I would have called myself and un-creative for years. I didn’t excel in art class, and I was a far cry from an art major in college. I hated writing, my pictures were sub-par and my drawings always looked cartoonish. How can someone be creative if they don’t have a medium?
Creative visions in my head never translated to something I was proud of. I would come home from fishing at the river with driftwood, but I was never skilled enough to make it into something I was proud of. I was inspired by a sunset but I had no idea how to trap the beauty with a lens. I envied how artists could channel their creativity into one piece and hang it on the wall. I have dabbled in every creative medium ultimately landing on the shores of disappointment.
But I had ideas, dreams, ambition and I knew how to start things. I’ve always loved teams. I’ve always loved shaping environments. I’ve always hosted parties. I’ve always started new groups and infused purpose into groups that floundered. I’ve always loved designing spaces to feel more inviting.
My mom reminded me at a young age that I had always loved trying to make my room look homey and inviting. Hardly a real talent, hardly creativity. Her words always stuck to my soul. Today our home has become the center of our family canvas. Friends and neighbors gather to take refuge from brutal routines. Our walls are covered with reclaimed wood, and I poured concrete countertops with a friend of mine, but I’m no HGTV star.
My true medium is people. Much of my inspiration for my “people art” comes from my images of Jesus hanging out with notorious sinners at parties. Perhaps I am always trying to re-create the scene from Matthew’s house. Man, I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall to watch Jesus at a party. It took years to see this in myself. I used to think everyone liked having their friends and neighbors over, cooking for them and sharing a hot beverage on a cold morning.
As we began to make neighboring more of a focus in our family we bought the home we had already been renting. Suddenly I could make all the changes I wanted to make to the space. People would enter our home commenting about the environment, and they generally felt welcome, loved and well-fed (the trifecta of hosting). It was as if they were curling up next to the fire of community to enjoy the warmth and the glow. As people started to echo this back to us I began to see the power in it.
Friends had to affirm that what we were doing mattered. We can’t see the power of our genius alone, we need others. Genius doesn’t come from us and it’s not for us. God has created us to create, but He wants us to aim our creativity toward joining God’s mission and blessing the world.
Three questions to ask as you create…
What’s your medium?
How is that medium a platform to bless others?
If you’re looking for your medium…What do you naturally do that others have commented about?
You can read more about creativity in my book Everyone’s a Genius.