What actually helped me create for 100 days
A new podcast episode and reflection on why Daily Desert was different
Episode 4 is all about performance mindset and why it sucks the creativity out of you (I’m not a fan! 😠)
This week on Abiding Creatives, I’m talking about how our performance-driven world is getting in the way of joyfully living out your God-given creative calling. I spent too many years hustling in my creativity and making talents and achievements my identity, and I’m tired of seeing fellow creatives do the same.
Jesus has a better way for us to create, and it starts when we choose to let go of our performance and receive his love. I hope you enjoy this conversation and I’d love to hear your thoughts about how performance mindset has impacted your creativity.
Creating this episode got me reflecting.
It’s been a little over 5 months since I started Daily Desert Art Reflections, a project that forever changed the way I approach creativity. Lately, I’ve been reflecting—like I do—about what made this experience so different. How was I able to consistently make art and write for 100 days without burning out? How did this consistency lead to me gaining hundreds of subscribers while barely promoting my posts?
It’s seriously unlike anything I’ve ever done.
So as I’ve pondered my experience with Daily Desert, I’ve sensed the Lord pointing out a few reasons this project brought so much unexpected fruit. And I want to share these revelations in hopes they encourage you in your creative practice, too.
#1- I started with a desire for daily creative communion
Daily Desert began from a deep hunger to make space to encounter Jesus daily through my creativity. When I started, I was in a really difficult season of grief and loss. I needed to turn to the Lord for hope and encouragement. Most days I’d come to my desk to sketch and write without much left in the tank. I came open and expectant, and honestly desperate, for the Holy Spirit to speak through the art I was making and the scripture I meditated on each day.
From that posture of dependence, I was amazed at the love, revelation and creativity God continued to pour out. It wasn’t long before I craved these moments, and I believe I was able to stay consistent with Daily Desert because it was more than just completing a 100 day challenge. Each day was a fresh encounter with my abundantly creative God.
Try it for yourself: What would it look like to approach your creative practice as an invitation to creative communion with Jesus?
#2- I made it about presence, not performance
I knew from the start that in order to stay consistent with Daily Desert, I had to ditch the performance mindset. If I obsessed over editing every post, or tried to write the most profound thoughts, I’d quickly lose steam. Focusing on this space of creative communion helped shift my focus from performance to presence. I was enjoying being with Jesus and felt so much more secure in his presence that my perfectionism flew out the window.
Now let me tell you, these posts were definitely the most unpolished and unedited pieces of writing I’ve ever shared with the world. Are they all masterpieces? No! But I think there’s something uniquely powerful in letting go of perfection and writing from the heart that connects deeply with others. It’s an invitation to unravel from striving and trust the Spirit to fill in the gaps.
Think about: How might your creative practice look different if you kept the focus on the process instead of the final product?
#3- I aligned with God’s heart for my creativity
Daily Desert was something God stirred in me to create months before I ever joined Substack. Over the past few years, I’ve been on a journey of understanding why he made me creative and what he wants me to do with my gifts. It’s taken me through some seasons of deep healing and reshaping how I approach my creativity, particularly shifting from creative striving to abiding.
You see, I’ve tried to create consistently many times in the past, but each time I’d fail and beat myself up about it. Looking back, though, I can see how many of those projects were driven by my own ambition and other disordered desires. But since I’ve allowed God to prune my creative vision, I’m able to hear his voice clearer and feel so much more aligned to his heart and purposes. I believe Daily Desert felt different and produced so much more fruit because I was approaching it from a place of abiding and confidence in my creative purpose.
Think about: What does it feel like when you’re creating from striving versus abiding? How might Jesus be inviting you to learn to abide deeper in him in this creative season?
Upcoming workshop: Growing Your Substack Through Creative Abiding
There’s so much more I want to share with you about creative abiding, so I’m planning a virtual workshop later this month (date + time TBD) where we can unpack how abiding can help you grow on Substack.
If this sounds interesting to you, please help me plan it by answering a few questions below:
Thanks so much for your feedback, and I can’t wait to host this workshop with you!
And if you want to be the first to listen to new episodes of Abiding Creatives podcast, make sure to subscribe!