|
Artists who are Christians need encouragement, inspiration and equipping as they pursue God's creative calling on their lives. Here are some of the best books for Christian artists on the market today:
Book artwork and descriptions are from Amazon.com descriptions and are the sole property of the copyright holder.
0 Comments
Artists who are Christians are often looking for inspiration and encouragement not only creatively, but also in their spiritual life and businesses as well. For most Christian artists, their faith is not something that's just ancillary to their journey, it's at the core of who they are and how they operate in the world. Rightly so! Over the years, I've been asked what podcasts are the best podcasts for Christian artists to be listening to and so I thought I'd create this quick post to share some of my favorites:
I was recently reflecting on my own journey, especially as it relates to fear. For many years, fear was a significant motivating factor in my life. Fear of...
You get the picture. My life was being ruled by all of this misplaced fear-based anxiety. I was living my life based on the lies of the enemy and not the Truth of God. We have all dealt with this at some point, some of us more than others. You know those times when fear takes hold, and you start feeling absolutely overwhelmed, even to the point of a panic attack, just not knowing what to do. One of the things I learned many years ago is THE KEY that God gave us in His Word that unlocks transformation in our lives. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I learned that if I want to experience life differently, I have to learn to think differently. I’m a firm believer in this concept of renewing my mind. I’ve been practicing it for years, intentionally cultivating God’s Truth in my heart for years. And despite all that, there are still sometimes things just come out of the blue. When I’m tired, mad, sad, hungry, upset, or frustrated, that’s when the enemy will come in like a flood to try to shut me down and overwhelm me. It happened to me just the other day. I was having a pity party. I was really starting to get anxious about situations that are really unlikely ever to happen, the “What Ifs” of life. And as this went on for a bit, the enemy began to blow these stories up to IMAX size in my head. I was just getting bombarded with those fears of What If…
And as the fear continued to grow, it began to morph. If it did happen, does that mean that…
As these things raced through my mind, I leaned into the truths I’d been cultivating in my heart for years. Pulling from my daily practice of renewing my mind, I realized I needed to turn to the Lord and not even try to be strong. I just needed to fall into His lap and say, “JESUS, I NEED YOUR HELP!” Now while this may seem an over simplistic solution, this simple act of trust broke something free in my life. Suddenly, instead of being in agreement with the fear, I began to agree with God’s truth…
As I did that, a beautiful thing happened. The Lord immediately went WHOOSH. It was like all of the fear, anxiety, and worry that was swirling around in my head just went, POOF, gone! It was like clouds starting to drift apart, and that’s when the Lord dropped this Scripture into my heart. “When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai. You are hidden in the strength of God most high. He is the hope that holds me in the stronghold to shelter me. The only God for me and my great confidence. He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy. He will protect you from false accusations in any deadly curse. His massive arms are wrapped around you protecting you.” Psalm 91 – The Passion Translation And as I sat there, I realized that God had done it again. In my time of need, as I reached out to Him, He came in to dispel the enemy’s lies with the exact truth that I needed at that moment. My fear was getting caught in a “hidden trap,” something I didn’t see coming that would destroy the things I hold dear. That was my fear, the source of the anxiety that was creeping up that day, and Psalm 91 was the exact passage the Lord gave me. I believe that the only time God is limited in our lives is when we are unwilling to invite Him into the situation. If you and I sit there and struggle in our life by ourselves, the Lord is standing there waiting to bring a solution, waiting to bring breakthrough, but He is waiting for you to extend the invitation. He is waiting for you to fling open the door. He is waiting on you to run into His arms So my friend, listen! If fear is one thing that tries to come on you regularly, follow my example. When you find yourself in the middle of the fear, just fling yourself on Jesus! Turn up the worship music, lean into His arms, and say, “Father, I need You right now to come and break the power of the enemy.” I promise you. He will be faithful to show up and bring deliverance on your behalf and give you the tools you need to begin to renew your mind and walk in strength that is already yours in the Kingdom of God. I hope this helps as you continue to create with Him. If so, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading!
