Now imagine I was threatening the life of a loved one. Does that $50,000 seem so unattainable now? I promise you could find ways to get that money. You’d use massive creativity and make it happen. You might not even have to break any laws.

The human brain is much more creative than we give it credit for. The problem isn’t the capacity for creativity. The problem is the motivation and desire.

How badly do you want to create something that matters? What’s motivating you to do it? If you don’t feel like your life depends on it, you’re missing out on some of your potential.

What if you created like your life depended on it? Imagine your potential if you take your art that seriously. There’s no limit to the extraordinary things you could accomplish. Your art could have a lasting impact on this and future generations.

Add a bit urgency to your creativity. See what happens.

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Wonder and curiosity happen in ambiguity. Wonder and curiosity are foundational to creativity.

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. F. Scott Fitzgerald

That sounds almost schizophrenic. Doesn’t it? Two opposing ideas being true at the same time? Ambiguity.

Intelligence (and creativity) are really about the ability to deal with ambiguity. It’s the ability to acknowledge you don’t know everything. And it’s the desire to keep searching. It’s the willingness to accept that two seemingly opposite ideas are true.

The Bible’s filled with these seemingly schizophrenic ideas: one God in three persons, being dead with Christ yet living…

I’ve been consumed lately with this idea that creativity happens between two extremes.

Light, for instance, is a seeming contradiction. It functions like a wave. But it functions like particles. Light functions in two different ways…but in one way. Learn more.

The point. Give yourself some room for ambiguity. I’m not saying to embrace sin or go universalist. But don’t be so quick to judge. Don’t be so quick to discount an idea because it doesn’t fit your model of how the world works. Embrace others and others’ ideas. Embrace a bit of schizophrenia in your art.

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Did you know most people don’t get past page 18 in the books they buy? They lose interest. And many of these books are amazing books – best sellers. That’s why people buy them. But those first 18 pages lost the reader’s attention.

It doesn’t matter if the story was incredible – life changing. The reader will never experience it because the writer lost the reader’s attention.

We have such limited time that people give us. Will you piqué their interest in that time? Or will you lose them?

I often skip over what I later to find to be my favorite song, simply because it took too long to get started. I often tune out in a lecture that others find life changing because the speaker didn’t bother to grab my attention. I often eject the Blu-ray in the first 15 minutes because the moviemaker lost me.

Even though those may all be artistic masterpieces, they won’t be appreciated. Those first 18 pages are critical.

What is the “first 18 pages” in your art? Identify it. Are you grabbing your audience’s attention during that critical time? Or are you losing them?

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1. Criticism
2. Stagnation
3. Exploration

Criticism
Most “artists” choose this path. Instead of creating, they turn into the critics. They know enough art to consider themselves experts. So instead of creating they analyze and dissect other people’s art.

Even though a critic is surrounded by art, he is not an artist. Criticizing art is easy. Creating art is hard. That’s why so many choose this path. It’s easy.

Stagnation
This is the second largest group of artists. These are the artists that feel accomplished enough to stop reaching. They don’t necessarily criticize other people’s work, but they don’t strive to make their’s better.

Many professional artist are stagnant artists. They make enough money and receive enough praise that they don’t need to stretch themselves anymore.

Stagnant artists are married to rules and formulas. They’ve brought the artist success in the past, so he relies on them to fuel the rest of his work.

This is a far better option than criticism, but no true artist wants to live here.

Exploration
This is the humble artist. He enjoys every attempt at art. Instead of criticizing a bad piece of art, he learns from it. He picks up new techniques and ideas almost daily.

His world is filled with reaching and risk. It’s what fuels him. He fails a bunch, but he doesn’t wallow in his failure. He keeps exploring.

This is where every artist needs to live.

You
Have you stopped exploring? Have you stagnated? Or worse, have you become a critic? Get back on the road to true art. Begin exploring again.

Two artist’s roads are easy. One is difficult – overgrown with uncertainty and adventure. Take the road less traveled.

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2. Anyone can have a great idea. Listen carefully to every idea. How many great corporate ideas came from janitors or lower level employees. Don’t discount an idea because of its source.

3. Not everyone has what it takes to make a great idea happen. Just because someone comes up with a great idea doesn’t mean they are the right one to implement it. Sometimes great ideas come from those without the resources or skills to make them happen.

4. Great ideas are often slight changes away from being bad ideas. Good ideas can quickly become bad ideas when you get away from the heart of the idea.

5. The more pride you have the more resistant you will be to good ideas that aren’t your own. If you find yourself resisting many ideas, you’re probably dealing with pride. Get that under control.

6. Great ideas aren’t always new ideas. Just because an idea has been “done to death” doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. There’s often a reason things get done to death…they’re great ideas.

7. Just because “everyone’s doing it” doesn’t make it a good idea. Sometimes there’s a reason everyone does something a certain way. But sometimes they just lack imagination or the energy to do something different.

8. A great idea in the wrong context is a bad idea. 

9. Great ideas often entail a large risk. Since good ideas are a few changes away from being a bad idea, they’re risky. What if they go bad?

10. Great ideas are worth the risk.

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Preschool children ask their parents (on average) 100 questions per day. “Why is the sky blue? Where do babies come from? Why was mommy kissing Santa Claus?” Their curiosity is insatiable.

But by middle school they’ve pretty much stopped asking. It’s not that middle school children understand everything or aren’t still curious. But they’ve been trained to stop asking questions. They’ve been trained with sayings like “curiosity killed the cat”.

But creativity is all about exploration. It’s all about discovery. It’s about curiosity. How many questions do you ask per day?

• “What would happen if I tried the exact opposite of what I’m about to do?”
• “Why does this problem even need to be solved?”
• “Why can’t the sky be a color other than blue?”

While some of those questions may seem silly, creativity is found in them. The pursuit of something outside the accepted and normal leads us to great ideas. Curiosity leads to creativity.

