“Training Your Inward Eye”
Dear writer, I hope you had a great time last week and got to do some out-of-the-box thinking! This week, we’ll be exploring how to feed your creativity! Creativity is like a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets, and the more we’ll be able to utilize it in specific ways. But before we dive in, let’s take a look at some people who knew how to feed their creativity…
Feeding Creativity in History
Walt Disney is a great example of a man who knew how to feed his creativity. From a young age, he loved to draw, and as he pursued his interests and eventually opened Walt Disney Brothers studios, he always looked for the impossible…so that he could achieve it.
Now, here’s the thing, writer. If Walt Disney’s appetite for imagination and the impossible sparked an entire industry, imagine what could be sparked by feeding your God-given creativity?
Feeding Creativity in the Bible
David is another great example of a man who fed his creativity by spending time in nature and in worship. He drew inspiration and insight about God, His character, and His word from everything around him. As a result, he penned over 75 of the Psalms. For David, feeding his creativity not only resulted in a host of written works, but also in a deeper walk with God, Who was the source of all David’s creativity.
Here’s the thing, writer. When we take time to feed our creativity, it is investing in God’s image in us. And when we do it with a focus on Him, it can draw us deeper into intimacy with and understanding of who He is.
Feeding Creativity in Life
For me, I naturally fed my creativity at a young age by a voracious appetite for reading and drawing, and an acute attention to detail. I noticed the details of every place I went. I often imagined stories taking place around me as I rode in the car, sat in waiting rooms, walked with my mother through the grocery store, etc., etc.! I was also motivated to create my own versions of many toys that I were out of my allowance range. All of these experiences and habits uniquely prepared me, both directly and indirectly, for the work I do now, by building a vocabulary, a way of seeing, and an ability to imagine and problem solve that now permeate every area of my life. But here’s the interesting thing. At the time, most of these activities felt frivolous.
Sometimes when we feed our creativity, writer, it can feel frivolous. Like we’re being indulgent or wasting time. But imagine if Disney or David hadn’t taken those “wasted” moments to fill up their minds and hearts? The whole culture of American entertainment would be markedly different. As would the tenor of our scriptures. After all, think of how many times Jesus, Himself, quoted David’s Psalms.
Feeding Creativity in Your Life
When you get to the heart of it, writer, feeding our creativity is linked to training our eyes. It is learning to rest and to recognize and celebrate our Creator and His beauty, goodness, and truth everywhere we go. Because when we stop to feed our creativity, it opens our hearts up to wonder and awe and worship. It changes the way we see all of life and how we approach it. Let’s take a look…
- “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” – Proverbs 4:23
- “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45
- “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:8-9
- “He who earnestly seeks good finds favor…” – Proverbs 11:27a
- “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” – Matthew 6:22
- “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet…” – Psalm 8:3-6
Isn’t that beautiful, writer? Whether we are writing fiction or non-fiction or running a business or ministering from a pulpit, God’s work is to inspire ours. Feeding our creativity is all about training our eyes to see where God is at work all around us and to be caught up in His beauty and infinite possibilities, rather than be run by the limited stressed perspective that life tries to foist upon us. We serve an infinite God, whose Kingdom brings us into abundant life and fuels us to experience and express that life in absolutely everything we do. And there’s the thing…
This abundant life can be displayed even on the cross…just as Jesus creatively met the needs of others even as He was dying. When we feed on the right things, we can display that abundant life, too, wherever we go.
Where to Start with Feeding Creativity
Feeling excited yet? Feeding our creativity is one of the most important things we can do as a creative. And it can lead to some powerful results! But if you’re wondering where to start, here are some ideas to get you going:
- Be Present. The next time you’re stuck waiting at the doctor’s, or at a long checkout line, or in traffic—or really anywhere—stop and immerse yourself in the experience. What do you see, smell, hear, feel, and taste? Try to creatively capture and express the sights, sounds, and sensations all around you, and write them down when you get the chance. Often our creativity is fed simply by stopping to be present to what’s going on around us. Even in the unpleasant moments. Our awareness of God’s presence often grows in those moments, too, as we stop to attend to what’s around us.
- Try New Experiences. Open yourself up to try new things. Go new places. Start a conversation with a stranger. Try new foods. These activities feed our mind and heart, and often we learn more about who God is when we encounter new people and places in His creation.
- Dive into the Word and Worship. Take time to dive deep into scripture. To really think through and imagine and explore the depth of its meaning without the need to rush off to work or school. And take some time to truly worship. To focus on God and get lost in who He is. These deep dives into Him will unlock fresh understanding and perspective in a way few other activities can as you spend time the truly Creative One.
- Enjoy Good Art. Read other author’s work. Admire paintings. Listen to symphonies. Watch excellent movies… When we experience good art, it’s a chance to experience part of the world in a way we never have before, and it opens our minds to possibilities that can spark ideas and insights for our own artistic expression.
At heart, feeding your creativity is about rest and imagination and play. It’s about allowing yourself the childlike freedom to enjoy God’s world and people and all the wonders in it. It’s about taking time to make an investment in you. Because anything we invest in growing our creativity is really an investment in the person God made us to be and an investment in our ability to recognize and enjoy and glorify Him.
So, I encourage you this week: take some time to feed your creativity. To invest your heart and mind in God’s beauty, goodness, and truth. As you do, you will be training your eye to recognize His presence and to see the possible in impossible places. Because here’s the final thing…
We can only pour out what we have received. And feeding your creativity is really practice of noticing and embracing more of Him and His good gifts in every area of life.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17
“…Freely you have received; freely give.” – Matthew 10:8b
As you give your heart to receive more of Him, you’ll be amazed how His life begins to flow through you and through your words, too.
#creativity #rest #beauty #flow #EveryWriterWriting
