Archive for creativity
Cultivating Discipline, Part 6: Cut Yourself Some Slack…
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I am not a perfectionist… but I’ve worked with a few of them.
It seems like a pretty miserable existence to me… Constantly stressed about every detail of every project… Unable to collaborate, delegate or overlook the tiny flaws…
Don’t get me wrong, I stress about project details and I get focused on correcting issues, and sometimes, I have been known to push a little too hard.
But I learned a long time ago that outcomes are rarely perfect, but most of the time no one notices…
Except the perfectionists.
I hesitate to hate on the perfectionists too much, because I have some perfectionist friends… And I LOVE having a perfectionist on my team. As a leader, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders to have someone else that I can count on to stress about the details…
Truth is, I feel bad for a person who is locked into a destructive pattern of perfectionism… In general, perfectionism is “destructive” when it looks like this:
1. If you are always on edge…. The stress of getting every detail arranged according to your vision is unmanageable.
2. If it limits the scope of your leadership because you (like any micromanager) can only lead as much as you can do yourself…
3. If the fear of failure is paralyzing for you or you would rather not work on a project where the outcome is likely to be imperfect.
The ex-perfectionists that I know all understand a very liberating reality:
They aren’t perfect and (in spite of best efforts) never were.
So, after you suck it up, don’t forget to cut yourself some slack… Your heart will thank you.
Now, I gotta go look at revision 17 of this graphics project I’m working on…
Psst... Pass it on...NEXT in this series: Making Good Decisions…
Cultivating Discipline, Part 5: Suck It Up…
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Aw... Poor thing... Suck it up...
The “path of least resistance” is virtually the same as the “road of good intentions”…
Think about this: If you have a goal (let’s say you intend to lose 10 pounds) but you skip the gym every time you come to an obstacle or time conflict, you are never going to reach that goal…
Because all of our worthy aspirations are met with resistance…
I don’t really have an explanation for this, but I have a theory:
Since our best, most worthy goals are designed to improve us or our world, they are likely to run afoul the status quo…
I’ve never made it my goal to gain 10 pounds of fat, unlearn an instrument or narrow my friend-network to something manageable like 2 or 3 people… Those outcomes can happen all by themselves because I am introverted, lazy and tend to medicate with Oreos…
Paul has this to say:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Paul, The Bible, Philippians 3:13-14
It always makes me smile when I hear Christians talking about “pressing on” or “pressing in” because that’s so 15th century… Modern paraphrase: “Suck it up.”
To conquer the inertia of the-way-things-are, I have to suck it up to reach for the-way-things-could be…
Here’s an example:
I’ve been trying to interview an artist for the site for 3 months. We’ve set appointments and I’ve missed them… sometimes through no fault of my own… but I feel like a schmuck every time it has happened. The temptation to just quietly stop trying is overwhelming to an introvert like me…
But the goal is more important than my insecurity… The prize more appealing than the comfort of retreating into my embarrassment…
So, I suck it up and keep trying…
The payoff is that I’ll have the opportunity to learn from this artist, share his encouragement with you and move closer to my own larger goals…
So, what inner turmoil is holding you back? What does it look like when you “suck it up” and push toward your goals?
Psst... Pass it on...NEXT in this series: Cut Yourself Some Slack…
What Makes Artists Succeed…
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Arguably, the most famous work of an artist in church: Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling...
I’m primarily concerned with what makes artists succeed in the the context of church and christian life… Some of us make it work: finding ways to use our gifts… Others struggle and never really find their niche…
What I’ve observed as I work with artists in this context has been pretty interesting… I’m not attempting an exhaustive list, so feel free to add your thoughts in the comments…
The first quality that leads to success is a willingness to be “commissioned.” I am working right now with an artist on some preliminary set and graphics work for a production of Godspell. It’s especially fun for me to cast vision and then let an artist go off to create… but as a leader in church, I recognize that sometimes that creativity needs a bit of direction.
A successful artist will take direction (even from a square)… This is not just the key to success for artists in the church, but it is the key for many areas of commercial art and graphic design.
