As an established Christian artist, I'm often asked how do you take a hobby and turn it into a viable business; either part time or full time. Or to take it a step further, how do you take something you love to do, have God bless it and turn it into a source of income, allowing you the time, the freedom and the income you need to start focusing on what God has called you to do?
Over the years, I've learned that most artists are moved and motivated simply by the opportunity to create art. And the simple fact is, if you're making enough money through creating and selling your art, then you have more time to create. That's pretty awesome! When that is coupled with seeing your art being used by God to transform the lives of others, your joy and fulfillment cup in life really starts to overflow. While this is fun to think about, the real challenge for most Christian artists is figuring out how they get there; how they take that hobby, and go pro. I've touched on the concept of "Building the Bridge" in previous posts, but today we're going to map out exactly what that journey can look like for you. Make Great (and Unique) Art The foundation of this bridge is simply making great art. You have to develop your skill, your unique voice, and an aesthetic that is desirable in the marketplace. Otherwise, you’ve got nothing to share with the world. It's also essential to continue producing great work regularly for your style and your voice to develop. Without that, most artists find themselves stuck without a unique, recognizable voice or enough work to start really selling. Now, I know it's easy to become discouraged at this stage. It takes time for your unique voice to develop. It's going to take dedication, determination, and countless hours in the studio to develop your unique artistic voice, one that will set you apart in the marketplace. That’s normal and a glorious part of our journey both spiritually and artistically. No amount of marketing and business skill can make up for the lack of the time you spend creating. Remember, the same God that blessed you with talent and desire is the same God that will sustain and inspire you as you continue building your skill throughout your journey. Put Yourself Out There Proverb 16:9 says, "Man plans his way, but the Lord orders his steps." Your next step is to make your plan and get yourself out there into the marketplace. The most effective way I've found to establish long term success in marketing my art is what I like to call my Parthenon Marketing Plan. Think about the Parthenon, that ancient multi-pillared structure in Athens, Greece. Built thousands of years ago, the structure of the building is still largely intact due to the multiple pillars that were built to support the structure. Picture that building in your mind as we switch gears and focus on marketing your art. Instead of putting all of your "marketing eggs" in one basket, or on one "marketing pillar," begin diversifying your marketing efforts across a variety of different sales and marketing channels. Don’t just rely on art shows and craft fairs to sell your work, branch out and establish an online presence, too. Instead of just paying for Facebook ads, why not reach out to your local media outlets and let them know you're available for interviews and public interest stories! The possibilities are endless. The point is to build your marketing "house" by using a multi-pillared approach that employs a variety of different marketing tactics, all working simultaneously. That way, if one strategy fails, falls short, or, as we've seen with the Covid-19 Pandemic, is shut down, you still have a way to connect with clients, sell your art and pandemic-proof your business. Find YOUR Place….Are You Going to be Evian or Tap Water? So let's recap. First, you have to create great art while developing your unique artistic voice and style. Then you must begin reaching out and connecting with people so that they know you exist in the marketplace. Finally, it's also essential to know where to position yourself IN the market. Let's use water as an example. Now, there's tap water that basically costs you nothing and then there are bottles of water out there that can cost upwards of $100 (check out https://svalbardi.com/). How do they charge that much for water? It's all with how it's positioned in the marketplace. They've marketed it in such a way that makes it unique, special, and exclusive enough to offer a client the experience they're seeking. It’s the same way with art. Take my work, for example. I don't just create functional baskets you can find at any store. I create woven sculpture. I don't sell at common community craft shows. I've positioned myself in the marketplace in a way that highlights the value of my work as fine art. When my clients meet me, see my art, and get to know me, they begin to feel that one of my sculpted pieces just might be worthy of a place of honor in their home and the high prices my work commands. Do you have to be the best artist in the world to accomplish this? Absolutely not, but you do need to create something that is perceived as special, unique, and valuable. This approach continues to build on itself. Once you cultivate and build a reputation for being exclusive, unique, and desirable, you'll begin to find and attract your special niche of clients. By positioning myself as an artist, instead of “some guy who makes baskets” or “crafty”, I've been able to create a unique brand that is both high end and exclusive. And that's how you start to command the prices and respect in the art world. Where is God in all of this? My friend, He's in your studio and the work you create. He’s in your inspiration, and He’s definitely in the relationships you develop along the way. The Holy Spirit will guide you every step of the way both in your creative process and into those special relationships He has for you. Learn to invest in those key relationships the Lord points out to you and intentionally cultivate those relationships over time. It will pay off, I promise. Remember, the Lord is ready to walk with you in every artistic, business, and life decision you face. The same God who filled you with creativity and inspiration desires to guide you moment by moment as you step out in faith and use the gifts He's given you in the marketplace. And as you are faithful on your journey, the Lord will begin to open up doors for you to do the thing that's in your heart. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading!