Don’t hold back your curiosity. It’s worth the risk.

I was faced with a decision. (1) I could scrap the idea and twiddle my thumbs until a new one came along. (2) I could wrestle with it, overpower it, and make it my slave.

I’m so glad I went with the second option. I printed it out and started marking that sucker up! I got rid of my emotional attachment and whiny attitude and made it better.

I got rid of my attempts to sound cool. I got rid of my fear that my idea sucked. I figured out what I wanted to say and I said it.

How many times do we mess up our great work by trying to seem cool? How often do we fear what people think? How often do we even know what we’re trying to accomplish with our art?

Put aside your ego.
Put aside your fear.
Figure out what you want.
Go for it!

Wrestle until you’ve subdued those things that make your art horrible. Put those things away so your good work can shine through.

By the way: Scott from Echo Hub liked the post. I won the wrestling match. Read it!

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Ladies and gentlemen, Flight 315 to Buffalo is now boarding.
We are now boarding Flight 315 to Buffalo.
Again, Flight 315 to Buffalo is now boarding.

Repetition. Three times. You know why they do this? The first time you hear the announcement you weren’t listening. The second time you hear the announcement you’re trying to figure out if that announcement was for you. The third time you can finally listen and get the information they’re trying to pass along. Over communication equaled you getting the message.

People are fairly bad listeners. Unfortunately, they are necessary for proper communication. You can say you’ve communicated, but if your audience hasn’t heard and understood, no communication happened. Yelling into an empty forest isn’t communication (unless maybe you’re in Narnia or Middle Earth).

Do you communicate enough at your church or in your art?

I’m not asking if you flood people with announcements or communications. That doesn’t accomplish the goal of communication.

But do you give people three or more chances to hear what you’re trying to tell them? That’s what’s necessary for communication–over communication. By the time you’re sick of repeating yourself, people are just now getting what you’re saying.

Have you noticed the necessity for over communication?

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So I’m about to launch an online magazine. I have about 800 subscribers so far. But the other day, I saw two people unsubscribed. They unsubscribed! I hadn’t even posted anything yet and people already didn’t like me?! It hurt.

I tried to shake it off. I can’t let two people wreck my joy. Eight hundred people “like me”…two people don’t. Doesn’t it seem like disapproval is exponentially louder than approval?

Remember. Not everyone will love you.

It’s just a fact. You won’t make everyone happy. The sooner you embrace this fact the sooner you can enjoy your art again. A lot of people will disapprove of you–especially when you start doing something significant. You can’t let that phase you.

Focus on the approval instead of the disapproval. If I had 800 successful stock purchases compared to 2 unsuccessful stock buys…I’d be a millionaire. If a president had 800 people liking him for ever 2 that didn’t…he’d be the most beloved president in history.

Mute those who disapprove of you. They only feed your insecurity. And your insecurity needs to die. Starve it. Focus on the approval. Focus on the good. Let that encourage you.

Haters gonna hate…but I won’t hear it.

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1. What “common sense” do you have that seems to escape other people? Much of your “common sense” knowledge isn’t actually common sense. If you’re consistently noticing things that others don’t see, that’s probably a result of your skills or aptitude in a certain area.

2. What do people ask your opinions about? Sometimes we think we are good at something when we aren’t. But our friends can usually spot our talents. Even if they don’t verbalized their findings, their pleas for help often indicate what they think you’re best at.

3. What are you willing to try that others aren’t? Often what sets above-average people apart from average people is the willingness to do something. It’s the willingness to take a risk and put yourself out there. You may have a buddy that’s smarter and faster than you. But if you’re the one who does something with what you have, you are the above average individual. Action is everything.

4. What are you really bad at? Examine the things you’re horrible at. Identify specific elements and eliminate everything that includes those things.

5. What were you passionate about as a kid? Often the things we love as children are results of natural aptitude. Kids are very sensitive to positive affirmation. If you felt good about doing something, you were probably praised for it. That means you were probably good at it. Your above-average skill will probably be something similar to what you were passionate about as a kid.

What are these questions telling you to pursue? You might not know immediately, but the pursuit is important. Seek out the pursuits that will let you escape “average”.

Even though you’ve escaped the realm of average, the people who surround you haven’t. They still occupy average and below average. And that’s ok. They should be good at what they’re good at.

Unfortunately, people have strong opinions. It seems they have the strongest opinions about things that they aren’t good at. And your friends, family and acquaintances will be quick to verbalized their criticisms and ideas. It’s tempting to rely heavily on their advice. After all, they truly care about you.

But be cautious. They are average. Da Vinci didn’t consult a housewife about his brush strokes. She had no authority to criticize his above-average skills.

Many of those people surrounding you have no business criticizing your skills. Don’t rely too heavily on their advice.

I’m not saying to tune people out. That would be stupid. There’s a good chance many of your friends and family will have amazing ideas. Listen for the good. There will be plenty of good feedback.

But be willing to ignore the bad. Don’t be swayed by every breath of average people. Though they care for you, they don’t have what it takes to do what you do. Have a little more faith in yourself.

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Imagine every skill and talent has its own bell curve. It looks like a sloping mountain. The two extreme ends are very thinly populated. The center section is big. The center section is the bulk of the world. The center section is the average.

This bell curve applies to each skill and talent. The majority of guitar players are average. The majority of graphic designers are average. The majority of dancers are average. It’s simple math.

50 percent of people are below average at a given skill. And the majority of the “above average” crowd aren’t much better than average. There are very few people that really excel in a given skill.

It can be tempting to look at the excellent people around you and wish you were good at what they’re good at. Chances are you’re below average or average in their particular skill. You may practice and hone your below average skill to get better. But you’ll probably never escape average. All your work just landed you in a pile of other average people. That’s a bad use of your time.

You’d do much better to focus on the skills where you’re above average. Focus on those. Instead of getting good enough to be average at a skill, get good enough to excel.