This leads me to the second quality: humility.
And, wow, do I struggle with this one…
In fact, humility is the underlying foundation for the entire christian existence… It keeps us loving, prevents us from judging and makes it possible for us to collaborate.
I can trace almost every conflict that I’ve had working on artistic projects in church to my own pride.
I hesitate to say that I’m getting better, but I am working on it… This verse helps:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
-The Bible, Philippians 2:3
The last thing that I want to mention is this: using your gifts should give you pleasure… it should be fun. Many of us grew up in church cultures that looked down upon people who took pleasure from their service, but that’s so backwards.
Your gifts come from God… He created you to be most alive when you paint or dance or sing or do whatever it is that you do… It’s ok to enjoy serving…
Anybody want to add anything? What makes artists succeed? or fail?
Psst... Pass it on...Artists in Church…
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I’ve been exchanging emails with some upcoming FeaturedArtists… I’m finding a trend that is not surprising, but still somewhat disturbing to me:
The likelihood of a non-musical artist being activated in church is less than 20%…
This is largely a function of our worship forms… whether you’re in a progressive church or a full-gospel church, the primary form of christian worship is music. Outside of that, there are churches with theatrical programs or drama teams, but the kind of sketch drama that is predominate tends to repel actual theatrical artists in favor of a willing laity without any actual artistic training.
Not to dismiss the impact that willing laity can have, but my primary concern is the dramatic actor that is shunted into the role of a Sunday School teacher…
I recently became aware of a tremendous talent in our church that was completely overlooked… We’ll call him Gene…
Gene was pigeon-holed into an available slot in the youth ministry of our church… which, by the way, he was only marginally effective in… He finally gave up and went away. A few weeks ago, I saw Gene in a principal role in a local community theatre production. He was amazing. He has great comic timing, an excellent voice and such presence that he literally stole every scene…
As a pastor-type, I firmly believe that God has purpose in bringing individuals into a church. There is nothing accidental about the “living stones” that make up each church… call it “providence” or call it “serendipity” if you like, but don’t ignore it…
Explore it.
As church leaders, we need to explore ways of activating the artists in our churches or risk losing them… either to sheer boredom or to a church that will activate them.
As artists, we need to be offering our creativity to the leaders in our church. And when I say “we need,” I’m not stating a moral imperative… I am suggesting that it fulfills a need in our hearts to use our gifts.
No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl.
-Jesus, The Bible (Mark 4:21)
The most universal desire of artists in church is the desire to contribute artistically…
Can we make that happen? What are your thoughts?
Psst... Pass it on...Rest and Vision…
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I’m finished up a short sabbatical from my ministry obligations last night… Today, I’ll be in a meeting that will determine the calendar of my life until the end of 2010.
LVC does a Christmas event called Night in Bethlehem that has been our signature holiday outreach for the past 3 years. I wrote the dramatic scripts and direct the theatrical presentation, among other things…
The event is the most ambitious project that I’ve ever been connected with in church. It activates about 80% of the adults in the church for one capacity or another. It has been overseen by a volunteer project manager, our children’s pastor and myself every year… and we generally like each other again by February or March…
This year, we’ve recruited a few additional leaders and our first official meeting is today…
The rest that I’ve been able to capture the last four weeks has been really awesome and it has changed the way I view the Bethlehem project… Because, in all honesty, I’ve always seen Bethlehem as a roadblock to other projects that I’d like to dive into.
I’ve found a different perspective this year and I think that the key to that was taking a break.
Creativity and vision both rely heavily on having enough time and space to develop and propagate. In the hustle and bustle of my daily life, I have very little free mental time to create or cultivate vision. Bethlehem is a sort of creativity-eating monster, there is consistently a problem to solve or a question to answer… and the collaborative nature of the project consumes most of the energy that we have to be creative…
Taking a deep breath before the proverbial plunge has lots of advantages, primarily in allowing some time to envision the next big thing… something that I won’t have a chance to do again until after Christmas.
How do you make time for creativity and vision?
Psst... Pass it on...