One of the questions that I get all the time is, “Matt, how do I find my artistic uniqueness and express that in the marketplace?” It’s a great question and a real sign that the artist asking it is ready to take their art to the next level. Why, you ask? Because differentiation and uniqueness are what set you apart from other artists in the marketplace.
Art, after all, is a language. It is visual, auditory, and it speaks to the soul of all people. Like the spoken language you use every day, your artistic vocabulary doesn’t just appear overnight. Here are three essential things you need to know about developing and refining your creative voice. You’ll Know It When You See It One of the things that I really believe about finding your unique, artistic voice is that you don’t find it; you recognize it. You uncover it. You allow it to emerge over time. However, one of the things artists often neglect is being in the studio enough to ever see that emergence happen. As you pursue this process, just start by doing the things that come naturally to you. Then, get in the studio and create tons and tons of work. Develop that masterful competency that only time and practice brings forth. And as you do, you’ll start to see themes and styles come out as your unique creative voice emerges. Consistently Cultivate Inspiration Creating lots of work over time forces you to cultivate continued inspiration in your life. As a creative, you must keep your artistic eyes and ears open all the time. As you receive that inspiration, you respond through your work. And then the inspiration/creation cycle starts all over again. As you cultivate inspiration, you start to recognize what you are interested in and drawn to as an artist. You begin to gravitate towards a preferred medium and limited palette of materials and supplies you’re using. You begin to recognize the things in life that inspire you the most, and you start to purposefully pursue that source of inspiration. One final thought on cultivating inspiration; be consistent, be intentional and be faithful. Get serious about cultivating inspiration in your life regularly. Then, faithfully steward those ideas by journaling them. (Need more tips on this, check out this podcast episode that is all about cultivating creative inspiration.) Don’t Rush the Process Creating tons of work and developing masterful competency while consistently cultivating inspiration takes time. One of the biggest roadblocks to artists developing their style happens when they pressure themselves to sell their work too quickly. Investing time in your art is the key. There is no shortcut to gaining experience and building skills, both of which contribute to developing your creative voice. Allow your voice to emerge, over time, then refine it. As you do this authentically, people will recognize your uniqueness and respond to it, giving you an excellent opportunity to connect with those people when you make your move to the marketplace. A Resource That Can Help I’ve taught on this subject many times over the years. Recently I put together a 6-part mini-course, Developing Your Unique Creative Voice. This course helps artists define and refine who they are and what they do as artists. If you are ready to start showing the real you through your art, then click here to learn more. I hope this helps as you continue to pursue the development of your own unique artistic voice. If this article has helped, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading.
You know, if you love making art as much as I do, it’s really easy to wonder, “Hey! Is my love of art and creating art crowding out my passion for Jesus and my desire to worship Him? Is it becoming an idol in my life? I don’t know if you have ever thought about that, but recently Tina, one of our Podcast listeners, asked me that very question.
