Mark Sorensen So last week I got an opportunity to go to the Story Conference in Nashville, TN. It was a great trip for many reasons. Great culture, crazy good food, great coffee.
The conference was built around the “power of story.” In truth, we all have a story to tell with our lives, right? Think about it. Today you told some kind of story in regards to who you are and what you believe to the people you encountered. Maybe it was a story of optimism and hope. Perhaps a story of brokenness. Maybe one of despair? Hey. Whatever story you communicated, settle into it and know it’s OK. Read the journal of King David (the book of Psalms) and you’ll find that you’re not alone in your story. Truly, I am still processing through this topic myself.
Specifically, there was this one speaker: Austin Kleon. He wrote this book, Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Along with the book was a journal intended to inspire creativity. “Sure, why not?”, I thought to myself. So the journal comes in, and this morning I settle into it with a cup of coffee and open the first few pages. Within this little journal are pages and pages of questions, blank spaces to draw and be creative, and suggestions to stir the heart and mind. Ok. I’m in. Then, this first exercise hits me:
10 Things I Want to Learn:
There it was. Two blank pages with a LOT of white space and the numbers 1 – 10. “Ok. I can do this. Let’s go. #1: Speak a second language. Fluently.” I was surprised how quickly that one came out. Yeah! I’d love to do this. “#2: Build something.” Seriously. Maybe it’s a coffee table? Anything. I built a bird house once. Sadly, it collapsed and broke. Don’t ask me about the birds that lived within that Mark-built creation. “#3: Play piano.” Sure, I play guitar, but piano was an instrument I wanted to learn as well.
And then? I stopped. Seriously. I put the pen down and sat back. “Why am I not doing these things? What exactly is keeping me from doing even these top three things on my list? Why exactly can’t I learn a second language, take a piano lesson, or get some wood, buy some tools, open up a Youtube video and get to work on building that coffee table? Then I realized the answer: I have no one to blame but myself.
Amazing how locked into our worlds we can be, right? Routine can be a dangerous little monster, as can monotony. Recording artist Amy Grant, who spoke at the conference as well, said something that really registered with me. She said, “What if the Divine is lobbing inspiration at His creation every single day and we’re so locked into our routine, our schedules, that inspiration and creativity are just passing us by? The scary thing about creativity is risk; but here’s the good news: the love of God takes that away.” Beautiful, right?
This verse —> “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27) Don’t doubt for a moment that we were made in the image of a creative God!
SO, for what it’s worth, I’m working on my top ten list. Hold me accountable, would you? Feel free to ask me how my Chinese, my piano, and that custom built coffee table are coming along. What about you? What if you were to make your own top ten list of things you want to learn? Go on. Start your list. Then? Jump in.
