Guest Post: 7 Lies That Will Kill Your Creativity

Today, I have the great privilege to bring you this guest post from Stephen Brewster, who is the Creative Arts Pastor at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN. He has spent the past 15 years in professional creative environments including church, music business, marketing, management, artist development, creative team leading and art directing. You can see this and others amazing posts on his own blog which can be found here. Enjoy!
-Colby

As creative people and artists, one of the biggest hinderances to our work and development is often ourselves. There’s a force that wants to destroy your creative energy and it starts by believing a few lies that are intended to stifle your best work. Don’t believe these lies:

• The lie of inspiration striking. Ideas are birthed by hard work and the collection of experiences we have. They’re birthed by the sweat of showing up over and over again. Ideas might seem to be inspired and appear out of nowhere but the truth is they happen because you keep showing up and doing your work day after day.

• The lie we have to be completely original. Truthfully, there are very few things that are uniquely original. Research shows that most new things are a actually a remixes and creative combinations of experiences and other ideas.

• The lie we should never share. Sharing actually helps ideas get better. The best art is created in community. It’s hard for people to “steal” your ideas because part of ideas are the engine to actually make them come to life and rarely can that happen without the original incubator.

• The lie your boss hates you and your art. They might pick at it, they may not understand it, and at times the may not like it. But the truth is your boss has a job and a lens they see things through. Work to share why you believe what you believe and don’t give up. Your boss may not always understand your process or your work, but you have a chance to educate them and lead up to the importance of your ideas. Be respectful and try to understand where they’re coming from.

• The lie that more resources will make you better. Constraints actually help you define the canvas and the scope. Stop looking at constraints as a hindrance when they help you define expectation and boundaries. You may even want to go as far as employing your own constraints to make your art better.

• The lie that mile markers are finish lines. Don’t confuse the two. Far too often we mistake mile markers or even starting lines as finish lines. Don’t settle for good when you can achieve great. You know what’s possible and as an artist you have a responsibility to deliver your best.

• The lie you are what you make. Stop believing this now. You are amazing and you might make amazing stuff, but the truth is you are so much more than what you make. God cares a lot more about who we are becoming than He cares about what you are creating.

These lies come through small voices that whisper in your head but scream in your heart. You have the control to say no to these lies and not allow them to have control over you or your work. When you start hearing these lies write them down, share them with others, and fight for the truth. The truth that is you are enough, your work and your art matter, and you are the right person in the right place at the right time. Create bravely.

- Stephen Brewster

Revival Starts Here

re·viv·al  
/riˈvīvəl/
An instance of something becoming active or important again.

Someone said to me the other day, "It's been awhile since we have had a revival at Victory"

Of course what they were looking for was a specific type of meeting. A good, old fashioned, tent meeting style event where a special speaker comes in for several evenings.

The services are long.
The gifts are flowing.
The spirit of God is palpable.

These are all good things. But there is more than one kind of revival.
I'm talking about a personal revival. More specifically, a revival of your personal ministry.

Too often we wait for revival to happen to us. We live life out of routine. We do because we have aways done. Our ministry can become stagnant and we default to what is comfortable.

There is no life in our work.
Standards drop.
Passion fades.

We have all seen this happen around us.
So what do you do if you find yourself in this position?

The first step may seem obvious: Pray.
Only Jesus can truly bring revival to your life and ministry.
In Him there is newness.

In Him there is life.
In Him there is passion.

Secondly: Look.
Look at what other people are doing and find a way to improve it and make it your own.
Find another artist who does what you do, but does it exponentially better than you, and let their work inspire you and push you.

Thirdly: Move.
Get out there and do it.

Do something in your ministry that you have never done before.

Do something genuine.

Do something that makes you nervous. 

Lastly: Repeat.

When you feel like you are simply repeating the things you have always done, remind yourself of these principals. None of us are immune to passivity.

Including me.

Sometimes I need to be reminded.
I need to not be afraid to try something new.
I need my passion to become active again.
I need to remember the importance of my mission

You don't need to wait for someone to set up a tent before life can come back into your ministry.
Revival can start anytime.
And it can start with you.

But it doesn't have to stop with you.
When personal revival begins in you, it spreads. It can't stay contained. It spills over onto those around you. When personal revival begins to spread, corporate revival is inevitable.
It waits just below the surface.
Unavoidable.
Unstoppable.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ...all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

-Colby

Glo 2012

As we sat in our first Glo planning meeting in the early part of July, I knew this was going to be a long process.

I have been present at every single Glo performance (except Friday night of 2011) since it started in 2007. I have photographed every year and last year I helped with some of the video shoots. Even still I had no idea what all went into it.

For months we planned.
Dreamed.
Created.
Recorded.
Re-planned.
Re-created.
Edited.
Printed.
Re-printed.
Built.
Photographed.
Added.
Rehearsed.

I lost track of the number of meals I ate at my desk and the number of 13 hour days I and many others worked.

Then it came. December 12th. Premiere night.

Lights. Music. Photography. Crowds cheering.

And then in a flash it went. 6 months of work finished in what seemed like one frenzied moment.

6 months of planning.
Shooting.
Editing.
Long days.
Late nights.

Was it worth it?

Sunday, December 16th, 11:35pm. I read these numbers: 5369 attended. 680 salvations.

I can not describe, nor will I ever forget, the feeling of knowing I was a part of that.

Performing the work of the ministry is so much more than worth it. It is an immeasurable honor that cannot be described or explained.

It's 3:36 on a Thursday afternoon. There are no click tracks to synchronize, no overflow room to set up, no 30 minute countdown to export a 6th version of. Glo 2012 is already a distant memory and I will be leaving in a few minutes to go home and see my family.

But in the back of my mind remain two irrevocable truths.

The work of the ministry is never done.
And it's worth it.

-Colby


Ephesians 4:1
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.