I feel like a broken record, but you are such a blessing! You are so generous with your art and wisdom and connection via community. Thank you for all you do!
I'm praying for you and your team and very excited to hear about your book. I need to read it! As far as specific things to cover, something I'm constantly trying to evaluate is how to naturally and organically incorporate my faith in my art without it seeming like an afterthought or obligation (or preachy). The Lord has saved me so graciously and I WANT to share the gospel and glorify Him with my art but I struggle knowing what this involves that is not just posting a preachy message and slapping something creative on it, or making something creative and slapping a sermon or verse on it.
I also am hoping to make some income from my creativity. I really resonated with what you shared about only taking projects that align with your beliefs. In the past, I had a fairly thriving business as a web designer but after the Lord delivered me I could no longer cater to the clientele I had formerly. (And then I had a baby and squarespace changed their platform so much that I feel like I'm starting from scratch, so I'm no longer doing web design.) At any rate, how do we intertwine faith / our art / money in a godly way? The creative community is full of messages of "manifesting" and law of attraction, while the Bible tells us we cannot serve two masters. So in a personal way, I'm trying to figure out how to combine creativity / ministry / entrepreneurship and I haven't figured out how. Apostle Paul was a tentmaker, and Lydia was a seller of purple, and the virtuous woman in Prov. 31 was quite an accomplished entrepreneur, so I know it can be done! May God give us wisdom in showing how that looks for each of us. Would love to see this addressed in your book!
Brian, thanks again for an uplifting and inspiring post, just what I need! Like Hillary, I also struggle with combining faith, art and business that honors God. For example, when I created a youtube shorts and followed a youtuber on how to increase views, my views were the lowest. it's as if God is telling this is what happens when I follow the world because I'm his child now. But I kept wondering what should I do to gain connection for example... is it just to keep being myself as God created me to be, abiding in him and to keep making and working for him no matter how very slow and painful the progress is?
First off, I just wanted to express my gratitude for the time and effort you've put into sharing your thoughts and challenges with us. It means a lot to have individuals like you who are truly invested in the community and its growth. Your words have been truly inspiring, and it's wonderful to know that what we offer serves as a source of encouragement to those we aim to help.
As for your entrepreneurial queries, I completely understand how pressing they can be. While our book project is still in the works, I wanted to suggest something that might be helpful in the meantime. I highly recommend "Called to Create" by Jordan Raynor - it's an excellent read that's chock-full of stories from various Christian entrepreneurs. I think you'll find a great deal of inspiration there. I'll include the link below for your convenience.
And before I forget, I do want to mention that this is an affiliate link - just a heads up in case that matters to you :) Regardless, thank you again for reaching out and being a part of this community. Let's keep creating & sharing His love! 🥰
I feel like a broken record, but you are such a blessing! You are so generous with your art and wisdom and connection via community. Thank you for all you do!
I'm praying for you and your team and very excited to hear about your book. I need to read it! As far as specific things to cover, something I'm constantly trying to evaluate is how to naturally and organically incorporate my faith in my art without it seeming like an afterthought or obligation (or preachy). The Lord has saved me so graciously and I WANT to share the gospel and glorify Him with my art but I struggle knowing what this involves that is not just posting a preachy message and slapping something creative on it, or making something creative and slapping a sermon or verse on it.
I also am hoping to make some income from my creativity. I really resonated with what you shared about only taking projects that align with your beliefs. In the past, I had a fairly thriving business as a web designer but after the Lord delivered me I could no longer cater to the clientele I had formerly. (And then I had a baby and squarespace changed their platform so much that I feel like I'm starting from scratch, so I'm no longer doing web design.) At any rate, how do we intertwine faith / our art / money in a godly way? The creative community is full of messages of "manifesting" and law of attraction, while the Bible tells us we cannot serve two masters. So in a personal way, I'm trying to figure out how to combine creativity / ministry / entrepreneurship and I haven't figured out how. Apostle Paul was a tentmaker, and Lydia was a seller of purple, and the virtuous woman in Prov. 31 was quite an accomplished entrepreneur, so I know it can be done! May God give us wisdom in showing how that looks for each of us. Would love to see this addressed in your book!
Brian, thanks again for an uplifting and inspiring post, just what I need! Like Hillary, I also struggle with combining faith, art and business that honors God. For example, when I created a youtube shorts and followed a youtuber on how to increase views, my views were the lowest. it's as if God is telling this is what happens when I follow the world because I'm his child now. But I kept wondering what should I do to gain connection for example... is it just to keep being myself as God created me to be, abiding in him and to keep making and working for him no matter how very slow and painful the progress is?
Hey there Elisa and Hillary!
First off, I just wanted to express my gratitude for the time and effort you've put into sharing your thoughts and challenges with us. It means a lot to have individuals like you who are truly invested in the community and its growth. Your words have been truly inspiring, and it's wonderful to know that what we offer serves as a source of encouragement to those we aim to help.
As for your entrepreneurial queries, I completely understand how pressing they can be. While our book project is still in the works, I wanted to suggest something that might be helpful in the meantime. I highly recommend "Called to Create" by Jordan Raynor - it's an excellent read that's chock-full of stories from various Christian entrepreneurs. I think you'll find a great deal of inspiration there. I'll include the link below for your convenience.
https://amzn.to/3n8LtpO
And before I forget, I do want to mention that this is an affiliate link - just a heads up in case that matters to you :) Regardless, thank you again for reaching out and being a part of this community. Let's keep creating & sharing His love! 🥰
Thank you so much! I'll check it out. Appreciate you, and look forward to whatever you have to come. Many blessings!