I regularly speak to—and coach—creatives from every industry. I’ve had thousands of these conversations over the decades. And as diverse as these creators are, many find themselves stuck in some of the same ways.  

When we have an original idea, we often hesitate to share it until we can make it first. After all, what if someone steals it and all our efforts are lost?

George Orwell and C. S. Lewis have such different—and definitive—worldviews. Orwell is the author of 1984 and Animal Farm, while Lewis wrote Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia series. Can you imagine either wandering through the other’s created universes? How would they have reacted? 

As we create in trueness and avoid the dangers of indoctrination, it’s essential we don’t water down our creativity out of a fear of being “preachy.”

As we create with God, our goal isn’t to force a heavy-handed message on others. That’s indoctrination—not creativity.

When we find something that works for us, we want it to continue.

During an interview, best-selling author Neil Gaiman was asked where his ideas come from. He responded…

The desire for a good, safe life is alluring. But are those traits the hallmark of epic biblical stories…or the stories from Hallmark movies?

When God invites us to create, we have a choice. We can say yes and create it with God. Or we can be conditional creators, proceeding only if perceived limits are first removed.

“My life feels like a movie being fast-forwarded at lightning speed.”

There’s a growing concern among many that generative AI will soon be able to duplicate, if not exceed, our creativity. It can certainly compile things faster than us. But can it also create better than us? And if so, what happens then?

It’s always better to propose a solution rather than just oppose a problem.

So many creative people have ceded a part of their skill and confidence to AI. This is a self-inflicted glitch that will only grow worse over time.

Chasing popularity will short-circuit you. 

It’s one thing to love what we do. It’s another to look to it for our validation and salvation. That’s really what an idol is—anything we look to for life or success.

Just as God is an intentional Creator, the enemy is an intentional de-creator who comes at our creativity in a uniquely destructive way.

A good gauge of whether we’re pursuing our creativity from our own strength or with God is whether we’re mostly expectant…or exhausted.

We’ve talked a lot about our creativity. But there’s an aspect of it that deserves more attention—creative exhaustion.

Comparison is toxic.

When we compare our achievements or pursuits to others or even to us in another season, it either deflates our hearts (mine isn’t as good) or inflates our ego (mine is best).

Isolation is one of the main areas we can get stuck. So I want to offer a few more thoughts before moving on to the next category.