164 Freshman Naomi McNaughton brought her cartography business to Harding’s campus in fall 2022. She donated all of her proceeds to Crossroads Missions, an organization based in Piedras Negras, Mexico, that helped immigrants. “All of my profits go to them and to supporting their interns and ministry in general,” McNaughton said. “It isn’t much, but I am really grateful to be a part of that ministry and work with them.” McNaughton taught herself how to make maps as a hobby during quarantine in summer 2020. Her first project was a compilation of various maps from C.S. Lewis’ “Narnia” series. She publicized the map on Facebook, and soon her family, friends and strangers asked for her to make more. She said a newly commissioned map took about 10 hours to complete and involved sketching, getting buyer approval, tracing in pen, making copies, tea staining and coloring. MCNAUGHTON’S MAPMAKING Freshman Naomi McNaughton brings her cartography skill to Harding. NAOMI’S NOTES Freshman Naomi McNaughton draws out plans for her next cartography project. McNaughton considered it one of her joys in life. Photo by: Lauren Simmons One of McNaughton’s mentors was her former speech and debate instructor from her high school, Lisa Palen. Palen said McNaughton’s involvement in competitive speech honed her confident communication skills that she applied to her business. “I know that drawing maps has been a big deal to her on a personal level,” Palen said. “She has sold over $500 worth of maps, donating it all to Crossroads Missions. I am extremely proud of Naomi’s choice to donate her profits to such a worthy cause. However, I am not surprised. Naomi is an extremely generous and loving young woman.” McNaughton discovered Crossroads Missions through family friends and was commissioned to draw a map of the mission’s campus. She served at the mission in summer 2022 to provide shelter, food and water to immigrants waiting to cross the border. McNaughton said her skills continued to grow as she continued the hobby. She said she didn’t think of herself as an artist initially, but practice and hard work increased the value of art in her eyes. “It has made art go from just a thing I tended to do in notebooks and on my homework to something where I do try to take time out of my life to really rest and do some art,” McNaughton said. “It is one of the things that I enjoy most in my life.” Judd McNaughton, Naomi McNaughton’s father, saw his daughter grow in skill and confidence throughout the years. He described her maps as being nostalgic reminders of meaningful times and places to her customers. “We are proud to see how Naomi has developed this particular skill in a way that goes far beyond just doodling for fun,” Judd McNaughton said. “Each of us have a few unique gifts that are easy to just write off as unimportant or not useful. It is inspiring and challenging for all of us to think about what skills we have that are currently lying relatively dormant which could be further developed and eventually used for the good of others.” Written by: Lauren Simmons
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