Fear By Any Other Name Is Just Fear Sometimes the enemy will disguise himself as wisdom when it’s just plain old fear. When I hear a question like this, I find that it’s often rooted in a place of fear: Fear of messing up, fear of not doing it right, fear of disappointing God, and others. It’s born out of a wrong mindset that is all too prevalent in the church and the Christian art community. This false idea that “Unless you do it exactly like this, or get exact permission to do this much but not that much, then you are somehow going to do it wrong.” Bottom line, God isn’t like that. I really believe that God cares so much more THAT we create than WHAT we create, or even how much we create. I believe that it brings God joy when we do the thing that He has called us to do. It is like the quote that I included in “Unlocking The Heart of the Artist” from Saint Irenaeus that says, “The Glory of God is man Fully alive.” That is, as you do the thing that God has called and created you, nothing else could bring greater glory or greater joy to the Father. So instead of a fear-based approach that is borne out of a faulty mindset, I want you to embrace this confident heartfelt belief in your art that says, “Yeah! When I do this thing, it is what God designed me for,” and that brings Him glory. Art Is A Vehicle for Grace If you are struggling with this question, then I want you to embrace the fact that art is a means of grace. It’s one way we can experience the grace, love, and manifest presence of God in our life. This grace is not only for ourselves but also for others as God uses our art to reveal and release His nature in and through us. Always keep in mind that it’s God who created and called you to be an artist. It’s His artistic expression that He desires to bring to life through the talent and skill He gave you. The Father desires to bring you into this Spirit-led creative process, one that impacts and changes not only you but others as well. Again, nothing brings Him greater glory than for you to be able to do the thing that He has called you to do. That, my friend, sounds like the exact opposite of idolatry. Keep Your Eyes on The Creator, Not the Creations For all of us who are believers, art should never be the entire focus of our lives. Art for art’s sake isn’t why you were endowed with your unique set of creative gifts and talents. Rather, art is a vehicle through which we experience the love of God, hear His voice, and allow His beauty, life, and life to flow through us to others. When anything in life becomes an idol, three things come to mind:
If the thing you create and the artistic passions you pursue begin taking on a life of its own and separating you from God, then yes, that could be a problem. Anything that supplants your relationship with Jesus and His Lordship in your life absolutely can become an idol. The secret to staying on the right path is to want to make sure that you see these beautiful things, these gifts that God gives us not as an end in themselves. Art, as I shared earlier, is a vehicle God uses to draw us close to Him. He uses it to transform our lives while He moves through us and the works of our hands to transform others. Art that accomplishes this is not an idol. I hope this helps as you continue to create with Him. If so, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading
Have you ever wondered how to tell when the Holy Spirit is guiding you and working with you in your art or when you are trying to do it all on your own? If this is you, you're not alone. This is a question I get a lot from artists all over the world. And today, I want to share with you a few things that I've learned over the years that have really helped me definitively answer this question for myself.
Religious Baggage – We All Have Some… You know, a lot of us were raised with a fear-based relationship with the Lord. This is where the idea that you have to be "careful" because you don't want to "miss God" gets ingrained in your heart. While the desire for this sort of teaching is undoubtedly good, it often produces the opposite of what it is intended to do. In my life, this mindset failed me completely. Instead of keeping on the straight and narrow, it took me totally off the path. I became paralyzed because I was so afraid of doing anything that might seem like my own flesh, anything that would not honor the Lord. I was just scared all the time, and because of that, I really was not moving forward in my life. This kind of religious baggage paralyzes a lot of people in life. But over the years, the Lord began to help me realize some essential Kingdom truths. These truths helped me know the answer to the question, "Am I doing this with the Lord, or am I doing this on my own?" You Were Designed for Co-Creating with God. We all have to realize that God's pleasure and His desire are FOR you. God's design in your life was created specifically for you. In other words, there is a design, there is a pattern, there is a way of flowing that He designed for you. Not for anyone else, and He did this before the very foundation of the earth. When you got saved, the best part is that your Divine design got reactivated and reenergized in your life. I love where the Bible says in Psalms that God inhabits the praises of His people. I love it because that is what art feels like to me. As we create in concert with the Holy Spirit, inviting Him into the creative process, God is faithful to His Word. As we do the things we were made to do with the One who created us, He comes, and He inhabits, leads, guides, and comforts us through that process. You Have Everything You Need It is crucial to realize that through what God has done for you through the cross, you already have everything you need for life and godliness as a Kingdom Artist. The real question is, "How do you participate or partake in all that God has already done for you? In II Peter 1:3-4, it says that we participate in the divine nature through the very precious promises of God. So, it is by faith, right? It's by faith that we take hold of the promises of God and can appropriate all the things that God has for us. Well, the