All posts tagged creativity

Pursuing Christ, Creating Art by Gary Molander

by Tim Schraeder on 11/30/2011 in Books with 28 Comments

If there’s one book out of the nearly 30 I’ve read this year that I would confidently say is a must-read, it’s got to be Pursuing Christ, Creating Art: Exploring Life at the Intersection of Faith and Creativity by Gary Molander.

 

PURSUING CHRIST.CREATING ART. from Floodgate Creative on Vimeo.

If you in any way remotely consider yourself an artist [and the truth is, all of us are artists in some form or fashion], you owe it to yourself to pick this book up because there are some great insights and hard truths you need to hear about yourself and your art.

I don’t think that the world needs any more “Christian” artists, I think the world needs artists who are Christians. People who, regardless of their muse, give their lives to create things that give a hopeful glimpse of what’s possible and point to what’s unseen in the world around us and inside of us.

From the very early pages of the book, Gary is candid about his life and experiences as a creative arts pastor. Speaking from the wisdom of his years of experience, he’s assembled a collection of short essays on topics including: purpose, identity, pursuit, authority, blocks, creativity, church, and leadership.

One of the first bold statements that Gary makes in the book that really sets the tone for the remainder of what he shares is this:

“We don’t create art for God. He doesn’t need it. We create art in response to God. Because the world needs it.”

That’s a new way of thinking about it, huh?

The entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking to myself, “Man, I wish I would have had this book 5 years ago.”

Gary speaks a language that anyone who has been engaged in the artistic process in the life of a church can understand and relate to. He empathizes with our struggles and lovingly rebukes us of some of the ways we put ourselves at the center of what we do instead of focusing on what God wants to do through us and our art.

As a young leader, it’s very easy to slip into the trap of listening to the same voices, especially the voices of our peers, and we do ourselves a great disservice by not hearing the voice of wisdom that comes from those who have gone before us. Gary serves as a pastoral voice to church creatives and young leaders, offering sound advice and wisdom gleaned through experience. He speaks humbly, candidly and honestly about the challenges and great opportunities we have to steward with our creativity.

Whether you are using your artistic gifts inside the church or in the public square, as believers we all share the common calling of creating art that points people to our creator. In this book, Gary explores the space between our faith and creativity and challenges us to live authentically and honestly as we pursue our creative endeavors.

I related to so many of the things Gary shared in this book and even winced a few times as he said some hard truths about the dark side of being a creative. I saw myself and my journey all over the pages of this book, and as I said earlier, would have probably saved myself a lot of heartache and learning lessons the hard way if I would have had read it years ago.

Whether you are long into your journey or  just beginning, this book is a must-read for any  creative. I am grateful that Gary created this bit of art and poured himself into this project for the rest of us. It’s truly a gift and a book I know I will come back to many times in the years to come.

And, having had the chance to connect with Gary offline, I can tell you that he’s the real deal and is someone that I’m grateful to have speaking into my life as I continue to pursue Christ and create art.

The world desperately needs what God has put inside of you. However it will be expressed, with words or images, pixels or in brushstrokes, we owe it to God and to those who we serve to be the best artisans and creatives and to humbly give our art as a gift that points people back to our Creator.

This book will help give you perspective about your calling as an artist and creative, and will encourage and challenge you to do work that will show the world the beauty of Christ.

I love this book so much I’m going to give 5 copies away. Drop your answer to this question in the comment section below and I’ll randomly pick 5 of you to get a free copy of the book!

What is the biggest challenge you face in your creative process?

A Plea for Originality

by Tim Schraeder on 10/31/2011 in Church Communications with 6 Comments

Last week I spent some time in San Diego with my sister and we made a stop by Fashion Valley Mall. While perusing the high-end stores I saw one of the most sacrilegious sights I’ve seen in awhile: the Microsoft Store. Now, in full disclosure I will admit I’m an Apple fanboy, but this has less to do with Mac vs PC and much more to do with the idea of originality.

Apple Stores are known for their sleek and simple design, which mirror the incredible products that Apple creates. Their stores have a very distinct look and are easily identifiable.

I wasn’t the only one who snapped a picture of the Micrsoft Store and muttered words of displeasure over this blatant forgery. It’s hard to deny or hide, especially since the Apple Store was just a few storefronts down.

Some of the words that came to my mind looking at the blatant rip-off were: unoriginal, inauthentic, uninspired, and just plain lazy.

Case-in-point:

As I walked down to the Apple Store a sickening feeling came over me: I realized what I witnessed at the Microsoft Store is what so many churches are doing. They take a great idea or concept and adapt their own cheapened version of it and claim it as their own.

Whether it’s taking cues from pop culture or “borrowing” an idea from another church, many churches are plagued with unoriginality. The end result is that to many people in the communities they are trying to reach, like the Microsoft Store, they can come across as unoriginal, inauthentic, uninspired, and lazy.

Unoriginality is a common problem in most churches. Some excuse it, others embrace it, and I believe the best ones fight it.

