Maria Layton
Maria’s a creative entrepreneur and digital creator pursuing her dreams from Pittsburgh, PA.
Full of passion and filled with faith, Maria takes every next step with her relationship with God in mind. If that means letting go of a dream to take hold of a new one, she’s one hundred percent in. As long as God’s asking, she’s listening, and making every move needed to make it happen.
As a full time digital content creator and online vintage shop owner, Maria is constantly growing, developing, and using all she creates as an avenue to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
What dream are you currently turning into reality?
I am gratefully and humbly walking in the career pursuit that I always dreamed of! It's my reality because of Him and only Him. Being an online creator, getting to design and edit content, and building a community — All while honoring the ultimate Creator is my dream.
I want to be like the wind, wherever He sends me, I will go. As James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
My ultimate dream is to walk in constant obedience to His Word and be exactly who He wants me to be. I’m not perfect and never will be, but I’m fully submitted in humility to His plan for my life and my career.
When did you first realize you discovered your dream?
Before I knew Jesus and had a personal relationship with Him, I was a makeup artist. I went to school to study special effects makeup, esthetics, and cosmetology. After college, I ditched the feeling of wanting to be on movie sets and quickly fell in love with professional bridal makeup. The ability to make someone feel beautiful on the most important day of their life was such a high honor that I never once took lightly. Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome. But, God was nowhere to be found in any of my decision making.
Fast forward, January of 2016 - I gave my life to Jesus, and I quickly watched my old dreams of being a makeup artist begin to disappear. God so beautifully and painfully removed my passion for makeup artistry and showed me what He wanted for me. He spoke to me and told me to walk away. It was the hardest and most intimate decision I've made in my career, but as I said - I am gratefully walking in my true dream now, because choosing obedience in His plan will always be better than walking in my own.
What I thought was my dream turned out to be nothing in comparison to God’s dream for me. That's just who He is and what He does. One career is not better than the other, but one was better for me. I couldn't see that, only He could. I’m so grateful for what He removed from my life, and as soon as He did, that’s when I discovered my true dream.
How does your faith go hand in hand with pursuing your dream?
I believe God wants every single part of our lives. He doesn’t just want a couple areas, He wants everything - Including our careers.
Since I’m walking in what He has currently called me to (I know first hand it can change at any time), I believe it’s even more than hand in hand. It’s all for Him. He’s my best friend. My Provider. My Healer. The One who is always there to cheer me on. He has so beautifully made a way for me to get to create content full time, work from home, be with my family, and express my creativity — All while showing the world the love of Jesus and spreading the Gospel through social media.
What’s one or two practical steps you take to keep moving forward?
The first thing is to make sure that I’m resting. Biblically resting. Rest is a silent war that the enemy wants us to lose. "Hustle culture" is toxic, causes distractions, and can cause us to mindlessly start to believe lies about our character that are not true. We are not programmed to pump out creativity or solutions 24/7. In fact, that will destroy us in the long run. When our cups are empty, we are called to be filled by the One who pours. Rest is worship.
Secondly, Biblically resting goes together with my second step — Devotion. Deep, intimate, distraction-less devotion. That's where it all happens. Healing, new visions, new dreams, peace, joy. None of these happen and can continue to happen without the depth of pure devotion with our Ultimate Creator.
Philippians 4:8-9 // “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
What encouragement would you share with someone who’s going after their dream?
Trust Him. Put in the work. Walk in humility. Surround yourself with others who speak life into you. Never, ever stop learning. Be purposeful with your time. Sacrifice. Rest when needed. Put your phone and schedule away and read His Word. And, don’t give up hope.