Creative Principles to Live By
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
“Sacrifice your Children” is a metaphor that simply means use your ideas now. We all have creative dreams we are waiting for the right time to explore. Now is the time! It’s all about trusting that more ideas will come. That same idea might even grow with you. You might even revisit the same idea multiple times through different projects.
“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
All things came from God; the most creative. God is Truth. God is complete.
When you recognize that any human creative pursuit is part of our nature as Image-bearers of God can help sustain a sense of purpose behind your work. In our limited nature, there is no way we can capture all of Truth. So, anything that humans create will fail to capture complete Truth. The success of an artwork is that it has captured within it some Truth; some unique perspective that comes from your experience with the Truth.
At the end of the day, focus on your story. What do you want to say? What do you wish you would have created?
“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” (Revelation 1:19)
Keep a record of yourself in all mental states. Voice memo your anger, journal your sadness, write poems of reflection, and psalms of praise. This is the only way you will be able to see your growth and learn that things are always changing. EVEN YOU!
This also helps you take inventory of your beliefs and the lessons you have learned. It helps you to have greater empathy for how others feel in those states.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
The God of the Universe hides out in everything waiting to be discovered. Everything is testifying to this Truth in some way. Everything YOU do is an expression of Who You Are. Our job as Christians (and Creatives) is to search for Christ in all things. The tools we use are the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). The greatest of which is love. Keep looking. Nothing is as it first appears.
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11:15)
Listen to other people’s stories. Listen to what your friends and family are REALLY saying. Listen to what you tell yourself. Hidden in all this is the key to understanding. Responding isn’t always the answer. Sometimes “being with” is enough. When you read scripture, sit with it. Allow your awareness of the Mystery to take you deeper rather than making an immediate interpretation. Assumption comes when we fill in gaps with “what we thought”.
