You Go First
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

You Go First

The best art simultaneously disrupts and invites. It helps people see something in a new way so they can then experience life in a new way.

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Choose a Spacious Life
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Choose a Spacious Life

“Hurry is an attitude which comes from an agreement with a lie that God is expecting more than you can do.”

Those words from a good friend rocked my world a decade ago.

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Resolution Fatigue
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Resolution Fatigue

We’re not even halfway through the first month of 2026. And already, our resolutions are beginning to show signs of failure. Even if we’re faithfully keeping them, they are proving incapable of filling our hopes, longings, and empty places.

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How To Have More Time
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

How To Have More Time

The process of creating requires many things, with time being near the top of the list. Because if we have no time to create, nothing will be created.

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Puzzled By Chaos?
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Puzzled By Chaos?

In these high-tech times, I’ve recently rediscovered the simple joy of puzzles. 

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Your Dreams Are Too Small
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Your Dreams Are Too Small

There’s a popular belief in creative circles that “we can do whatever we dream.” The sentiment sounds appealing but it’s actually a self-focused statement that leaves God completely out of the process. Plus it aims too low…because our dreams are too small.

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We All Have an Ocean
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

We All Have an Ocean

The act of creating something—whether a loving home environment or a new Broadway musical—always involves our senses. 

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The Day of Epiphany
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

The Day of Epiphany

January 6 is Epiphany, a Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi, or “Wise Men.” 

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The Danger of Fast Answers
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

The Danger of Fast Answers

God doesn’t go at our pace. We go at his pace. At least, we should. But that doesn’t always feel practical in our rapidly accelerating world. 

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The January 1st Myth
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

The January 1st Myth

What’s the most common three-word phrase everyone says on January 1st?  Easy. “Happy New Year!”

How about the most popular four-word phrase?

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Do This Before Midnight
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Do This Before Midnight

Here at the close of 2025, it’s good to consider how you feel about your creative efforts this past year.

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More Ready Than You Think
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

More Ready Than You Think

My friend was going through a really challenging season. While writing him an email of encouragement, God surprised me with an unexpected insight.

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How to Decide What’s Next
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

How to Decide What’s Next

What’s the best way to decide which project to pursue next?

You'll hear all kinds of answers. Choose what you're most passionate about. Base it on market research. Stay on brand. 

It all sounds good. Except for one thing.

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Christmas Began in Eden
Amanda Dykes Amanda Dykes

Christmas Began in Eden

Christmas didn’t begin in Bethlehem. Long before the baby Jesus was born in a manger, Christ was on a mission to restore what we lost in Eden.

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