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Back in March of this year, I had the honor and the privileged of hosting 500 artists at our first ever Thriving Christian Artists Conference here in North Carolina. One of the highlights of that event was having the audience pick our 2020 Created to Thrive Spokesperson of the Year from our four finalists that were present there with us that weekend. As a part of for being considered for this honor, everyone who entered this to submit a short video detailing why they should be chosen. While I can't share all the fantastic videos we did receive, I do want to share with you the following videos from our four finalists. Enjoy Lydia Crouch - FinalistRachel Painter - FinalistIrene Hassler - FinalistJan Tetsutani - Our 2020 Spokesperson of the Year Has this ever happened to you? You're on the journey of life, actively engaging with your local community of believers. And despite your best efforts, you find yourself stuck in a situation that's full of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and broken relationships.
The sad reality is that we've all been there, and despite the Father's intent, modern church life can sometimes be a magnet for these painful encounters. So the real question is, "what can you do about this?" First Things First It's easy to blame hurtful situations on others, especially if you believe they don't like you, they don't understand you, or worse, they are out to get you. While it's all too easy to jump to any one of these conclusions, the reality is that satan is a master at stirring the pot as he sprinkles in a few dashes of deception, division, and doubt. When you find yourself in a tense situation with others, take a moment to go to the Lord and ask for His perspective on the situation. It's incredible how many times that simply seeing a hurtful situation from God's point of view can kickstart a season of healing and reconciliation in your life. Align Your Expectations Often seeking the Father's wisdom when you are hurt reveals a simple confusion of expectations. Failing to communicate upfront what you and others are expecting in a given situation can often be where relationship difficulties begin. This can happen on every level and with any relationship you have. Confusion is out there, looking for its next opportunity to strike. And when it does, you find yourself expecting one thing to happen while the person you're dealing with is expecting something completely different. (Queue the difficulties and strife) Now, as depressing as this may seem, you don't have to let it get you down and out. Instead, take it to the Lord. First, ask Him, "Lord, here's the situation. What's the opportunity here for me to grow in relationship with You?" Then, take the time to listen and act upon what He tells you. Secondly, take the time to reflect on the conflict and ask yourself some essential questions:
Go Make It Right Matthew 18 is very clear on this matter. If you have something against your brother, go to him, deal with it. If you don't do that, it just festers under the skin. The more time that you allow to go by without dealing with the situation directly, the enemy will have a field day because he always deals in secrecy and fear. The Bible also tells us in Ephesians 4:3 that we need to "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." So what does that actually mean? That means if someone has offended you, or even if you have offended someone else, that it's on you to be the bigger person. Take that first step, reach out in love and say, "Hey, my friend, I'm so sorry. I know there's a situation with us. Can we talk about this because I don't want anything to come between us." The Bible is really clear where we dwell together in unity, and there the Lord has commanded the blessing. I don't know about you, but I do want blessings in my life. Get Some Help Now I'd like to tell you that this works 100% of the time, but unfortunately, it just doesn't. So when you find yourself still stuck in strife even after you've reached out in love to make things right, Matthew 18 again offers us the best guidance. Go back with a mediator, someone you both trust, and try again. Just know that even taking this step, your differences still may not be solved. Sometimes this presents us with the opportunity to set a boundary and move on. I know that's hard, but as soon as you can release people and your expectations of that situation, that's when the Lord can bring healing and reconciliation. You're not abandoning the relationship. You're allowing them space to process that thing and deal with it in a way that will honor the Lord. Finally, Forgive And one last thing, forgive. Forgiveness is not for them. Forgiveness doesn't mean they did everything right. Forgiveness doesn't mean you did everything right. Forgiveness just says, "I'm choosing to no longer punish you for the thing that I perceived that you did to me. I'm releasing you from that, and I'm going to learn from this situation. I'm going to go on in God's grace." When you learn to deal with hurt and difficulties in this way, your mindset begins to change. And when you face similar problems again in the future, you have a proven, trusted plan for dealing with them in a healthy, God-like way. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading!  You did it. You’ve sent your artwork out into the world. And you didn’t get the response you thought you would. The likes aren’t stacking up on Instagram and no one’s following you on Facebook. So what happens next..heartache...frustration? Trust me, it doesn’t have to be that way!
Today I’m tackling the common misunderstanding many Christian artists have regarding their identity and connecting it to what people think about their art. Listen, this is a very normal thing but that doesn’t make it healthy. It is however, something we must work through if you want to really thrive as the artist God created you to be. On the other hand, if you give in to these feelings of doubt, they can absolutely paralyze you. Constantly thinking about your performance and judging your worth by what others say about you is a real recipe for disaster. He’s After Your Heart Why? Because the enemy is always after your heart. He’s going to try to leverage any part of you that is performance-based. Anything that is not firmly grounded in the Lord’s identity. Anything based on what others think. And more than likely, he will if you don’t understand who God has made you to be, agree with it, and intentionally cultivate that truth regularly. It doesn’t matter who you are. Especially as a Christian artist, you’re never going to grow and develop unless you deal with that identity issue. It doesn’t matter how good of a marketer you are or how good of an artist you are if your identity is tied up in what others think of you. You are never going to see that sustained renewed growth, joy, freedom and authority in what you do. Matthew 18:19 says “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” Now you can choose to agree with God’s will or you can choose to agree with the enemy, agreement is a powerful thing. So what are you going to agree with? Are you going to agree with “I’m only as good as they say I am.”? Or “I’m only as good as how many Instagram likes I have.”? Or even “I’m only as good as my church thinks I am?” That’s the mindset that sends you on a performance-driven, enemy filled cycle. Or are you going to agree with what God says about you? The Power of Community Community can be a powerful tool that God can use to encourage and support you. However, community should never be the thing you lean on in place of cultivating a healthy identity. When you’re doing both, actively cultivating a healthy identity inside a healthy community, that’s when things really start to change. When you have loving and supportive people who will speak into you the identity God has designed for you, you become the son instead of the slave. Your path deviates from your Facebook feed or your Instagram likes. When something goes wrong, instead of destroying you, it becomes a trigger for an opportunity. An Opportunity to Change An opportunity for what? To take control. For you to say ‘Lord, I am not defined by what I do. I am not defined by what others think. I am defined by who You say I am.’ The Bible says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” That means don’t do life as everybody else does it. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As you begin to think about your life in terms of what God says about you as opposed to what the enemy says and as opposed to what circumstances may say, that's when your life will change. Listen, when your identity gets healed, when you begin to cultivate your identity in Christ, that's when the foundation is set for all the other growth. Everything else that you are building your art business on, your life as an artist, your skill; everything outside of an identity seated in Christ is shifting sand. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading!  As Christian artists, it’s easy for us to say we’re not in it for the money label money as a hindrance; even evil. But in doing so, we’re simply using the fear of money as an excuse to justify our roadblocks. We get so caught up in worrying about finances, that it paralyzes us.
