5 Tips for Creating Your Best Work
A Devotional on Psalm 90 (Part 6)
“Let your sweetness rest on us
and when we create,
be the firm foundation
of everything our hands make.”
- Psalm 90:17 (translated by Carey Wallace in Psalms of Wonder: Poems from the Book of Psalms)
There can be other foundations to our creativity besides God: ego, fear, a drive to completion, a need to be impressive, for examples. I remember doing a coloring project in elementary school and my teacher held up my paper and said “this is an example of how not to color” (I was not coloring within the lines). Now, any time I try to create — whether it be a written article, a work presentation, or picking out pillows for my couch — it’s hard not to hear some version of my teacher’s voice in my head before I even get started in the creative process. What if what I create is really bad? What if nobody reads what I write? What if I say something unoriginal or inaccurate or not within the appropriate lines of expectation?
I’m learning how to let Jesus be the foundation of my creative processes. I’ve found Jesus is much kinder than that elementary school teacher. He does not shame me into perfection but unlocks my best creativity through playful collaboration. My product and my process are more excellent and more fun when I create with Jesus.
Here are some tips I’ve discovered to letting Jesus rather than ego lead the creative process:
Invite Jesus into your creative process. It sounds simple enough, but sometimes I need to take one minute before starting to work to ask Jesus to help me be creative. It reminds me that he is with me, that there is freedom to be messy, and that I am not alone in my creating.
Remember you are made in the image of God, the Creator. You may not feel like you’re a creative person. Your job may not feel like it lends itself to creativity. But you are made in God’s image and God creates. You were made to create. In whatever you’re working on right now, whether it’s breastfeeding a baby, plunging a toilet, writing a book, counseling a friend, or making spreadsheets on the computer — God wants to help you be your creative self in that space.
Play before you critique. Critique can make your art better, but it also can hinder you from creating at all. You need to play and get messy to let ideas flow. And you need time to edit and refine. But don’t start with the editing. Start with the play. Don’t let anyone tell you to color within the lines until you’re ready for that stage of the creative process. God is a playful God. Let him teach you how to play.
Ask God how big. Not everything you do has to be your best work. A short personal blog does not have to be as well crafted as a book chapter. A presentation for your weekly team meeting does not have to be as excellent as speaking in front of your whole organization (or perhaps the team meeting matters more). You can ask God how excellent something needs to be. Often I hear God saying to me, “It’s not that big. Let it go. Time to be done.”
Take a break to collaborate. Jesus loves to create in the context of community. Take some breaks. Ask Jesus what he thinks of your work so far. What does he love about it? What does he love about you? Then ask him if there’s someone else you can collaborate with too. Someone who might encourage you? Someone who will be honest with you? You don’t have to keep swimming in your own fears and critiques. You can ask for help.
As we learn to create with Jesus, there is a sweetness that comes over us. But it’s not the sweetness of knowing we have achieved a certain level of excellence. It’s the sweetness of knowing that we are loved by God who created us and knows us and who teaches us how to playfully create with him…which often produces our best work.
Questions for Reflection:
In the things you’re working on right now (vocationally, recreationally, relationally), where is there room for more creativity? How does thinking about what you’re doing from a creative standpoint help you to engage with it more playfully?
What or who leads your creative process the most often? (Ego, fear, fatigue, people-pleasing?)
What is one way you want to invite Jesus into what you’re working on?