I’m convinced everyone can be above average if they focus on developing the right skills. But most people are satisfied to become average at everything. They get good enough to join the masses and that’s enough.

Don’t join the masses. Excel.

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A very precious (I don’t normally use that word) girl got on stage to share her testimony. She was far from God and hated the Church. She wanted nothing to do with Christians. But she wanted her babies to be raised in church. So she hopped on Google to find a local church. “I swear the Summit Church was the only church on Google.” She came. She met with God. She fell in love.

She indirectly met her Savior because of my Google craftiness. Wow! That’s what it’s all about. And what a powerful reminder!

Artists need constant reminders of why we do what we do. If you work in a church it’s for stories like that. My art actually made an eternal difference.

Even if you don’t work in a church, you never know the impact your art will have. If you are sharing truth and beauty, you can be certain your art has a bigger purpose than aesthetics.

Why do you do what you do? Constantly remind yourself why. Let your vision guide your art.

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• …spending hours on Pinterest.
• …reading a book about creativity.
• …critiquing a work of art.
• …sitting under a majestic, starry night.
• …drinking mate at a hipster coffee shop.
• …keeping your version of Photoshop up to date.
• …at a creative conference with other creative geniuses.
• …at a Sigur Ros concert.
• …wearing the latest hipster clothes.
• …watching a TED talk.
• …criticizing another church’s marketing tactics.
• …brainstorming for hours an idea that will change the world.
• …reading this blog.
• …not creating something.

So go create!

Creativity is action. All those things are fine. But they mean nothing if you aren’t creating. Put feet to those inspirational moments. Create!

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Baseball had become about All Stars. All the scouts were looking for the magic formula that would win them games. There was a mystical air to the game. Baseball was about one thing and nobody could see anything different. There was no other way to do baseball.

But Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill (or their characters) changed the game. They thought differently. They actually broke the rules with formulas. How poetic is that?! They broke the mold with another one.

Moneyball isn’t just a great story. It’s a commentary on creativity.

So often, we think of creativity in mystical terms. Creativity is creativity. We know creativity when we see it because we think we have it in a box (albeit a mystical box).

But creativity isn’t limited to a box. Creativity is about different approaches. That’s how projects everyone thinks will fail often succeed. There is no one box for creativity. Creativity is many boxes.

So change you’re thinking about creativity today. Approach your next problem creatively. Approach it in an orthodox way. Challenge the norms and the boxes of conventional thinking.

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Myth #2. The world values creativity. Look at the comments below the new Snow Patrol album. People are actually complaining that Snow Patrol didn’t do the same thing they did on their last CD. A band notable for their creativity is getting criticized because they did something different. People are generally against change. That doesn’t mean they won’t eventually appreciate the new idea…but the default state of the world is to resist change. We must be willing to push through that resistance to make something that matters.

Myth #3. Creativity is about making something new. There’s nothing new under the sun. Every idea is built on an idea from before. Look at the iPod–a massively creative product. Apple didn’t invent the MP3 player. They took a complicated device and simplified it. They made it so attractive and appealing that people call the product class iPods instead of MP3 players. That was their creativity. The removed unnecessary complexity and made it better.

Myth #4. You’re either mathematically minded or creativity minded. Some of the greatest artists were inventors, architects, engineers. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael. Creativity isn’t limited to the free flowing mind.

Myth #5. Creatives are hard to work with. Many creatives are hard to work with. But we don’t need to be. Communication is key. Creatives need to learn to communicate their emotions clearly. And supervisors need to communicate their desires and goals clearly. There can be peace between creatives and employers! Do your part and it will happen.

Did I leave off any myths about creativity. What would you add to the list?

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If you work for a pastor (or any boss) your job is to hype up their work. You’re there to get the crowd going–to take the sights and sounds where the leader cannot. But you don’t get the credit. The leader gets the credit. A good hype man doesn’t say “look at me”.

Unfortunately, a lot of artists adopt a “look at me” approach to creativity. We want the glory. We want people to think of our part when they see the work.

“Look at me” hype men fail. They aren’t doing their job.

Art and creativity are not about competing voices. They aren’t about attention pleas. Art and creativity are about the project. Hype men support the project.

Are you willing to be a hype man? Are you willing to lay down your ego to make someone else successful? That’s our role as artists. And ultimately that’s our role as Christians. Lay yourself aside to hype someone else.

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Are you willing to be a hype man?

You just might join the ranks of notable hype men: Flava Flav, Jay-Z, etc.

Creative blocks are sneaky. They come on slowly. You only notice them when it’s time to actually do something.

So what did I do? A drastic move like usual? No. 

I made subtle adjustments to my environment. I opened all the doors to the house. I turned off all the music. I unplugged my laptop. And I laid on the living room rug. The external sounds, cool breeze and fabric in the rug began to shake the creative block loose.

I changed my surroundings just enough to overcome the block.

Sometimes overcoming a creative block means positioning yourself in a room differently. Sometimes it’s changing the lighting. Change little things about your surroundings to break your routine.

I suggested he create some consequences.

There’s a new app out there that will make you work out if you use it right. How does it work? It charges you money for every time you don’t check in at your local gym. You set the times you’ll work out. You choose the amount of money that will hurt to lose. And if you don’t come through it charges you.

I guarantee I would be 95% more likely to workout consistently with that app. Consequences force action.

The key to developing consequences is to make the consequences stronger than the resistance you face. Your dream is a haze. But that football game is in stunning HD. The resistance is to do nothing and watch tv. You need your consequences to overshadow that temporary joy.

The coolest thing about creating consequences is that they don’t all have to be negative.

Did you wonder what the app does with the money it charges you if you don’t exercise? It puts it in a PayPal account and distributes the money to those who did workout consistently. Talk about a reward!

Set yourself up for success by creating consequences for you. Reward yourself when you do what you should. And make it sting a bit when you don’t.

