us and He never fails.
TheDiArc Magazine: What is your biggest achievement that you want to share with our readers?
Monique Sarkessian: The biggest achievement in life is being able to love with unconditional love.
Everything else can be taken away in an instant. Do everything with love.
I have not become perfect in this but I have come a long long way.
TheDiArc Magazine: What are the major Upcoming Events & Unforgettable Moments or products that you would like to share?
Monique Sarkessian: I am working on several new ways to serve God’s people that I’m excited about. I love that hearts can be healed through making art, looking at art, buying art. I can say that when you partner with God, every day is an adventure! It always amazes me. I have some collaborative ideas and have many new product lines coming for more artworks that will draw people closer to God.
I want to start a healing center for healing trauma through making art and using my art and also want to use the overflow from that to free children and people of all ages from human trafficking.
I want to have my artwork liscensed so that more people around the world can be impacted by God’s love for them through my art.
TheDiArc Magazine: Share 3 tips with our readers from your area of expertise?
Monique Sarkessian: Creativity is your birthright because you are God’s creation made in His likeness and He is very creative. Every one of you has that gift. However you choose to use that gift, surrender it to Him and do it for His glory and you will be completely amazed at how He blesses it.
Forgive others so you also can receive forgiveness.
Put God first in your life and watch how he transforms it with His joy and freedom like no other way.
TheDiArc Magazine: Share with us the experience of making a wonderful painting ‘The Glorious Journey’ for Christina DiArcangelo?
Monique Sarkessian: Christina and I have been friends for several years and last year she reached out wanting a special commissioned artwork that reflected her healing process from abuse and reconnection with her young self who knew the feeling of freedom. She told me she wanted a painting done of a young girl running through a field of flowers.
She wanted to regain her joy. I had just received a vision during my prayer time with God earlier that day or the day before which I did a quick sketch of, it was a young girl running with her hand out receiving sparks of blessings from God so I knew I was to take that image and surround her with flowers. I am always gathering ideas so I had photos of wildflower fields that I had come upon in surprising places to use.
Christina loved all my ideas and as I painted, I would send her progress photos explaining what was being revealed to me from Heaven about her journey. What you see in the painting: every color, shape, movement is a beautiful partnership between God’s Holy Spirit, me as the artist receiver and hands to put into physical form and Christina patron the inspiration and benefit receiver.
As I paint, I’m constantly in divine partnership and so many amazing things happen in the process! Nothing is taken for granted, it is all a wild adventure and in Christina’s painting it was revealed that hers is a “Glorious Journey” even the title came by revelation in the process to bless her. We were both so pleased with how it came together for her to speak life into her past, present and glorious future.
TheDiArc Magazine: What kind of people you love to interact with and why?
Monique Sarkessian: Everyone is worthy of love as a child of God, it’s easy to love people because they’re so precious to Him. I love talking to people to learn about what’s important to them and see how they light up with joy. Everyone is precious.
TheDiArc Magazine: Things about you that people are usually unaware of?
Monique Sarkessian: Many people expect me to be taller if they’ve only seen a photo as I’m petite. Many people can’t figure out my ethnicity, I’m Armenian. Many people are surprised by the deep traumas I have been through which I have not shared here mostly because I don’t look like what I have been through, praise God! I have peace, the joy of the Lord, and I physically look pretty good for age 56 because of who I serve and His redemption.
TheDiArc Magazine: How you can be Contacted?
Monique Sarkessian: My website www.MoniqueSarkessianArt.com
My Etsy shop
www.etsy.com/shop/MoniqueSarkessianArt
IG- https://www.instagram.com/moniquesarkessianart/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/moniquesarkessianfineartstudio
My email- MoniqueSarkessianArt@gmail.com
