How to Know You're Ready to Live a More Sustainable Creative Life
I sat on my couch in my white robe as I watched a scratchy teaching video of Henri Nouwen speaking on living as God’s beloved. Occasionally I paused the video to share my less-than-amazing insights with my husband who responded with an empathetic, but confused look on his face. He didn’t get what I was going on about and he told me as much. At that moment, I realized I was on a unique journey. I needed something more.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was ready to start living a more sustainable creative life through my spiritual journey.
To be in that place was a constant state of inner paradox. I was stuck, yet growing. I was hungry, yet satisfied. I was restless, but at peace. Perhaps you find yourself in a similar place. You desire to do less while living a life of more meaningful work. You are thirsty for more of God, yet you feel strangely closer to him than ever before. You feel alone, but strangely, more aware of Christ’s sacred presence in every corner of your daily life.
“If then you are wise, you will show yourself rather as a reservoir than as a canal. A canal spreads abroad water as it receives it, and a reservoir waits until it is filled before overflowing, and thus without loss to itself communicates its superabundant water. In the Church at the present day we have many canals but few reservoirs.” —Bernard of Clairvaux
3 signs you are ready to begin the work
These are three patterns that can signal you are primed for learning how to live a more sustainable creative and spiritual life (because they are sometimes one and the same for artist-leaders).
You hunger for grounding, ritual-like ways to experience God that engage your senses through beauty, nature, and art.
You are keenly aware of a need to drastically slow down and let God love you but that clashes with your inner achiever/doer. (And what does that mean anyway?)
You feel deep hunger and growth in your faith for a faith that is more embodied, contemplative, yet active but you lack people in your faith community who are on the same journey.
But it’s not that easy, is it?
Common excuses
You may find yourself thinking:
No one else around me seems to feel a hunger for something deeper, so maybe I’m missing something or maybe this is deconstruction.
I don’t have time to slow down. Maybe if I read my Bible a few more minutes and pray harder I’ll feel God’s presence like I need.
I’ve been there. Also, I know so many others who have been at this strange point of wanting more of Jesus in their creative life and their faith but don’t quite know what to do next.
These are part of the artist-leader’s journey. To some of us, this feels like a launching point, a crossroads, or a great thick wall.
We are embodied spiritual, creative beings fashioned by God with a hunger for him alone.
What this means is you are ready to begin building a creative life rooted in God.
If this is you, then join my newsletter below where I share stories, great art, and spiritual formation practices and tools to help you build a beautiful life overflowing with courage and compassion. You’ll find out about upcoming events and opportunities to go deeper into the shared life of the Trinity with others who are right where you are.