The world needs your art–your creation. Act as such.

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Perfectionism is toxic. It’s more devious than the other three causes of inaction. Perfectionism makes you feel like you’re doing something when you aren’t. You feel like you’re perfecting your art or dream. You feel like you’re making progress toward making it a reality. But perfectionism has you in its trap. You’re in quicksand. You’re struggling. But you’re falling further into the pit of inaction.

The quickest way to get out of quicksand is to stop moving. Get a better perspective. What really needs to happen to make this project a reality? Find that one thing you need to grab onto and pull yourself out of the quicksand.

Imagine if your project needed to be completed in two days. What would you need to change to make it good. Then change that.

You’ll never have a perfect project. The perfection in your brain will never make it to the paper.

My vision for Sunday| mag wasn’t perfect. But it was good enough to share. So I started sharing it. My first seven emails had typos. I wasn’t perfectly organized. But I adjusted.

It’s far better to make something good than hide something that’s almost perfect. “Almost perfect” will never be perfect. And your dream will stagnate.

Don’t let perfectionism keep you from doing something great. Overcome that beast!

Stay tuned for more parts of this series! If you’re not subscribed via email or RSS, now would be the perfect time to subscribe.

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You know your dream takes action. But sometimes it’s hard to get off your butt and make your dreams come true. But creativity means movement. And you’re not being creative if you aren’t creating.

One of the main reasons we get lazy about our creativity is the sheer volume of hustle it takes to achieve our goals. You have a great idea. You’ve been mulling it over in your mind for a while. But now it takes real action to make that dream a reality. It’s no longer ok to fantasize and scheme. Your vision needs to be concrete.

And if you have a dream worth dreaming, that seems daunting. Sometimes it’s enough to make you curl up into a fetal position. Too much work!

I experienced this with the Sunday| magazine project. I needed to get 16 writers, 10 graphic designers and various consultants to work for free. They were necessary to this magazine being a success. I was lazy for about two months before I realized this would never happen if I didn’t do something.

So I set a deadline and made it public. February 2012. I started telling people and pimping my vision out to the people I wanted to be involved. I had to make something happen now.

It looks like the launch will be March instead of February. But that’s ok. I’d rather a month late than have a potential 2015 launch.

Is your laziness holding you back from creating something amazing? Set some deadlines and start telling people. Let them keep you accountable. Force your action.

Stay tuned for more parts of this series! If you’re not subscribed via email or RSS, now would be the perfect time to subscribe.

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Failure rarely ends in death or public disgrace. But that knowledge doesn’t make failure less frightening. “What if I follow my dreams and fail?” It’s a frightening question.

But you know what takes the fear out of that question? Answering it.

Seriously, what’s the worst that can happen if you fail?

Will you die? Probably not.

Will you become homeless? Probably not.

Will you lose your friends? Probably not.

As I’m working on my dream, Sunday| magazine, I’ve been very afraid of failure. I never thought I was going to die or become homeless. I can always get a job if this project doesn’t pan out. But I have been afraid that I’ll lose all credibility. What if no one wants to listen to me ever again?

That’s my own insecurity. I’m a people pleaser. I want people to like me.

But people won’t hate me because I fail. In fact, they’ll probably come beside me and sympathize. Failure is nothing to fear.

Every great individual has endured failure and kept going. Don’t let failure keep you from following your dream. Don’t fear failure.

Stay tuned for more parts of this series! If you’re not subscribed via email or RSS, now would be the perfect time to subscribe.

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Insecurity is the voice in your head whispering, “You aren’t good enough.” It slowly chisels away at your dream until it’s down to nothing. Now you’re not acting.

Do you feel inadequate to make your big dream come true? Do you feel inexperienced? You probably are.

But let me tell you a secret. Every single person who’s done something great was inadequate and inexperienced. It’s not adequacy or experience that makes great things happen. It’s someone willing to make it happen.

They’re willing to lay aside their fears and move.

I run a website about stage design. When I began the site, I’d designed one stage. I was completely inexperienced and I had an audience with much knowledge than me. But I made the website happen. It wasn’t my knowledge or experience that made the site successful. It was my willingness to move.

So you can’t let insecurity weigh you down. Every great endeavor is preceded by insecurity. But the ones who make their dreams come true are the ones who push through that insecurity. Will you push through yours?

Stay tuned for more parts of this series! If you’re not subscribed via email or RSS, now would be the perfect time to subscribe.

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But this project needs to happen. And I’m the one to make it happen. I can’t let the things inside keep me from taking action. I’ve found there are four main things that try to hold me back. These four things keep me from acting.

In this blog series we’ll identify the 4 main causes of inaction and explore how to overcome them. First, the causes:

1. Insecurity. This is the leading cause of inaction. If you’re attempting something bigger than yourself, you’ll deal with insecurity. It can come from feelings of inadequacy or your own inexperience.

2. Fear of Failure. Very rarely would our failure result in death. It might result in difficult times or flushed faces. Failure shouldn’t be that scary. But for some of us, failure is a fate worse than death. I think it stems from insecurity…but I’ll leave that diagnosis up to the psychologists and counselors.

3. Laziness. In a world of HD, iPhone and Skyrim, laziness cripples many of us. We could accomplish something great…but there’s something great on TV. Come to think of it…I’m feeling lazy right now. But I must finish this post first.

4. Perfectionism. This is the bane of almost every creative. We’re afraid to do something because it’s not perfect yet. We don’t know exactly where we’re going yet or we don’t have everything in place. So we hold back. Perfectionism is toxic.

If you’re dealing with any (or all) of these causes of inaction, take heart! There’s hope! You can overcome these and do something great. This whole week is about conquering inaction. Stay tuned! If you’re not subscribed via email or RSS, now would be the perfect time to subscribe.

Now I think I’m going to watch some TV.

