Next week I have the honor of facilitating a community painting for Compassion International’s Annual Artist and Speaker Retreat featuring Donald Miller as the keynote.  If you are at all familiar with his last book or his blog, you know that he has been focusing on the idea of living a great story.

Seeing as this is the topic for the retreat, I’ve really been pouring ample amounts of journal pages into this idea that we all are living our own story, and yet part of a great story.  Even in our own stories there may be multiple stories happening at the same time.  All of these stories move and evolve and yet somehow fit perfectly into the greater story.  It boggles my  mind really.  It shows intense attention to detail and makes me bow my head in reverence to our Great Storyteller.

This is the ultimate display of creativity.

We often point to Creation as God’s display of creativity.  Though I don’t discount this, I think we overlook that God was, is, and will be.  This means he was creative, is creative, and will be creative.

There are many different defenitions of creativity but mine has always been this:  Creativity is nothing more than taking Thing A, Thing B, and Thing C, and turning them into Thing D.  For example, when I paint a picture I take a canvas, some paintbrushes, some paint, and I make a painting.  A mom may take one kids soccer schedule, another kids piano lessons, and another kids tutoring times to creates an operable working calendar for her family.  These are all amazing displays of creativity.

The fact that God can take all of our crazy stories and blend them perfectly into a greater story is mind blowing.  It shows great patience, great compassion, and great vision.  Oh how I strive to adopt these into my own life.

I love community paintings most of all.  This is where I get the chance to see a small glimpse into this puzzling process. Last year I had the opportunity to do one of these with a group of college students at Gulf Coast Getaway.  Each person creates their own image and then I puzzle piece them into one larger picture. Having a tangible expression of this Greater Story is amazing.

Creativity is a process, not an outcome.  

The most common thing I hear from women when they sign up for my workshops is “I am not creative!”  To which I reply, you got dressed today didn’t you?  Picking a pair of pants, a shirt, shoes, and what not is in a small way expressing creativity.

We often confuse creativity for artistic ability.  We also tend to reserve it for the risk takers.

Though I preach that it’s okay to make a mess, and believe that we often are most creatively satisfied after this happens; by no means is it the only expression of creativity.  Creativity can be highly intentional and organized.  For me, the more organized my studio is, the more intention I am in the preparation of a painting, then the more free I am to follow the messes of the painting to let it become what it wants to be.

Your story matters.  

Your story has a purpose. 

You were creative, you are creative, and you will be creative.

You were born to be so. 

So embrace your creative spirit.  Praise God, for His creativity is authoring our Great Story.  Don’t be afraid to make messes and let them steer you in an unexpected direction.  It is our responsibility to live the stories of our lives well and with intention.  We are a small but vital part in a larger picture. How beautiful!

If you are in Nashville Saturday January 28th, I’d love for you to join me at my studio as we paint and explore this idea of creativity further.  Workshop information can be found here!

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