My Art-Making Manifesto

1. We’re all made creative.

   I believe every person is an image-bearing soul. Since God is the ultimate Creator, that means we’re made to reflect His creativity. So I believe creativity isn’t for a select few… it’s for everyone!

2. Art is an opportunity to glorify God.

   I recently learned about Bach signing his compositions with the letters “S.D.G.,” which means soli Deo gloria - for God’s glory alone.
   
   I believe the best art is made from a heart of worship, like Bach’s. I pray my art draws me closer to God, and that it points others to Him too. And the only way to achieve that is by starting with a worshipful heart.

3. Prayer is essential for my art practice.

   Overcoming creative resistance is hard! Like Andrew Peterson says, “If you’re called to speak light into the darkness, rest assured the darkness wants to shut you up.”
   
   I feel it so much whenever I pick up a pencil or paint brush or just think about making anything… that little “who do you think you are?” voice in my head. I need God’s help every step of the way, which brings me to something else Bach wrote on his compositions - “J.J.” It stands for Jesu Juva, Latin for “Jesus, help.”
   
   Talk about the absolute best way to get started on anything.
   
   Jesus, please help me to always call on you for help! Amen.

4. Every piece of art is an Ebenezer Stone.

   Every drawing, painting, and vessel is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in helping me put to death my self-worship and negative self-talk.
   
   If self-worship and negative self-talk don’t seem like they go together… I have to humbly disagree. In fact, that topic probably deserves its own blog post. Maybe another day. :)

5. God delights in my art.

   …no matter how bad it is!
   
   Like a loving earthly parent, I think God delights in my delight. He watches me soaking in His creation and toiling away to make something that reflects the beauty He’s created… and I believe He is absolutely delighted, regardless of how horrible my final product may be.
   
   I’m forever grateful to serve a Heavenly Father who delights in, and strengthens my hands for, all of my feeble efforts to glorify Him.

6. I’m a flourish on God’s grand canvas, and so are you!

   This is another idea from Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark. It reminds me that:

   1. I don’t have to take myself so seriously, because I’m merely a flourish on His canvas.
   
   And
   
   2. If I’m able to make anything at all beautiful, it’s only because I, myself, am a flourish on His grand canvas… S.D.G.

7. Theology fuels creativity.

   God is THE Creator. The more I know Him, the more I thrive in the creativity He’s given me.

8. KNOW GOD | MAKE ART

   It’s my personal experience that the more I know God and study His Word, the more I have the irresistible urge to make stuff. And the more I make stuff, the more I meditate on my Heavenly Father, THE Creator. What a wonderful cycle to live in.