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And I’m a bit frightened that I haven’t received any resistance. I’ve always believed every good endeavor is met with massive resistance. But I’ve only received a couple “no’s”. Other people have been hopping on board and helping out so much!

I talked to my dad about my paranoia. I’d forgotten he experienced a very similar set of events.

My dad is not a driver. He’s an encourager and one of the most peaceful men you’ll meet. But God called him to start a missions organization.

We were missionaries in Guatemala. We were very happy with our current organization. But God called him to go for it. So he did. We were the first missionaries in the organization.

He didn’t recruit. He didn’t push the organization forward. But the next year we had two families on board! The next – four! It kept growing until my dad realized he needed to move back to the United States to run this thing.

Today Commission To Every Nation has 228 missionary families in 46 nations. Most of the staff raises their own support and they recently opened a branch in Canada.

Very little resistance.

There isn’t always daunting resistance when we’re following the voice of God. Sometimes God stacks the decks in our favor. The key is trusting in Him. Are you trusting in Him to lead you into your dreams?

Perhaps my paranoia is unwarranted. What do you think?

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This is the scene I’ve lived through thousands of times. I sit down to my computer to create. I just don’t feel like creating–sometimes even for things I’m excited about. So I check my email, Facebook, Twitter… Eventually I’ve exhausted all forms of procrastination so I stare at the screen.

How do I break myself out of this funk?

Shake. I sit there. I grab myself internally. And I shake myself. “Create!” I start typing. I start creating shapes. I hum a song. I do something to get myself going.

Creation start by doing something. That’s the only thing necessary for creation to occur. Don’t wait for some ethereal concept to happen…it won’t come. You control the destiny of your creativity. Make it happen. Shake yourself into action.

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That’s because the concept of procrastination is inherently bad. But leisure and relaxation are good concepts. We all need time to unwind and recharge. Unfortunately, I often procrastinate so much that I don’t have time to unwind after I finally get my work done.

So my rest and relaxation is filled with anxiety and guilt. That defeats the purpose!

But you can enjoy your moments of procrastination. The key is to stop thinking of it as procrastination. Instead of feeling guilty about, plan procrastination into your day. Decide when and how long you’ll watch tv or play video games. Put some fun time into your schedule. That turns procrastination into legitimate R&R.

At first you’ll feel guilty because the world wants you to be busy. We don’t need to though. There is a time to work and a time to rest. Also a time to play and procrastinate. Don’t feel guilty for recharging your creative batteries.

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Everyone has a dream. Imagine if everyone actually made theirs come true. The world would be filled with astronauts, presidents, artists, and billionaire tycoons. Who would do the everyday tasks that make the world work?

Obviously it’s impossible for everyone in the world to follow their dreams. But the beauty of that fact is that it keeps people from even trying. In fact, I can be sure that enough people aren’t following their dreams that I can follow mine.

There will always be enough people satisfied with the status quo that I can reach for the stars. The world won’t fall apart if I don’t do “my part”. The status quo will always be there. It will always be working like a machine. That’s taken care of.

I’m free to follow my dream.

It’s the tragedy and beauty of dreaming. If everyone followed their dreams nobody could follow their dreams. It would be nearly impossible for any of us to reach our goal. But the fact that so few people follow their dreams makes it possible for me to follow mine.

The same’s true for you. There’s room for you to follow your dream. The ball’s in your court. Will you?

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1. Put things in that you’re putting out. If you’re leading worship, be led into worship during the week. Go to worship conferences. Listen to live worship projects. Go to small groups where you aren’t leading.

If you’re designing graphics each week get inspired during the week. Consume amazing artwork to keep yourself going strong. Subscribe to graphic design magazines.

Every day I seek out indie bloggers with interesting thoughts. I fill myself with things I’m putting out.

2. Relate everything to your creativity. See everything through the eyes of your projects. When I watch a movie, I relate everything back to the creative process. When I walk along the beach, I look for parallels to creativity. Relate everything back to the things you’re working on.

Pastors are great at this. Every movie they see has over 20 clips they’d like to incorporate into their next sermon.

3. Schedule it. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike. Waiting makes it easy to procrastinate. It’s much better to create early and tweak, than to wait for that perfect spark of inspiration.

Set a time aside to create. Then do it.

4. Let other people carry the load occasionally. Give other people a chance to do your job. For me that means inviting guest bloggers to chime in. For you it might mean letting someone else lead worship. Or let someone else design that graphic/stage design. This gives yourself a break and lets other people rise to the occasion. You’ll be surprised at what others can do.

Your turn! What are some of your keys to creating weekly?

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Boredom is one of the keys to creativity.

Boredom gives you the nudge you need to do something. I’m dissatisfied when I’m bored. Something has to change.

But when we bury our heads in texting and playing games every free second, we lose the opportunity to let boredom do its work. Resist the temptation to entertain yourself the next time you’re bored. Don’t turn on the Food Network. Don’t play Words With Friends. Slow down and be bored!

Shut off the noise. Sit in an unentertaining room. Be bored until you start thinking. Your brain will quickly pick up the slack to get rid of your boredom. You’ll start daydreaming or formulating ideas. Boredom will birth brilliant ideas–if you let it into your life once in a while.

Do you ever let yourself get bored?

But in the back of your head you’re wondering if it was fake too. That’s because the world is longing for reality.

Real videos go viral. The boy coming out via flash cards is so raw and emotional. Rebecca Black’s Friday is so bad it seems intentional…but it’s not. If one of these videos were found to be frauds…they would instantly lose their viral video status.

People want real. In your pursuit of creativity, remember reality trumps fake. You don’t have to compete with elaborate fakes. Create something real. Whenever you can, infuse reality and truth into your art.

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I’m an artist! I have angst! I need my music to have angst too! I guess that’s the reason I avoid it. CCM isn’t my scene.

But every now and then I need shiny, happy. It’s encouraging. I can get so angsty with my music that I become morbid. And very few people appreciate morbid art. (None of my audience, at least.)

