“Thou Mayest”
April 1, 2026
You know, I don’t think enough people talk about the time spent in between one stop and the next on this creative journey called: life. We hear about the accomplishments, the milestones, the dreams achieved, but how does one get there?
I think this is especially difficult for creative people. We make something from nothing, but speaking from personal experience, it’s super easy to get overwhelmed by that “nothing” before us. Whether it’s that blank page that taunts with each courser blink, or that score sheet with no notes, or that flowerbed that is so full of weeds it feels a bit hopeless. That “nothing” can be polarizing, numbing and even a bit hopeless. If you’ve had creative experiences in the past that haven’t turned out how you’d hoped, then it can be difficult to want to roll up your sleeves and start again. I have been there. To be honest, I’m still reeling from a ten-year book writing/publishing journey, but I sense the season change coming. There is a freshness in the air and I’m leaning into it, not away. Here are some things that are helping me want to create again:
1. Find your passion
Do what you want to do, not what you should or what makes most sense. Creativity should be fun and exhilarating. A massive “I get too,” not an, “I have too.” Our passions and interests should be the gauge for this. I know this isn’t revelatory, but it’s a point worth making, nonetheless. I was reminded of this when talking to an incredible mentor and creative mastermind, Allen Arnold. I was fortunate enough to have a phone call with him in which I unburdened my soul. He asked me what I’m interested in right now and I told him. He smiled and said, “you leaned in, your eyes lit up and I could tell this is something that you’re really passionate about, that’s a great start!” Is it really that easy? I thought. Yes, I think it might be.
2. Redefine Success
Define what success looks like. You really must be honest here. I tend to be a numbers person (although I hate math), who wants things in measurable quantities, but you can’t approach creativity like that. You may carve out writing time to only sit in existential dread while staring out the window. But even that time can be used for “sorting through the trash,” to get to the gold hidden beneath in our subconscious. I’ve landed on the barometer of enjoyment in the process, not just the success of the project. Creativity is messy, joyous and maddening all at once. It’s the process of creating that matters, not just the result. If that’s the goal, then success is in your hands.
3. Set accurate expectations
This is SO hard for me. I always think that if I just get the next step right then I’ll have mind-blowing success, but being realistic is super important. If I write another book, I don’t want to hinge it’s worth on being able to land a big agent or book deal. I want it to be because I wrote a book I’m passionate about, a book that I think the world needs and a book that wouldn’t have been written if I hadn’t written it. I’ve realized how much of my expectations are dependent upon other people’s reception or response to my work, which is incredibly sandy soil to be planting my worth in.
4. Create with, not only for God
Thanks to Allen’s books and daily emails, this is a pivotal shift in my direction and thinking. Honestly, creating with God requires more trust than just doing it for Him. It means I must be responsive and willing to change direction. It means that I’m a bit more like the wind and bit less like hardened concrete. It means that I must depend on manna arriving from heaven and not only relying on my own carefully, collected albeit stale, bread. It’s both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
5. Believe your creativity matters
This is tough for me. Why not just consume and not create? Why not just chill and leave the creating to those who seem to have an easier time with it? Why not just take up another hobby? As Allen writes in his newest book “Creativity Glitch” (highly recommend btw), “the Creator of everything infused us with his creativity.” If God believed it was an essential part of our makeup, why don’t we? It’s who we are. It’s how we worship. It’s an essential part of our calling. Believing it matters is the first step in believing your work matters.
While I haven’t fully conceptualized what’s next for me, I am confident that the groundwork is being laid, one perfectly placed brick at a time. I haven’t arrived here overnight (it’s been a few years honestly of floundering), but I’m finally sensing a page change in my creativity. This has largely come from assessing what I’m passionate about, what success looks like to me, setting accurate expectations, shifting from creating for God to creating with Him and believing that my creativity truly matters. I pray this blows fresh encouragement and inspiration your direction as you continue to show up to that glorious, promise filled, “nothing,” that is inherent to creating. I pray this breathes fresh inspiration into your creativity as you do!
I'd love to know, what will you create next?