Matthew 6:33 tells us: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” What that tells us is that provision is not something we must earn. God has designed us to walk with Him in the Kingdom as we pursue our unique design, embracing our position as sons and daughters. When we do that, then all things will come unto us. This is true, even when it comes to finances. So, do you think money evil? Of course not. Money is simply a tool that reveals the heart of it’s steward. Existing in this life requires money; making it, spending it, giving it and investing it. So today, I want to give you a simple three-step process to start thinking about your finances differently. Don’t let money paralyze you from being able to do that thing God has called you to do. Sow The first thing I want to encourage you to do is sow. As Galatians says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Too many times we are quick to give in to the excuses because of the fear and anxiety that comes along with money, . We tell ourselves we can’t afford something, have more important expenses, that we’re on a fixed income or maybe we will do it next year. Instead of sitting in that fear and never taking the chance, I invite you to sow. Sow into the Kingdom intentionally and by doing so, you are declaring in the face of the enemy that fear and anxiety don’t define you. Instead, you are planting a seed of purpose. Remember, you don’t plant a seed without expecting a harvest. When we sow in the face of fear, we are declaring God is our provider. If you are afraid to sow that seed, how will God entrust you with a harvest? Plant that seed in good soil in the Kingdom expecting to receive what God has for you. When you do this, putting your money into things won’t seem like such a waste. It won’t fill you with anxiety. Because you will know it’s been put in the right place. Look Next, you have to look for that harvest. What better place to start looking than in your own hand. Ask the Lord what is in your hand right now that could make a difference. Even if it’s small, find a win right now. Look for the fragments in your life. As told in the Gospel of John, a boy with just five loaves of bread and two fish fed thousands by bringing them to Jesus. Jesus then multiplied them to feed the masses. After the feast, the disciples picked up the fragments left behind; all that was forgotten and overlooked. So you ask the Lord what things in your own life are overlooked. This can be in your life but also in your finances. Is there a resource or asset you have forgotten about? Is there a recurring bill you forgot about and don’t utilize? Is your studio filled with artwork, even if they’re little sketches, that you could sell or make prints of? These little fragments could add up to something big. Lastly, when looking, I suggest looking for ideas. When you know something big is coming up, especially a large expense, stop thinking ‘oh I can’t afford that’. That immediately blocks the provision of God in your life through your lack of faith. It puts up a wall that says you are not ready to receive, that you aren’t in faith. Instead of thinking of all of the ways you can’t do something, ask the Lord for an idea. You can’t just ask God for money. God doesn’t pay in money. He pays in ideas. Make sure to listen for them. Be faithful with little and He will make you ruler over much. Go After all of that looking, I pray you have found something; an idea, a revelation, an opportunity. Now, what do you do with it? Well, you just have to go. Take that leap. Make a decision. When God gives you an idea, it has a lifespan. Opportunities are like waves. They come and they go. You have to take advantage of them when they are in season. Otherwise, you’ll miss them and have to wait on another. Many times, when I am talking about my passions and what God has called me to do, I hear stories of people who passed on opportunities five, ten, even twenty-five years ago. They chose to do nothing instead of choosing to go. And in not acting, they may have missed their window. So, in regards to provision and walking in the marketplace, when God shows you something, when He gives you that idea, go for it. Know that the idea is from the Lord, start walking in faith and just go. If you sow, look and then go, you will see God’s provision showing up in your life. You can start walking in faith and provision. As you do, you’ll learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and the flow of heaven into your life. It's God's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. It's God's good pleasure to pour out on you more than you can ask or imagine. It's God's good pleasure to put dreams in your heart and give you every ability that you need to be able to fund and walk in those things in the fullness of His design in your life. That is absolutely how the Kingdom works. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading! |
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AuthorMatt Tommey is an artist, author and mentor who is passionate about empowering artists to thrive spiritually, artistically and in business. |
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