📖 SCRIPTURE:
"Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
💖 DEVOTIONAL:
Have you ever found yourself struggling to come up with new ideas for your art, or feeling stuck and unable to create?
It can be frustrating and disheartening, especially if you rely on your art as a source of income or personal fulfillment.
But take heart, Christian artist! Our God is the ultimate source of creativity, and he is always with us to provide inspiration and guidance.
When we feel creatively blocked, it's often because we are trying too hard to come up with ideas on our own. We may be relying on our own strength and wisdom rather than seeking God and trusting in his plans for us.
Psalm 46:10 reminds us to "be still" and to remember that God is in control. It's a reminder to slow down, and turn to God in prayer.
The Hebrew word for still used in Psalm 46:10, Raphah, means to sink down, relax, let go of, and cease striving. Often this is the last thing we want to do when we’re in a panic for a good idea of what to create.
But, instead of instinctively jumping onto your internet browser & rummaging for ideas from your external go-to source of inspiration, here’s what the psalm suggests: stop the frantic fighting against creative block, cease the striving, and come to God.
🙏 PRAYER:
Dear God, we come to You today feeling stuck and unable to create. We confess that we have been relying on our own abilities instead of seeking You and trusting in Your plans for us. Help us to stop striving, and turn to you in prayer. We ask for your inspiration and guidance as we create, and for the wisdom to know when to be still and when to act. May we trust in your grace and find peace in relying on you as the ultimate source of creativity. In Jesus name, Amen.
😌 APPLICATION ACTIVITY:
1️⃣ A time for stillness.
Choose a day this week to set aside a regular time for stillness and listening to God. This could be a daily quiet time, a weekly Sabbath, or any other time that works for you. During this time, seek God and ask Him to guide your creative process and to give you ideas for your art that honor him.
2️⃣ Writing brings clarity.
Take some time to journal about your experience. What did you learn about God and about your art during this time of stillness? How can you incorporate these practices into your creative process on a regular basis?
💡 PRACTICAL TIPS:
📝 Keep a swipe file. Collect verses, quotes, images, articles, or other inspiration that you can refer to when you're feeling stuck. Your phone's native Notes app is great for this, but if you want to take things up a notch as I did, Notion can be a great platform to collect ideas. And if you're active on Instagram as we are, you'll also find Instagram's SAVE function quite helpful for this purpose.
🧠 Get inspired. Look for inspiration in different places. Skip the usual suspects. Go deep into places where you don't usually look for inspiration. Watch a Youtube video on an unfamiliar topic. Pay attention to mundane things around you that you would otherwise overlook. Read your Bible!
🌴 Change your environment. Try working in a new location or changing your routine to stimulate your brain in different ways.
🚶♀️ Take breaks. Sometimes stepping away from a project for a bit can help clear your mind and give you fresh perspective.
💪 Take on a new challenge. Trying something new can help break through creative block by giving you a fresh perspective on your work. We have one for you down below!
⭐ CREATIVE CHALLENGE: "BE STILL"
Create a visual artwork under these 3 parameters:
📖 Use this week's scripture (Psalm 46:10) as a theme.
🚫 You can't use fonts. Use your own handwriting for texts.
🍂 You must use a warm color palette.
🤩 Share your finished work on social media with the hashtag: #IndieBeginningBoost and get a chance to be featured on the next issue!
Hey, creatives! 👋
We are so thrilled to be able to share this first drop of BOOST with all of you! We have been receiving so much love and support from all of you guys on our Instagram page, and what better way to thank you guys than to put out more valuable content for FREE! We hope that you find this newsletter helpful. If not, we’d love to hear your thoughts so we can improve the stuff we put out for you guys!
Much love,
Brian Vee,
Founder, Indie Beginning
I must say that this newsletter really helped me. Ever since I graduated from college last May, I've been in the biggest creative block of my life. I kept trying to create to no avail and I felt like not only I was letting myself down, but letting people down that invested so much into me. I had big dreams to be a famous artist, but even that dream was becoming a big source of anxiety. I even thought I lost my gift all together like God just took it back because I wasnt using it. That's when I found your page on Instagram and signed up for this newsletter. I realized that I kicked God out of the gift He gave me. I realized that every idea and opportunity I ever had was because of Him. Somehow I got lost in my own pride and ambition. After reading this newsletter, I thanked God for my gift and every creative idea and opportunity He's given me. Then I basically prayed that I wanted to create for His glory and not my own anymore and to guide my creative process from now on. Since that prayer, I feel the fire of creating again and I feel blessed that He's been giving me new ideas and aspirations. All that to say, thank you for this newsletter. I pray that you never doubt what you do because I'm living proof that what you do matters.
P.S. I've also been reading the book, "Called to Create," by Jordan Raynor and it's a banger.