“Rediscover that sense of awe, even process the loss of it in your work. This is part of your gift as an artist.”

I recently completed a commission for an 8.5 ft by 7 ft canvas, the largest painting I have created up to date. The canvas was for a Mission House family night worship and recording event.

It has been a summer of lots of slow growth and trying my best to learn how to savor these moments, before they pass me by and I am full of regret that I did not learn how to enjoy them. To all of you who are in the trenches too, I see you, I hear you, I am just like you! Let’s help each other, okay?

I am learning that being present in these small moments is more rewarding when I recognize that what I am doing is an act of live. When I recognize that, and let my heart be engaged in the moment, even doing such a seemingly insignificant task like chopping vegetables, I am more aware that I am loving the people in my life well. I can be fully present and fully enjoy that I am taking care of them. I can live my life as if it were a work of art.

I felt this statement deeply. He said, " If I moved even one centimeter by working each day, I could keep moving forward." Remove the pressure. Just move at least one centimeter today.

“Artists, not every single piece of art, or song that you sing will have a ‘deep’ or thought-provoking meaning. Some of us need to hear this because we start creating or writing from an opinion that everything must be deeply profound. If everything we say is deeply profound, then perhaps we are not actually being self-aware.

When I lose my way as an artist, or I simply need a reminder of why I do what I do, I often turn back to this book, “Walking on Water”, by Madeleine L’Engle. It is a source of great connection for me on what it means to be an artist and a Christ follower. For me, the two are very much related, and always in service of each other. Because I am wired this way I am in a constant state of reflection, and observing the world around me as if there is a pregnant question in the atmosphere that I must answer, or a statement that I must proclaim.

Here is an art prompt you can try! Schedule some time into your calendar to help you process emotions and play with some color on a canvas. Create without fear, let this exercise guide you.

As much as we can feel out of control about life, journaling is a practice that can ground us in the present moment, remind us who we are, and remind us who our Creator is.

“My drop cloths became faithful garments that cleansed me from the ache of loss.” There is no doubt that the role of an artist is one of an observer, or an interpreter. An artist can help make sense of the world.

To me, being an artist means having the courage to say what you see, and then letting the world experience it.

Henri Matisse famously said, “Creativity takes courage, “ and I wholeheartedly agree.