Are you embarrassed by CCM? Do you avoid certain types of music that aren’t your scene? I encourage you to keep yourself out of a box. Don’t limit yourself from inspiration just because it doesn’t match your vibe.

Open yourself to every emotion that music can offer. Get some angst in there. But also get some shiny, happy. Emotions are paint on your palette. Give yourself the colors you need to create something awesome.

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I decided I would workout today. I had about 45 minutes to spare. So I threw on some shorts, a tee, and my tennies. As I walked to the door, I informed my house guest I’d be back in 45 minutes. They told me it would be better to workout for an hour.

I didn’t have that kind of time. I got discouraged. I didn’t workout. 

What was worse, though? Me working out for 45 or even 30 minutes? Or me not working out because I couldn’t do it right?

There’s always a “better way” to do something. But when that “better way” keeps you from acting, it becomes a hindrance.

Don’t let the “right way” to do something keep you from doing something. It’s much better to act.

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God intended that light to spread. To bring Him glory. But we hide it.

We cover it with our insecurity. Our ego. Our budget restrictions…

We are afraid to let the light out, because it’s a bit beyond our control. It wants to expand and pervade. So many of us hide it–cover it. We want to tame it. But it’s not meant to be tamed.

We were created in God’s own image. We were created to reflect the creator. To reflect his creativity to the world.

God is light. He made us in His image. We were created to create.

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That’s because good musicians play below their skill level. They make even complicated pieces sound simple because they play within their zone–below the fringe of their skills.

It’s tempting for a guitar player to grab some tabs offline, practice a few times and show off to his friends. His ignorant buddies think he’s an amazing guitar player, even though he botches some notes and lacks the tone of a skilled musician. But he’s not a great player. Because the great players play below their skill level.

Are you tempted to show off the fringe of your abilities? Resist that. Practice practice practice. Make that fringe ability a comfortable place. Then it’s ready to go public.

Note: I’m not saying to avoid risks. Risks are necessary for creativity that impacts. But you can take risks from within your zone. I am saying make sure you have the skills to back up your risks. Risks taken from within our zones have a stronger change at success. Give yourself a chance to succeed. Play below your skill level.

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I was contemplating theology and creativity today. I was thinking how our five senses guide our creativity. Everything about creativity is bound up in those five senses. But what about the sixth sense? I believe in premonition, intuition–whatever you want to call it. There’s definitely an element of the soul that can sense things outside the realm of the big five.

What if we could tap into that sixth sense for our creativity. I think some people do and don’t even realize what they’re doing. So maybe God has something bigger available to us beyond what we see.

And wouldn’t it be just like God to take it a step further. In the Bible, the number six symbolically represents man. But seven represents God–completion. What if God gave us another sense? A seventh sense?

Would that be our spirits? If the sixth sense is in our souls, doesn’t it make sense?

Are there two untapped senses that humanity isn’t conscious of? What if we could harness those for creativity? What would that look like? Can we even tap into a seventh sense before we get to heaven?

Note: I’m not recommending getting spooky or occultish. Just presenting a question.

So what do you think? I’d love to start discussing this concept in depth.

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One of the biggest keys to children’s energy is play. Children’s idea of playing is nt the same as adult’s though. When adults play, they entertain themselves. When children play, they discover. They imagine worlds.

When a child plays football, he isn’t just trying to get a touchdown. He’s imagining a stadium of cheering fans and a bag of gold coins waiting for him at the goal line. He’s imagining.

When a a child plays in a field, she isn’t just running around. She’s looking in holes in the ground. She’s picking up pretty feathers. She’s discovering.

Children play. We have found the fountain of youth: imagination and discovery.

Do you play? Does everything you do come back to imagination and discovery? Or are you numbing your brain with entertainment?

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I find it difficult to get inspired in my town. Sometimes I feel like this is where creativity goes to die. The population of Corpus Christi, Texas isn’t very interested in new ideas. For instance, I’ve lost seven of my favorite restaurants in the last couple years. The reason? They weren’t taquerias, Chinese buffets, or chain restaurants. That’s just one symptom of the mentality of Corpus Christi.

It’s tough to get inspired.

But I work at a church. So not only am I called to this city right now, I’m called to love the people in it! How do I get inspired without constantly seeking escape from this place?

These are a few things I’ve learned (and am learning) about getting inspired in an uninspirational town:

1. Seek out dreamers. Associate with people who dream big dreams. These friends will keep you accountable for your vision and keep you thinking bigger. If you can’t find any close by, connect with dreamers on Twitter or Facebook. They’ll be your support group. Note: Dreamers aren’t necessarily the ones talking about leaving your town. Many people “dream” of leaving their small town…very few do.

2. Find inspiration wherever you can. There is inspiration in your town. You’ll just need to put out extra effort to find it. Drive to locations outside your beaten path. Drive across town if you need.

3. Take a big-city sabbatical whenever possible. Escape to larger cities as often as you can. Make that a priority. Escape to locations that make you feel small.

4. Don’t get caught in the mentality of your town. It’s easy to get sucked into a small mentality in uninspirational towns. This can lead to some pretty unhealthy lifestyles. Alcoholism. An entertainment driven culture. Don’t get trapped by those things.

5. Don’t get caught in the speed of the town. Whether your town is fast-paced or slow-paced, don’t conform to that rhythm. You need to adopt the speed that’s best for you. If you live in a slow-paced down, you may need to speed up. If you live in a fast-paced town, you may need to slow down. Find the time get inspired.

6. Read “big” books. Books have the ability to inspire us even in spaces devoid of inspiration. Read books that make you feel small and make you think big thoughts.

7. Don’t be arrogant. Don’t look down on residents of your town. You do need friends. And arrogance repels people with small visions and people with big visions.

