The creative life is one of idea sharing, value bringing, wealth-creating, human loving, generosity.

---

00:00:02.870]
The creative nature is, I think, often romanticised or glamorised. And for many people, the idea of being an artist or an author or a creative creative of any kind takes on this gleam. But really it’s much more ordinary than normal. Then it’s often made out to be. I mean, quite honestly, every single human being on the planet is created in the image of their creator, and he is abundant in every sense of the word.

00:00:40.310]
And so I believe that in every human being, there is a nature that is quite naturally. Or, if you like, supernaturally creative and that creative flair shows up in many ways that are quite remarkable. The problem, I think, is and to a degree, this does come from a mindset that I’ve alluded to already. The problem is that many times it shows up for a momentary burst and much like a firework rises into view and then plummets back into obscurity. We have a moment of courage.

00:01:22.430]
We step out of the shadows, and in this instance of brilliance, we let our light shine. But then kind of skulk back into the shadows and the mundanety of everyday life, waiting for the next zap of inspiration to hit us at some kind of unexpected moments. Really, a creative flare becomes F-L-A-I-R becomes a creative flare. F-L-A-R-E. That firework syndrome that I’m talking about.

00:02:01.010]
But the element here that’s missing is not a mystery. It is simply being consistent with our creativity. Consistent creative action is, I believe, the key that unclogs the pipes so that they can flow more freely and deliver the goods day after day instead of in fits and spurts. Sometimes when we place a restriction or an expectation upon ourselves, it’s surprising what depth of creativity we find within ourselves. Honestly, I try and write every day.

00:02:37.850]
I try and do this podcast five days a week, and there have been a few moments where I’ve wondered, Well, man, will I have anything left to say by the end of the week, but it’s surprising when we place a demand on that inner reserve on that inner well, just how deep it runs now, the romantic ideas that surround creativity and its exercise are really partly to blame. This glamorization of artists and writers as tormented souls court in a tumultuous affair with the esoteric muse. But really, here on planet Earth, most creatives are just regular folk, with a number with a few ideas, a keyboard or a paintbrush.

00:03:33.050]
Whether that’s a digital paintbrush or whatever, there are so many expressions of creativity.

00:03:42.030]
Of course, the artistic life isn’t an ordinary one. It doesn’t come with the same guarantees that some paths we might choose maybe come with, although that is less and less the case, I think. But neither is it kind of other worldly or out of reach. The creative life, essentially is one of idea sharing value, bringing wealth, creating human loving generosity. We have something that we believe is valuable and worthy of sharing on the inside.

00:04:18.930]
And we make a habit of looking for ways to share that and give it away. The artist or writer is starkly aware that the stories that they carry are too valuable not to give away. A faithful creative cannot be a hoarder, and the compulsion to make a difference in the lives of others compels us. And we look for ways to crystallise the value that we carry in our spirit so it can be consumed and enjoyed by another human heart. I encourage you to do that, and that’s why we develop creative disciplines, habits that descale the inner pipes so the ideas can flow from heart to heart to head and to hand unhindered that flow from our inner man out into the world, much like a pipe in your home, left untended like lime scale forms on pipes.

00:05:22.410]
I’m sure you’ve seen it if you boiler kettle or if you’ve had pipes that are clogged up and the flow diminishes and it’s exactly the same with their creative plumbing. Now worry fear of what others will think or say. Chasing money, unbelief pressure to conform. Any or all of the above and more can choke our artistic arteries. Here are a few creative habits that I think have potent descaling powers, and there are more.

00:05:53.370]
Really, we could write a book just about creative habits. Maybe I should think about doing that. Here are just a few. Write something every day. If you’re a musician, sing something every day, play something every day.

00:06:09.990]
It doesn’t necessarily have to be writing. If you’re a painter or an artist, sketch something every day, make it just part of the fabric of your days. Read something every day. Something edifying. I’m not talking just about whatever accidentally turns up on your scrolling screen.

00:06:32.550]
But be intentional in building new information into your heart into your mind by reading quality material and do that every day. Again, it doesn’t have to be lots and lots and lots. Just a little each day really does add up.

