This week I listened to author Jeff Goin’s podcast, Hello Creator. In episode eight, the question of art and practicality was the topic, and Jeff asked, “Should art be practical?” We all assign to good art meaning, even if the artist never intended it to mean anything.
I am writing a new book about the creative process Many of my readers may not know that I have been writing a book about the creative process. It’s an idea I have chewed on and studied for several years. What is my progress? As of today, I have written a manuscript of about 60,000 words and am in the third draft of edits. My new book has a working title, too: MIND BLOWN: Bridging science and magic to unlock your creative genius. How does creativity actually work? I am curious. How does creativity work? How can we get better at it? A lot of books give us habits and systems to follow. I hope to explain well what I have found under the hood–the engine behind creativity! It is about bridges, connecting between opposing things. I have distilled it into three steps: The Dream, The Sandbox, and The Story. The …
The most helpful creatives among us know this truth by painful experience: Our selfishness never helps us. It, in fact, has the opposite effect. When individual rights seem suspended, the idea of the “greater good” takes a back seat. For my Christian friends and family, the ethic of taking care of your neighbor divides our churches and our homes. Wearing a mask has become a violation of rights to some rather than a symbol or method of safety. Closing businesses upends livelihoods and shatters dreams. Disrupted worship services keep us away from the fuel of our faith and fellowship of our friends. We don’t walk this life alone, and this pandemic keeps us alone. Selfishness is a powerful tempter. And, at the moment, we are vulnerable to its seduction. My feelings are important, but how about the health of my loved ones? In LA County, our health officer’s life has …
Our worship teams need to be shepherded, especially during this season. Beyond content creation, we need connection. There are a lot of innovative and practical pointers for putting online services together. What I hope to do here is address how we care for each other, equip our teams, and build community during a pandemic. How do we stay connected and even grow?
Leading worship requires a heavy dose of administrative strengths. There are team members to schedule, music to arrange and distribute, plans to execute, and budgets to keep. Just because you sing and hold a guitar doesn’t mean you automatically get to create! Yes, you serve by making music and prayers work in service for your church. Yes, the desire for unique artistic expression worthy of a worship service rate high on the task list. But, imagination takes a back seat.