Number seven is especially important for church workers. It’s hard to love the city you’re called for when you look down at them. I’ve met pastors that get arrogant about their visions. They build large churches. But the congregation quickly realizes they’re being used. The pastor dismisses anyone that doesn’t contribute to their vision. Don’t be that guy.

Do you live in an uninspirational town? What did I leave off the list? How do you get inspired?

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My wife was accepted to Physical Therapy school in Dallas, TX. We both want to see her dream realized, so we’re moving in May. I’ve been working full-time at a great church here in Corpus Christi, TX. But I’ve decided, when I move, I won’t be applying for another church job. In fact, I won’t be applying for a job at all.

I’m going to be a writer. And if it all works out, I’ll be a writer that gets to eat too.

My full-time income will come from a magazine launching in March, my stage design blog, and speaking engagements.

I’m taking measured steps to make this happen. But it’s scary. I make a little bit of money from Church Stage Design Ideas, but in preparation for the move I need to make more. So instead of pimping my site out to more advertisers, I’ve chosen to raise the price of ads. The problem with this is that most of my advertisers can’t afford the higher rates.

So I’ve been seeing my extra income dwindle away as I search for new advertisers.

It’s scary. I’ve been dealing with massive feelings of inadequacy. “What if I can’t make the money I need? What if no advertisers think I’m worth the investment?” Its been scary.

But I’m going for it. In the next few months I’m trying to convert a couple hundred dollars into a full-time income for my wife and me.

This isn’t a plea for money. It’s encouragement. I’m not remarkable. But I’ve decided to take a risk and follow a dream. You can do it too. It doesn’t take someone remarkable to do something great. It take someone willing to take a risk.

Will you do something remarkable?

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1. You Aren’t Too Busy - 4 reasons you might feel like you’re too busy to do the things you want to do.
2. Remove to Improve - Learning from Apple the lesson of simplicity. Better products often have less features instead of more.
3. The Power of Play - The importance of imagination and play to creativity.
4. Break Something - Overcome your creativity block by breaking something.
5. Make it a Cartoon - Get inspired by thinking of your problem/project as a cartoon.

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Flatland – This quick read covers the concept of dimensions. It follows a 2-dimensional being’s attempt at grasping the 3rd dimension. Flatland left me with an interesting perspective on dimensions–especially a 4th dimension. Mind blowing!

Untitled – Blaine Hogan, Creative Director at Willow Creek, compiled some amazing thoughts on the creative process in this short e-book. It’s an encouraging read for any church worker involved in creativity.

The Fountainhead – This is one of those classics that often gets overlooked because of its length. The Fountainhead follows an architect that is rejected for his unique perspective on classical architecture. You’ll finish this book ready to take on the world–proving all the haters wrong.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – This is a creepy book made creepier by the accompanying photos. Though it’s technically young adult fiction, this book is very creatively written and has highly evolved concepts throughout.

Rework – If you work in a business or organization you need to read this. I found myself highlighting almost every page of this book. Rework will challenge your assumptions of how organizations need to be run and how to do something amazing.

Outspoken – This is next on my list. Though I haven’t read it yet, I know it’s good because of the contributors and curator–Tim Schraeder. Tim’s an amazing guy responsible for Church Marketing Sucks and ultimately much of the Church’s marketing successes.

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Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.

Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything…whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.

No great thing is created suddenly.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.

Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.

Creativity is the ability to see relationships where none exist.

Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm.

There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn’t.

You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.

The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.

Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.

If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

Did you enjoy these? Share your own favorite creativity quotes in a comment below. Or share these with your friends!

But just because they’re good at doing some things doesn’t mean they should do them.

Artists don’t like to be boxed in. At least I don’t. I get tempted to dabble in everything my greedy little eyes see. And I tend to be good at it all. So much of my life I’ve spread myself thin by jacking all trades and mastering none.

But lately I’m re-thinking that strategy. I’ve noticed the ones that impact the world are pretty similar to me. The more time I spend with these people, the more of their hidden talents I uncover. They aren’t ashamed to be great graphic designers or have a flow like Jay-Z…they just realize that’s not what they’re best at. The true world-changers focus on their greatest talents.

They put their other skills aside and focus on their core skills. It doesn’t mean they never design again or never drop dope rhymes. But they don’t let their days get consumed with those pursuits.

I’ve begun the journey of ignoring my skills in favor of my core skills. I’m putting down the guitar and singing. I’ve stopped pursuing graphic design clients. I’m training others to take over various areas that don’t need my involvement. I’m on the quest to discover my core skills and develop those.

I’m getting close. But it’s a never ending journey. And it’s exciting.

So what are your core skills? Have you discovered them yet? What skills do you need to ignore in order to pursue your greater talents?

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Note: No artist is above creative blocks. Every artist deals with them and overcomes them different ways. But that’s not what this is about.

This is about temporarily borrowing your favorite artist’s genius. Imagine a Freaky Friday accident where you swap places with your favorite artist. They’re using your tools and tactile skills to create art. What would they do with this project? How would they accomplish this task?

Unfortunately, that Freaky Friday stuff doesn’t happen too often. But you can artificially channel your favorite artist.

Imagine how they would tackle the project. Then do that!

This isn’t about copying someone’s work. This is about seeing the world through their eyes. Each artist has their own eyeglasses they view the world through. Pick an artist and sport their glasses for a day. Your creative block will melt away as you get outside inspiration from your heroes.

I wasn’t very happy with the decision. My siblings and I threw fits. But the decision was final. For the first few weeks I stared at the blank spot in the living room, willing my friend back into existence. It didn’t happen.

Eventually my fragile will was broken. I started playing outside. I learned some magic tricks. I got so bored, I actually learned how to build web pages. I started building sites. I actually got pretty good.

So my dad called a local internet company to see if they had a job available for a talented 13-year old. They did.

I didn’t take over the internet. I never built any high-profile websites. But that set the ball in motion for everything else I would do in life.

I found inspiration for my life in one summer–when my best friend was ripped away from my eyes.

