Last week, I asserted that “creativity is a fount of joy”.
That was specifically something I had been ruminating on in relationship to my own creative work in creating tile mosaics.
It has taken me a long time to really embrace the joy of creating, even though it is something I have worked at off and on for decades.
Why?
For too long, I allowed a negative narrative to become the dominant one in my heart and mind. And when we keep subscribing to something that is not true, then we are more likely to kill our joy.
We sabotage our own joys.
And I think most creatives (which is all of us, as we are made in the image of our Creator) fall prey to this.
Here is how I think I began to believe a false narrative about my creativity and the lack thereof:
Narrowly defining creativity to the ability to play a musical instrument or engage in more common visual arts (painting). I was a miserable failure at playing the trumpet in 6th grade (I remember my band teacher being relieved when I told her I would not be continued. At least, that is how it got remembered). That is true and it is okay. But that does not mean that the creativity ship had sailed on without me. It means I cannot play the trumpet.
I didn’t see the creativity that exists within my family, which made it easier to think I must not be creative either. My dad has a wonderful English style garden, which is not something that just pops up in the backyard. Those are weeds - no creativity required. My grandfather, if memory serves, taught himself the art of picture framing. These are just two examples - I just did not have an opportunity to see them (retirement has certainly allowed my dad to engage in his gardening) or recognize them for what they were when I was younger.
And then you top it off with a another round of comparison - especially, for me, comparing oneself with friends who could play the guitar or paint. One of my best friends from high school and college is great at both! Because I couldn’t be creative in more mainstream areas, I bought into a lie that I wasn’t creative.
There’s a three step process to buying a lie and killing joy. And it has taken years to undue what became natural.
There are certainly other factors that become hindrances to creativity: time, money, and opportunity. But those are not based on rehearsing a perception of reality that is untrue or that narrows the scope of your perspective to the point of being unable to see clearly the world and your life. Factors, certainly. But you can have time, money, and opportunity and be stymied by your own soundtrack that is on repeat.
What helps here? Probably a post for another time, but in short: friends who will encourage you to hear, see, and know better than what you tell yourself.
Thank you for joining me here. And welcome to new subscribers. I want to specifically thank Randall Greenwald, a fellow PCA Pastor, for his kinds words about this newsletter and his recommendation of what I am seeking to do here. I am grateful.
He also writes a newsletter that I am regularly encouraged by and I cannot help but to be thankful for his purpose in writing: “Encouragement for Pastors and Those Who Care for Them.”
Reading Joy
I finished one book this past week: Michael Philliber’s Beyond Outrage: Vetting Media to Increase Sensibility and Stability. Michael is also a PCA Pastor and while he is writing from the perspective of a Christian, the principles he shares in this book could be useful to anyone who is aware of social media and the never ending news cycles. This book provides propositions for our evaluating of what comes across our feeds or through the news and to be able to discern our responses to the constant stimuli before us. Especially when that stimuli is designed to elicit a primary emotion: outrage. That sells, builds followings, and keeps people engaged. Even if that engagement is detrimental to us and our culture. He uses very practical examples that help to establish what he is advocating in each chapter. Each of the primary chapters also ends with suggestions for exercises that could be done individually or with a group that help to apply the principle of each chapter. And I will likely be buying some more books as a result of his “Interlude” chapters that highlight books that allows for the reader to dig deeper, learn more, and grow further. This book will help you feel more grounded in our current “always on” world and to be able to step back from an always outraged mindset. That may not be in the best interest to the media companies, but it will be in yours.
I have saying or a rather short poem:
Book mail; the Best mail!
Here’s what I got yesterday:
I have started reading Flavel’s book: Keeping the Heart already.
And Bonar’s book is evidence that the “Suggested For You” section does work. I was weak, but was intrigued by the title from this 19th century Scottish Pastor & Poet.
I am currently reading Book 2 of the Wingfeather Saga, so I thought I would go ahead and get ahold of Book 3.
While I am not a “Kellerite”, I am not not one either. This biography was on a very good sale, so I went ahead and snagged it. Next to Eugene Peterson, I would say Keller is one of the most important distant, non personal (there’s probably a better way to characterize their place) mentors in my life and ministry.
And I will be reading A Sojourner’s Truth with a local Pastor friend this Fall.
In addition to Book 2 of the Wingfeather Saga, also on the nightstand is the 1996 classic, Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, by Stephen Ambrose. I am a little more than a fifth of the way through this 500 page book. I try to read a little from it each night.
And then there are the books in my satchel. But that’s for another newsletter.
Seeing Joy
For our “Summer Art Showcase” at Church, we have a theme for each month of the summer. July’s theme is “Shining Light”.
I shared about June’s contribution last week: “Anchored in Christ’s Love”
Here’s my mosaic that I finished over the weekend and shared with our congregation:
Psalm 27:1a — The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
I haven’t started the next mosaic, but I am beginning to think through design and tile choices.
Particular Pug (Maurice) & Puppy (Benjamin) Joy
Again, not the best photo, but this one was document Benjamin with his head completely stuck in a box. It’s always something with these two.
Thank you, again, for joining me here and helping me cultivate my joy. In so doing, I hope you are seeing ways you can do the same: in small ways and large.
You can always let me know what is providing you joy right now (something you are reading, listening to, seeing, or something silly like pets) in the comments or otherwise.