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Creativity, Coming & Going
Have you noticed how many creatives have particularly fertile periods of output – times of especially high levels of creativity? Why is that? How do you call the muse? Can you even call it? Why does it appear to fall away? Can you keep it? What is inspiration? Too many questions! For any creative, there are times of heightened connection/awareness of the muse. It’s always best to jump on an idea when it’s fresh. That visit is a combination of time and circumstance – two things which by definition are never exactly replicable. Therefore you must jump, before the time and circumstance take you out of the mindset, the inspiration,…
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Ain’t Nothing Creative There
Satan has no creative ability. The ultimate in creativity is the ability to create something out of nothing. Only God can do that. We as humans have the ability to create, using the materials God has given us. We’re creative because we’re made in his image. Satan would like to convince us of his creativity. So, what can Satan do? Have you considered making a deal with Satan for something? Don’t fall for it. You think you might be getting what you want, but you won’t, and you can’t. Those are empty promises. In reality, you’re being played by playing yourself. Although Satan can’t create, he certainly can lie, and…
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We Wouldn’t Practice Without Infinity
We practice in an effort to improve, to grow. To get better at music, relationships, work, life. Why do we do this? Because we’re not there yet. We’re not at our best, our most fulfilled, with all of our potential realized. Is there a limit to how good we can get? Some would argue that there is. However, I think there’s always possibility for growth. Here’s why… You’ll likely get incrementally better by practicing over a set period of time. “Incrementally” may not seem like much, but you are, in fact, getting better. Can you read, watch, study others to learn from them? If so, you’ll improve. If not, you’re…
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Self-Diagnosing Your Creative Roadblocks
God has placed us in a universe in which creativity can flourish. A virtually limitless palette to draw from as we go beyond imagination. But due to a variety of factors, our creative output sometimes declines. What detours can you take around roadblocks to improve your creative quality and quantity? Here are some questions you can use for self-coaching. To get the most out of the questions, be sure to either write down your answers or have a friend ask you. Share your thoughts in the comments section or contact me directly. It may be that you’ve tapped your creative well and there’s not much left. What steps can you…
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And It Is Wonderful
Psalm 139:13-14 says… For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. This portion of Psalm 139 is about God and us – in that order. And it is wonderful. Biblically, God is always the initiator. In verse 13 of this Psalm, God forms us. This combination of creating and giving life is intrinsic to God. It’s who he is. There is no other life-giving source in the universe. Life pours out of God. Where he is, life is. Where he works, life results. …
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What does God-led Creativity Look Like?
This is the fourth of 7 blogs on releasing your creative potential. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 We are God’s creation, his poem, his work of art. We’re carefully, lovingly created and formed for his exquisite pleasure and our deepest joy. We’re created and formed for God’s purpose. His purpose is always good, although sometimes it does not feel that way.
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What is the Connection between God and Creativity?
This is the first of 7 blogs on releasing your creative potential. What does God think about artists? Does he care? Does he even notice? If everything was right, if we could clearly see the brushstrokes on the canvas of the created world, then the first words of the Bible would inspire endless creativity, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
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Does God Care about Your Artwork?
Does God care about your artwork? He does. Everyone expresses themselves creatively. It can’t be helped. It’s one of the things we’re born to do. It’s part of what the Bible refers to when it says we’re made in God’s image. (Genesis 1:26.) An essential part of God’s nature is that, beyond all possible imagination of abundance and diversity, he’s creative (Genesis 1:1). We reflect that part of his nature in the abundance and diversity of our art, music, movies, etc. The difference is, God creates out of nothing. We, at best, “borrow” any material we can find and repurpose it. As Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