Granted, there are “no original ideas,” but still… I am convinced that the church should be one of the most creative places on earth. We serve God who is a master designer and creator, so I firmly believe that inspired design and creativity shouldn’t be rare but rather be a consistent value expressed in all that we do. It’s a reflection of our Creator and the God we serve.

As Gary Molander reminds us, “You don’t need to create art for God. He doesn’t need it. You need to create art in response to God. The world needs it.”

The world, and your community, need the art that’s inside of you. And only what is truly and genuinely “you” and your church is what will speak to people.

The world needs originality and authenticity.

Your church is unique. We all carry the same mission: the Great Commission, however how we pursue that mission and articulate the vision God has given to each of our churches is unique to the place and people God is calling us to reach. You don’t necessarily need designers or a huge budget, but what you do need is an authentic and original expression of the things that make your church unique.

Don’t cheapen the image of Christ or the reflection of Him in your community by lazily copying or stealing other people’s ideas or work. Do the hard labor. Do the work. People recognize inspired design and value authenticity. Be moved by God, then let the things you create under His inspiration help move other people nearer to Him.

Just as the Apple Store reflects the simple beauty of the products they create, I believe your churches, in what you create, design, print, publish and produce, can reflect the beauty of the work God is doing in your church community.

Don’t mimic what the world creates or borrow ideas from other churches. Be a voice not an echo. Seek the Creator God and discern how you can use what you’ve got to tell the story God is writing in the life of your church.

What you are doing matters and it must be authentic and genuine. Start with what you have and ask for God to bless it. You don’t need mega-budgets, fancy tools, or a huge staff. God has given you everything you need to tell your story and to create spaces that draw people to Him. Make the most of what you’ve already got. Embrace constraints.

God has bigger dreams for your church than for you to be borrowing or stealing someone else’s. Stop copying, start creating. Be inspired but don’t imitate. Try new things. You have permission. Seek the Creator. Be observant to the world around you. Create things to speak to the core of people where you are and genuinely and authentically express God’s love, and ultimately, the Gospel with all you do.

Be original. There’s no one else you like you. No other church like yours. Your community and the body of Christ at large need you to flourish and be all that God created you to be and to become.

What makes you unique? What are the unique things your church does that no other church in community does? What’s the unique vision God has given to you? What is God calling you to do? Creatively and authentically express your answers to those questions in an original, inspired way.

You Have Permission

by Tim Schraeder on 08/30/2011 in Inspiration with 5 Comments
permission

You have permission.

You have permission to try new things.

You have permission to explore new ideas.

You have permission to stretch your thinking.

You have permission to make mistakes.

You have permission to fail.

You have permission to do what others said wasn’t possible, or to at least to try and prove them wrong.

You have permission to push the boundaries.

You have permission to think outside of the box. Heck, blow up the box.

You have permission to color outside of the lines.

You have permission to not settle for second best.

Why?

Because God has gifted you.

Because God has qualified you.

Because God has already given you everything you already need.

Because God has called you.

Because God has chosen you.

Because if you don’t no one else will.

Because the world desperately needs what God has put inside of you.

Because the world won’t be the same without the unique contributions you have to offer.

Because if you don’t try and fail you’ll never learn.

Because if you don’t learn you won’t grow.

Because you don’t need to wait for permission to live out what God has called you to do.

You have permission to start that project.

You have permission to write that blog post.

You have permission to create that video.

You have permission to paint on that canvas.

You have permission to create something awe-inspiring.

You have permission to be honest and let people see your scars because they will point to your Healer.

You have permission to help the world catch a glimpse of God’s wonder.

You have permission to take your brokenness and let God make something beautiful from it.

You have permission to do the impossible because with God all things are possible.

If it’s something worth doing why haven’t you started yet?

You have permission.

Creative Collective Chicago Meet Up

by Tim Schraeder on 06/20/2011 in Just For Fun with 22 Comments

About 2 months ago I shared about the Creative Matters book project that I was priviledged to be a part of. If you missed it, it’s a book that serves as a field guide for the role of creativity in the Church. You can learn more here and download a copy for your Kindle, nook, or iBooks.

To go along with the book, there are Creative Collective Meet Ups happening around the country where you can gather and network with area creatives, get some inspiration… and be back to work by 11 [if you so choose].

The Chicago Creative Collective Meet Up is happening on Wednesday, June 29, from 9-10:30 AM at Soul City Church in Chicago. Tom Ryan, CEO of the incredible Chicago-based T-shirt company threadless will be there to share some ideas as well as Willow Creek’s brilliant creative director [and soon-to-be-author] Blaine Hogan.

If you don’t know about threadless, it’s a community-based design company with an ongoing open-call for design submissions from visual artists. The Threadless community of over 1 million members vote to determine which designs become Threadless t-shirts and other products. A poster child of the “crowdsourcing” trend, Threadless was named by Inc. Magazine as “the most innovative small company in America.”

I think there will be a lot we can learn from him and I’m excited to be there. And, you can come too! Tickets are still available for $29 online, or be one of the first six people to comment below and you can get in with me for free.

Creativity does matter in the life of the Church and if you’re local, I hope you’ll take advantage of this great opportunity to gather, learn, connect, and be inspired.

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