same thing is true with your art. You need to embrace the truth that every idea, every inspiration, and every skill comes from God. He has already equipped you with all of this, plus the desire and ability to flow with the Holy Spirit in your creative process. It's already there! It exists right now! Well, how do you access it? You access it by faith. Try This the Next Time You Are In Your Studio So the next time you go into your creative space, walk-in with a joyful heart saying: "Father, thank You that I have the opportunity today to come in and do the thing that You created me to do. Now, Lord, I receive by faith Your inspiration and the movement of Your Holy Spirit. Lord, I listen with the ears of my heart for Your voice. Lord, I respond with my hands, and God, I trust that You will lead and guide and move in and through me during this process. Use me, Lord. Transform me that my work might be used to transform others." You see, I just find that when you can come in and create out of a place of JOY and not judgment, you can't do it wrong. When you approach the creative process from a place of judgment versus joy, fear rises up, anxiousness kicks in, and self-doubt rules the day. Judgment says, "I don't know if this is God! I don't know if I am doing it right! I don't know if I am going to miss it!" Joy says, "I am a son. I am a daughter. I am already set up for success. God has already given me a design. There is no way I can do this wrong. God, You are FOR me. Holy Spirit, You are my guide, and You are the one that is here to lead me today." As you do that, it's like letting a drawbridge down into the spirit, receiving by faith everything that God has planned for you. What the Fruit Says Lastly, I want to share how you can recognize when the Spirit of God is moving in and through your creative process. Ask yourself the following:
Is there a sense of His presence as you are creating? If you're answering yes if you're seeing the Fruits of the Spirit manifesting in your life and through your work. All of that confirms the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life as you create. So don't make it more complicated than it is. Enjoy the process. A Resource That Can Help A few years ago, we put together a mini-course called "Knowing God's Plan for Your Life and Art." After taking this 3-part mini-course, you'll be able to:
You can learn more about this course by clicking right here. I hope this helps as you continue to create with the Lord. If this article has helped, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading.
One of the questions that I get from artists just about every day is, "Matt; I love Jesus! I know He is calling me to be a creative, but I am so scared! I am so nervous about what other people will think of me, what they will say about me, and how they will judge me. I constantly fear that others will find out that I'm simply not enough. How do I get over this?"
Well, this whole area of fear of what others think is significant in the creative community. In fact, I believe that it's really the foundation of every problem that artists go through. So, I think it's time we hit this issue head-on with some practical solutions that will help you bust through the prison of what other people think about you, your art, and your creative lifestyle. Did I Miss Something? For many years I struggled with this whole concept of identity. In fact, my first book, "Unlocking The Heart of The Artist," was really all about my struggle with identity and really coming to understand that you can be both saved and renewed. Let me explain. I knew from a young age that my spirit had been renewed when I asked Jesus to come into my heart. But nobody had ever taught me that just because my spirit was instantly renewed that my soul, that is my heart, mind, will, emotions, needed to be renewed and aligned with the Kingdom of God. Most Christians, in general, do not have this understanding that you were saved instantly, but you can be operating out of an old, wounded mentality, an old paradigm. You can be saved on one side and see all the promises of God that are in God's Word while still living out of an unrenewed mind. If you live out of this wounded paradigm, you will live a life in many respects more frustrating than the one you left before you were saved. Why? Because even though you've got this great hope and vision for the eternal life Jesus provided for you while at the same time, you find yourself struggling daily within your emotions, thoughts, and actions. If you've ever felt this way, you're not weird. This is a normal part of every believer's walk. In fact, I was like that for most of my life until I began to understand how transformation is designed to happen in the Kingdom. Kingdom Transformation Well, how does that happen? Well, Romans 12:2 tells us that we are not to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed, that is to be fundamentally changed, by the renewing of your mind. Many of us probably memorized this verse in Sunday School, and countless gold stars have been awarded for these efforts. But did anyone ever teach you how to apply it to your life practically? Salvation happens the moment you ask Jesus into your heart. Your spirit man is instantly transformed, changed, and made righteous instantly. But even in that glorious moment, we still have a world of issues lingering inside our minds, wills, and emotions. Our spirit is saved, but that is just one part of the three, body, soul, and spirit that makes us who we are. Our soul, that mind will and emotions part of us, still has to be renewed even after salvation. The Bible teaches us that this is a daily, moment-by-moment process that is meant to be led by the Holy Spirit according to the Word of God. It's an intentional daily process, this renewing of your mind, and it's as simple as starting with focusing on the truth of:
Consistency Brings the Change And as you do this thing the Bible talks about, and you begin taking every thought captive under the Lordship of Jesus, your life WILL change. It's not an overnight change, but as you are faithful daily to focus on and believe in God's Truth versus what you have believed, a great exchange begins to take place in your spirit man. It begins with declaring in faith, "Hey! I don't want to believe this old lie about myself anymore. I choose to receive the truth of God's Word about this for my life!" And as you do that over and over and over again as an act of your will, verbally, mentally, and spiritually replacing that old lie with God's Truth, change just happens. The old lies fade, and God's Truth in that area becomes your go-to daily mindset. Why is this important? Because it's your beliefs that ultimately determine your actions and your destiny. Resources That Can Help The foundation of everything that we do with the Podcast, with the Artist Mentoring Program, with my Books, and with my Blogs and Podcasts, is to help people get their heart healed and their mind renewed to the truth of what God says about them. Of all the resources my team and I have put together, these two are the best place to start when you are ready to embark on this process of renewing your mind. The first is my book Created to Thrive – which is available right here from Amazon. The second is a mini-course we put together called "Renewing Your Mind." This course walks you through several in-depth teachings about this, plus gives you some access to some tremendous Biblical affirmations that will help build your faith as you make this transformation in your life. You can learn more about this by clicking right here. I hope this helps as you take that step of creating or refining your website. If this article has helped, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading.
One of the frequent questions I get goes something like, "Matt, I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. So, is it even a necessity to have a website?
I get it. Websites can seem so last decade. But an effective website can be the best marketing tool an emerging artist can use to grow their business and expand their influence. So, I want to give you a new perspective on websites while highlighting what I see are the four primary purposes of every artist's website. All Roads Lead to Your Website So, I'm a big fan of Social Media. I'm currently on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, while at the same time, my podcasts are being distributed across a dozen different platforms. I've been interviewed on radio, tv, podcasts, and in magazines, books, and blogs. The common thread that holds this all together is my website. I like to think of an artist's website as the central place or the hub of your artistic world. Your website should be the place that all roads from the social jungle point back to. Your social pages should link to it, your blog should live on it, and when you're interviewed online, on-air, or in print, you should mention it. Why? You ask. It's simple. Your website is where your Artist Statement lives. It's the place where all the images of you working in the studio, of the trajectory of your work, and the history of your creative process are displayed. Your site is where you showcase your current work, share your event calendar, and talk about your journey as an artist. Now, the whole point of having a website, though, is not just to have a website. The whole point of having a website is to move people through a process where they can do four things. Learn About You As you are designing your website, you want to speak about what you do in a way that connects with what your site visitors are looking for. If you go to my website, www.MattTommey.com, you can see how I speak to people that are looking for unique, nature-inspired woven sculpture. I am speaking not only about myself, my art, and my creative process, but I am intentionally sharing what I do in terms of what my potential clients are looking for. In marketing, we call that the WIIFM – "What's In It For Me?" When you ask this question, you have to think about it from the client's perspective since that is who you want to be able to connect with. Have Their Needs Met I remember walking through a store one day when U2's "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" began playing in the background. I had a chuckle because it was true for me that day, but it also brings up a great point. Your website needs to persuade visitors that the solutions you offer, the art you sell, the classes you teach, or the book you wrote is something that they need. The language you use, the pictures you share, and the stories you tell on your page need to connect with these potential clients in a way that makes them want to take advantage of the opportunity you're offering based on their values, their desires, and what they are looking for. Take Action Number three, your website has got to have a clear invitation. You want to have an opportunity to invite visitors to get involved in your world. It can be as simple as an invite to a show, an offer to take a class, or even an opportunity to purchase a piece of work. The secret is you have to ask the visitor to take action, and you've got to be really clear! In the Marketing world, we call that your Call To Action. Your CTA is effective when a site guest can clearly understand what they are being asked to do and quickly and easily do it. Become Connected Lastly, you want to make it easy for your site visitors to stay connected with you. That's why I tell the artist in my Created to Thrive Artists Mentoring Program to make sure that there is an opt-in page on their websites. An opt-in page is where somebody can make a purchase, register for a class, or even give you their email address. Again, your website is not of any real use if it is just a brochure out there. You want to make sure that it's a vehicle to connect, persuade, invite, and enable your clients to communicate with you, do business with you, and refer you to others. I hope this helps as you take that step of creating or refining your website. If this article has helped, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading. Choosing someone to walk with you on your own artistic journey is probably one of the most important choices you'll make as an artist.
