Discoverability is a huge need for creators. Because how can people buy or engage in something they don’t know exists? But we miss the main thing when we think the only time for discoverability is at the end of the creative process.

In the last reading (C. S. Lewis is Waiting), I talked about how we can spend time with C. S. Lewis whenever we want to focus on almost any topic we choose— through the pages of his books. He’s a good person to invite into our homes for this purpose. But there are many writers, filmmakers, and music artists I won’t allow in my home.

Imagine having C.S. Lewis as a guest at your home. The fireplace is crackling with logs, there are no distractions, and plenty of time to ponder the deeper issues of life, faith, and story.

In 2011, at a gathering in the Redwoods of California, God rocked my world by speaking these words over me: “Your new mission is going after the hearts of creatives.”

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

Being wise and being relevant aren’t the same. Our world has convinced us nothing is more important than staying relevant.

There’s a saying I’ve posted in my office with this simple encouragement: Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.

A really good prayer to start your day:
God, go before me…

You need to quit feeling guilty or apologizing for your need of regular creative time. If you postpone your creative pursuits until everything on your (and everyone else’s) to-do list is checked off, what you were born to create will never be born.

As kindred spirits on this journey of God, story, and creativity, I trust you desire to create with God. Surprisingly, many miss that.

A divided heart splits our gifting in tragic ways. Isaiah tells a simple story of how it can happen. The tale begins simply enough.

I love new opportunities. But I often forget that before I can step into the new, I must become new.

I’ve become good friends with the two words: “Then what?” They remind me that there’s more at stake than what feels good in the moment.

We can know a lot about God and never actually know We can know a lot about God and never actually know him.

There can be a real tension between knowing your talent and finding a way to make a living from it. 

Does your art feel under attack? If that seems over the top, I’ll rephrase the question. Has your current project taken you longer and cost you more than you anticipated?

When you first discovered what you love doing, it was from a place of deep joy. There was no striving, no fear, and no need for outside validation.

There's nothing inherently good or magical about a book or a canvas or a song. Each is an empty vessel waiting to be filled.

If God stirs a desire in you to pursue something together with him, he will see it through and you will step into that destiny...as long as you relinquish all control over how long it takes, what it looks like, who gets the credit, and what it will cost.

Before you create, be curious. 
Before doing the work, spend time being in wonder.