Episode 23:
A Picture of Wholeness, Pt. 2
Episode 23 explores what it looks like to invite God into the secret places of our creative life and let faith play its role in our creative practice and process, and career management.
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Hello, hello, and welcome to Episode 23 of the Kingdom Art Life podcast. I am Marlita Hill, here to help you flourish in faith, art, and career.
In episode 22, we started painting a picture of wholeness, unpacking what it looks like to embrace all three parts of who you are as an artist in Christ, being Christian, creative, and cultural participant. The first part of that picture was bringing your whole self, all three of those parts, into your faith walk. Today, we’re going to dive into the other two facets of that picture.
The second part of that picture is bringing your whole self to your creative practice.
What does that look like?
Well, for one, it means acknowledging that this creative gift has a Source, and it’s Source has intentions for His gift.
It also means bringing your creative practice and process to the other side of your yes. What does that mean? Well, you are an artist on the other side of a yes. You have said yes to God. And as one who has said yes to God, you have agreed to live for Him by honoring His intentions for the gift in your life. So the way you use your creativity should honor the yes you made to Him; and that looks different for each of us.
Bringing your whole self to your creative practice means allowing faith to have its place as the guiding force in your creative process, from ideation to execution. Basically, that simply means inviting the Spirit of God into your creative space and allowing Him to lead you fully into the things He has for you.
It means acknowledging that the creative space in your life is somewhere God wants to meet with you, spend time with you, dream with you, fill you, mature you, and support you.
It means committing to present the Kingdom perspective in your work. That doesn’t mean that you have to talk about faith. Rather, it means that whatever topic you explore, whatever subject, whatever medium, it’s explored through a lens informed by faith.
Our relationship with God, the things that He teaches us, the ways we’re transformed in our faith practice – should be reflected in the way we live, in our thought process, in the conclusions we draw, and the lens through which we see and respond to the world. It should also be shaping the way we practice our art, converse through our art, and take space as artists. That’s bringing your whole self into your creative practice.
The last part of this picture of wholeness is bringing your whole self to your career life and management.
And what does that look like?
Well, one of the things it means is embracing your creativity as a valid path for your career. Instead of doubting that it’s possible, it’s finding out how it’s possible. If God has put that on your heart, it’s doable. Now, it may not match your assumptions or even hopes of what your art career will look like, but a fulfilling, sustainable career in art is totally doable, especially when God is leading you in it.
It means bringing your career to the other side of your yes. Again, as one who has said yes to God, that yes should be honored in the way you navigate your career, and in the kind of career you’re building. And that simply means seeking God in creative, business, and relational decisions and choosing to trust His leading and follow His guidance.
It means allowing God into the vulnerable place of your career ambitions, desires, hopes and fears. Those are things He desires to process and pursue with us. They are not something we have to hide from Him.
For my die hards out there, it means submitting your art career to God, getting His vision for it, and committing to pursue that. This becomes possible when you are fully convinced that God is for your art, that He’s for you as an artist, and that He is for you having a career in art that fulfills and sustains you. He’s after more than just you having the career, but He’s totally for the career.
So those are the three parts of this picture of wholeness:
As a Christian, Creative, and Cultural Participant it’s bringing all three of those part to your faith walk, to your creative practice, and to your career management
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What resonated with you in either of these two parts? Also, is there anything you would add to either of them, in terms of what it means to bring your whole self to your creative practice and career management?