00:06:53.550]
This next point should maybe have been at the top of the list. Here. Pray every day. The greatest creative thing you can do is take time and spend time with the creator like hands down. The most productive thing you can do is to pray.

00:07:14.790]
Number four, curtail your consumption of unintentional and intrusive content. I want to make it clear that I’m not against consumption. And there are times when just having a scroll on Facebook or Instagram or just a browse through a magazine can be quite fun and quite refreshing in some ways, but when it becomes an addictive habit, it has the opposite effect. And so that’s why I say curtail your consumption of unintentional because you’re not necessarily choosing what turns up on your screen and intrusive content, because honestly, these different platforms are designed to push things into your field of vision.

00:08:04.530]
They have an agenda so just be careful with that and so indulge your curiosity with careful curation.

00:08:13.830]
That’s the way I be a curator of the information that you choose to consume another thing. Be quick to act on ideas regardless of outcomes. Don’t let your fear of what might or might not happen stop you taking action. If I were to do that, I would probably never, ever write a book in case no one reads it. I would never create anything because I would be fearful that it wouldn’t work or wouldn’t be received or wouldn’t make money or not.

00:08:46.110]
That money is the only thing. But sometimes we think, oh, man, I can’t waste time or spend time doing that. What if it doesn’t exit you fill in the blank. Do it anyways. Allow your creativity to be exercised so it can become what it needs to be to maybe take you to that blank that you just filled in.

00:09:11.790]
But it’s not going to happen by just sitting back, waiting for it to drop up on you. It’s going to happen as part of the process of discovery. By actually doing, I would say another great creative habit is to stay curious, always be asking questions, always be looking to find out more, stay alive and alert to the world around you and the wonders that it wants to deliver. Learn new skills, another one. Learn new skills.

00:09:47.010]
But in this I would say, be careful not to get caught up in just busy work. Learn the skills that feed into your ability to better create and share your worth with the world. So having made a decision, this is how I’m going to serve the world with what I carry in my heart. Learning new skills that help you to do that is time well spent. And then, of course, to connect regularly with other creative souls who share your desire to make a positive impact in the world.

00:10:27.030]
Your creative flair in the right sense of the word. Not that firework deserves more than a bright and transitory moment in the sky. God created you to be a creator, and His will for you is not fleeting. Allow faith and patience to strengthen your creative steps and keep your faith even when challenges stand in your way. And I promise you they will.

00:10:53.490]
They will come. You’ll be challenged to back off. You’ll be challenged to simmer down. There’ll be all sorts of different things that present themselves that want to stop the wheels moving as you move toward really making the impact that you know that you can. I encourage you to allow faith and patience to continue to strengthen your heart in your desire to help, bless and impact other people.

00:11:21.990]
The pathway to breakthrough is often littered with those who burned out along the way, those whose creative aspirations were dampened. So my encouragement, I’m going to speak about this a bit more. I think over the coming days, maybe even weeks, is to draw deeper. Scrub the pipes with some praying and some sharing with other faithful creatives make a point of connecting with other people. I’d love to encourage you, Jim, and honestly, one place you can do that is in the Christian Creative Academy.

00:12:00.870]
You can cheCK out the website at Christiancreative.Academy. It’s just a membership that I’ve opened up for faithful creatives like you who are dedicated to making this year the year that they see change and Holy Ghost growth in the creative projects. It’s a creative group of people and some very rich and deep resources that will feed in to your creative output and also the best thing about it. So I think the best thing about it anyways, is how deeply rooted in Christ the program is. First, you are a child of God.

00:12:48.510]
You stand in the image of the Creator to bring something of eternity to play in everything that you do in the world. And then Secondly, you’re someone who makes things. You’re a maker. And so I would love to invite you to join that membership.

00:13:06.990]
It’s not expensive to do so. And I promise you you’ll get far more value out of it than it costs. So as Christiancreative Academy, you’d be welcome to join us. Hey, God bless you. Hopefully this was helpful today and I look forward to digging deeper in the coming days and weeks as we talk about deeper.

00:13:30.510]
Thanks for listening. Hopefully, it’s been an encouragement to you today. If you want to connect any further, you can do so through my website. Davidleemartin.com have a great day.