The Creative Life

The creative life is not for the faint of heart. There is a constant tension you have to live within.

Sometimes the page is blank and the canvas empty. During your most creative times, this is the best thing! During the dry times, this is the worst thing.

You don’t care much for status quo and copying is wrong in every way. You always want to create something new and original to you. Yet, there are days when you are short on ideas.

There are days when you are itching to start something, and there are days when you can’t get started at all. There are days you are full of confidence in your craft. And, there are days you are paralyzed by doubt. Days when you don’t feel guilty about anything, yet you wonder if there is something you should feel guilty about. You live in the tension between trying to escape perfectionism while still aiming for excellence.

The truth is that the creative life is both exhilarating and exhausting, all at the same time. All at once.

Art is a spiritual experience for those who love God. Acknowledging Him in our person and in our process is key to creating. When our spirit connects with His Spirit, something happens; the One who makes all things new, begins to make something new through us.

Sustaining the creative life over time is not easy. The “blank page” and “empty canvas” days can seemingly pile up. This is when you need the Spirit of God the most.

When we need God, we can pray.

God, fuel my passion.

Ask God to return you to the origin of your creative work. What moved you and motivated you? What did you visualize in your heart and mind? What or who in the world did you care about more than eating or sleeping? How did you want your art to change the world?

What can you do as you pray? Be still and dream.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)

God, fill my imagination.

Ask God to release you from perfectionism and burdensome expectations. These are limiting you. Do you remember the God-given joy you had when you were an “amateur?” Do you remember when you spent time creating anything you wanted? Do you remember when there was enough space in your mind to play with lots of ideas? Do you remember when there was enough time to chase one? Ask God to take you back to that place.

What can you do as you pray? Just.Start.

O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. (Psalm 40:5)

God, awaken wonder within me.

Ask God to give you eyes to see Him and His world anew. What do you notice that you haven’t noticed before? What do you see in the unseen? Where does your heart feel light? What curiosities fill your mind? What takes your breath away in amazement? Who sparks a love within you? How does your soul fill up with indescribable peace?

What can you do as you pray? Go exploring.

Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy. (Psalm 65:8)