Creators love to create. But most don’t really like to promote what they create.

A mentor once told me that “good marketing only makes bad creativity fail faster.” Truer words have rarely been spoken. A multi-million dollar marketing campaign may fill the seats on opening night. But if the movie is no good, word of mouth will cause it to tank.

Have you ever considered the relational thread of your offerings? If not, I think you’ll love this way to perceive and pursue your creativity.

The art of creating well begins with the art of living well. Trueness in your talent doesn’t just magically appear on the canvas. It flows from a trueness in you first.

We’re not only made to create. We’re made to connect.

Is your current project more for yourself or for others?

The world has grown cold. Now more than ever, we need stories, songs, and works that warm our souls and light the way.

It’s impossible to do life with God if you don’t believe he has anything to say to you.

Times of creating can be lonely. Any voice of support would be so comforting. Or would it? The answer depends on whose voice it is.

Imagine being with God at the birth of our universe…a witness to the first stars, wildflowers, stallions, oceans, humpback whales, ladybugs, redwood trees, snowflakes, and waterfalls.

How you view the creation story in Genesis will have a huge impact on your creativity.

As we see in the Genesis, the act of creation isn’t random. There is a purpose and an order to how God created.

Explorers to dangerous lands knew that when things got hard, the crew would be tempted to sail home. To prevent that possibility, the captain would burn the boats. Because once that happened, leaving was no longer an option. Everyone was all in.

We live in a culture where we want to keep all our options open. We’re more comfortable critiquing the work or performance of others than creating our own offerings..

Not every idea we have is worth pursuing. This is an Achilles’ heel of highly creative people, especially those who have talents in various arts or areas.

When all options before us look equally good—or bad—we aren’t seeing clearly. Rather than things converging, our thoughts seem to be cloudy.

At this point, you may be trying to hold on to too many things that have your interest. Letting go of any can feel painful. But not letting go will prove even more so.

Highly creative folks are naturally talented in a lot of areas. The problem is they can spend their lives endlessly dabbling in a lot of areas without ever mastering any.

Here’s a way to help identify your unique anointing. I call it the Empty Auditorium exercise, but it’s really not empty. God is there and with you in this process.

We tend to shy away from the word “anointing.” It can feel embarrassing or even conceited to describe our gifting in such a way.