If you’re finding it hard to get inspired for life, there’s a good chance you have a best friend that’s holding you back. Is it your TV? Your Facebook account? Your iPhone? Try getting rid of those for a couple months.

Hide your TV. Shut down your Facebook account. Remove text messaging and internet from your phone plan.

The first few weeks you’ll be dreaming about what’s happening with your estranged best friend. But soon you’ll get inspired. And who knows where that inspiration will take you.

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When it comes to our dream for our lives, though, many of us dream small.

Very few children dream of stable jobs and 401k’s. There’s nothing wrong with those. But kids dream about becoming a rancher, an astronaut, or a rock star. But at some point during adolescence our dreams get squashed. They shrink.

We start dreaming of easily attainable things. It’s safer that way. There’s very little risk of failure in those types of dreams. But the child inside of us is screaming for something bigger. That’s what mid-life crises are all about.

What’s your dream? Is it easily attainable?

If so, why not double it? Double what you want from life. We have no business dreaming small dreams. We need to dream dreams that make our palms sweat. We need to risk failure. We need to have trouble sleeping at night–excited about our dreams.

What’s your dream? Is it too small? It could definitely be bigger.

Dream big. Double your vision for your life.

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Be aware, I have a creative temperament. I feel threatened very easily. In many of these meetings people are shooting down my precious, baby ideas. It can be painful. But there is a way to deal appropriately with criticism. These are five things I’ve learned (and am learning) on dealing with criticism.

1. Don’t be threatened. If they are a caring critic, they aren’t trying to shoot down your ideas. They just want to offer advice.
2. Let every criticism sit in a holding tank. Once you receive a criticism, don’t act immediately. Think about it. Write it down. Put it in a holding tank and decide whether or not it’s a good idea. Sometimes the criticisms are good. Sometimes they aren’t. But when you avoid the feeling of urgency, it helps you keep from feeling threatened by criticism.
3. Consider it. If you don’t want to do it…don’t do it. You will receive many criticisms. Some of them will even be conflicting. Ultimately, you call the shots. Get rid of that people pleasing persona that creatives so easily embrace.
4. Let it make you better. If you keep your ears open, you may find recurring themes in the criticism you receive. Keep your antennae tuned to repetition. If more than one person criticizes a certain thing, that might indicate a weakness in your creativity. Learn from that.
5. Remove your ego. It’s ultimately all about making your creativity better. They probably aren’t criticizing you (even though it feels like they are). Remove your ego from the equation.

Do you frequently deal with criticism? What are some responses you’ve developed to deal with criticism appropriately?

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Solo-creatives often yearn for companionship–we desperately want to work with other creatives. We want to be challenged and we want someone to share the creative burden with. The problem the solo-creative faces is, “How can I surround myself with more creatives?” If you’re working in a small office, the company or church simply doesn’t have the resources to hire more. If you’re working in an “uncreative” industry, your bosses won’t value the creative job applicants. So how can the solo-creative get companions?

Celebrate creativity. Don’t be threatened by it. One of the easiest things a solo-creative can do is get threatened when someone new takes on a creative role. “Oh no, they’re taking my job! If they start taking over creative tasks I’ll become useless!”

It’s funny how the very thing we wanted as a solo-creative becomes a threat when we finally get it. But there’s no need to be threatened when creativity comes from somewhere other than you. In fact, we should celebrate others’ ideas.

As you celebrate new ideas, others will start testing the creative waters. Others will have ideas and start flexing their creative muscles.

This is how you build a culture of creativity–even when you work in an “uncreative” industry or church. Don’t be threatened. The more creativity becomes a part of the culture, the more important your job becomes.

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My head is spinning right now trying to remember that idea I just had.

For a single moment the right mix of inspiration, understanding, and insight came together in my mind and I thought something I had never thought before. It was like, for a split second, my mind was on a different level.

It’s gone. I didn’t write it down. I lost a very valuable idea.

The truth is, inspiration doesn’t last long. Sometimes inspiration happens when we’re talking with a friend, eating lunch, driving, or walking through a busy place. Even if we have time to pull out our iPhone and jot a few notes down, it may not be enough to capture the inspired idea.

There’s a better way. 

Rather than depending on random moments of inspiration to hit us like a lighting bolt, make time for dedicated inspiration. Ok, you may have heard the term before, but hear me out.

You must get your mind out of its routine. That’s why you had that lightning bolt moment of inspiration–because something you heard or saw took your mind out of its daily thought routine.

I think of my mind as a circular track with different levels–like if you piled Nascar tracks on top of each other. Most of the time, I have the same level of thoughts, racing round and round on the lowest track. Then something stimulates me to make a jump to the higher track where I discover new ideas and inspiration as my mind races around that track.

I found my stimuli for jumping to a new track when I was in college: my best ideas would come during lectures that were only slightly interesting. Something the professor said would act as a gateway spark to a new mental track. My mind would stay on that track because I couldn’t leave class and the white noise of their voice kept me focused. Meanwhile, I would fill page after page of my journal with new ideas, sketches, questions, and thoughts.

I’m not in college anymore, but I’ve found ways to reproduce the stimuli. Now I bring my journal to a coffee shop in a busy bookstore and pick out a couple books that look interesting. I open to a random chapter and skim till something catches my attention: “Woah! I’ve never thought about that.” Inspiration begets more inspiration as I begin to take notes and ask myself questions about my ideas (it’s like daydreaming but with ideas). Meanwhile, I’m jotting down what I’m thinking creating fodder for future blog posts and projects.

So in the end, you don’t have to wait for inspiration. Force yourself into a situation where you won’t have routine interruptions and then provide yourself with something to stimulate your mind. But always write thoughts down, because inspiration is perishable.

About Josh:
Josh Neuroth is a Business & UX Designer at SpokeHQ. You can find him on Twitter or his blog at joshneuroth.com.