Why? Because who you choose determines what seeds you're going to plant in your life and ultimately, what fruit is going to be produced. As you consider choosing an art mentor to help you on your journey as an artist, let me offer a few questions you need to ask:
Do you ever wonder how to keep the inspiration going when you feel just a little creatively dry? A lot of people struggle with that, and I am going to dive into this subject and give you some real help on how to keep the inspiration flowing.
You know, we have all been in this situation, right? You get into the studio, and creatively you just hit a wall. Inside you are like, "I've got nothing! No inspiration! Nothing is flowing here! What's going on?" As artists, isn't being creative what we are supposed to do anywhere and at any time? Yet somehow, we all have found ourselves in this place, but the good news is none of us have to stay there. Fill Your Well As artists, we all create from the inspiration that we're continually collecting, cultivating, and curating in what I like to call our Creative Well. Think of your "Well" as an internal reservoir that frequently needs to be filled so that it is always ready to release a fresh flow of inspiration when you need it. A common mistake is to assume that your Creative Well is just going to fill itself. In reality, you have got to be as intentional about cultivating inspiration as you do about creating the expression of that inspiration. Find that thing that fills you up inspirationally and focus on it. Make it a daily priority in your life. Be intentional about this so that you can release that fresh flow of creativity when you do get in the studio. Focus On The Journey The second thing I would say is that you have got to prioritize your own personal creative journey. True artistic growth requires so much more than merely mastering the tools and techniques of your chosen genre. Maturing as a creative involves integrating everything you learn along your journey into your unique creative expression, voice, and style. It's the nuance of how God speaks to you, how you fill your Creative Well, and how you interpret those things through your life and art that grow you as an artist. The secret to keeping your creativity fresh is continually looking for and focusing upon those divine teaching opportunities God puts in your path. Intentionally making this a priority in your journey will keep your art and your creative outlook fresh. Don't Forget The Fun The last thing I would say is this: You have got to get back to the joy of just creating! I still love nothing better than to be out in my garden, pruning back plants, picking up dead leaves, and using those scraps to sit down and just start weaving. I'm not focused on any tools or techniques as I'm sitting there on my porch. I'm just having fun with the materials. The funny thing is that after the countless pieces I've created and sold, this simple act of weaving yard clippings is still a huge rush to me. It's creative joy unleashed and unrestrained. It's a simple process that keeps me grounded creatively. If you're not regularly experiencing this, then ask the Lord to take you back to that place where creativity was something you embraced with child-like joy. Let those times of prayerful and playful artistic meditation revive your sense of awe and wonder in the creative process. 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, share it on social media, and comment below! Thanks for reading. |
Categories
All
AuthorMatt Tommey is an artist, author and mentor who is passionate about empowering artists to thrive spiritually, artistically and in business. |
RSS Feed
|
|
Copyright 2021 Matt Tommey | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
|