This was my attempt at inviting both Jason and Dave into what was becoming a media design group.

Since then, it’s been crazy and challenging and scary and joyful and depressing and funny and depressing (I said that already) and tiring and good.

Really good.

I don’t want to give you any unrealistic picture here. We’ve grown to six Team Members, in a small office space that doesn’t have a hint of artistic vibe anywhere. The walls are tan, and the carpet is industrial. We have a shoot space that never seems to be big enough. Our conference room is a 50′s-style table and chairs that was once in the kitchen of our Production Assistant (Judy). People who see it always say, “Oooh. That’s cool.” We always say, “Oooh. That’s free.” We struggle to make payroll every October and every March.

There is no glamour here. But there’s plenty of good.

Everyone these days is encouraging you to dream, and I think that’s a good thing. There are too many people sleepwalking through life, and it’s primarily because they’ve become numb to the dreams God has given them. But it seems like the most popular Dream Guides and Mentors are focusing almost exclusively on helping you answer the WHAT? question. What’s your dream? What do you love to do? What can you make a living at? What will people pay you for?

All WHAT? questions.

I don’t disagree with anything there. Answering the WHAT? question is the foundation of growing any dream into a reality.

But something that’s easily missed is the WHO? question.

Who should I dream with?

My friend Rob Thomas always warns anyone who will listen to him: Be careful who you dream with. I think he’s right. But if you’re launching a dream, or if you’re heading in a direction of your dream, trust me on this one simple truth:

You DO NOT want to walk this road alone.

It’s just too difficult.

You’ll make stupid decisions that you’ll regret. You’ll believe the voices being spoken to your heart. You’ll overreact to critique. Your heart will bend toward the love of money, rather than toward the love of the God who supplies it to you.

I’m not suggesting that you need to abandon your leadership or your calling. I’m simply saying that you need at least one person around you who loves you enough to tell you the absolute truth.

About you.

As I look back on that email invitation, I’m reminded that I had no idea WHAT shape Floodgate Productions would take, or what scope it would fill in the spaces we play. But I was absolutely sure of WHO I wanted to figure it all out with.

And it’s been good.

Very good.

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But what kind of creative are you? What kind of creative people fill the Teams you lead?

That’s a huge question to ask, because as I talk with artists and leaders, there seems to be an overwhelming assumption that true creativity always involves bringing something to life from the ground up.

It’s assumed that the purest form of creativity always starts with a blank canvas, and ends with a Mona Lisa. 

The more I serve in artistic and leadership circles, the more I’m realizing the need to differentiate between two types of creativity.

PRIMARY CREATIVITY

This type of creativity describes the person who can literally bring an idea to life from nothing. There’s a blank whiteboard when they walk into the room, and it’s full of ideas & concepts when they walk out. These folks love dreaming of something that’s not there yet. They provoke. They inspire others to greater creativity. And as much as any idea probably isn’t truly “original”, these creative-types get close to it.

SECONDARY CREATIVITY

Secondary creativity is different. A person who functions with secondary creativity takes an existing raw idea, and adds to it, making it bigger and better. They don’t enjoy starting with a blank whiteboard, and actually feel pressured and ill-equipped when presented with one. They’d much rather add beautiful and amazing ideas as the whiteboard develops. They coalesce, they curate, and they do other things that most likely start with “c”.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

The differentiation here is extremely important for two reasons.

First, creative Team Leaders need to be aware of who they’re asking to contribute to an artistic or creative endeavor. Leaders can become frustrated when someone on their Team doesn’t seem to contribute. Perhaps it’s because they’re looking for people who possess Primary Creativity, and are failing to accept the invaluable contributions from those who exhibit Secondary Creativity. When people on your Teams take an existing idea and bend it, that’s just as creative as envisioning the initial idea itself.

Secondly, I feel like artists who possess and contribute Secondary Creativity need to give themselves a break. They need to stop feeling guilty about not coming up with the next “great creative concept”. They need to keep striving at this creativity thing, but they also need to quit comparing themselves with those who are Primary Creatives.

So which kind of creative are you? Primary or Secondary? How do you see this playing out in your life?

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I read blogs about creativity.

I attend conferences about creativity.

I speak publically about creativity.

I define it, dive into it, embrace it, dissect it, get lost in it, and allow it to inform critical life decisions.

So am I addicted to it?

I think that’s a critical question for us all to ask. Are we addicted to creativity?

Creating anything is both daunting and beautiful. And at the end of the creative process, there’s always a rush the moment it goes public. That rush we feel is like any other rush we feel. It’s something chemical that happens in our brains, and it feels really really good.

And we want to recreate it.

Last Sunday, my church pulled off what my friend Len Wilson would call a “game-changer Sunday”. We planned for it for weeks, broke the service up into four “scenes”, and closely followed a story arc to tell a biblical story. There were creative elements in each of the four scenes – live teaching, video stories, music, congregational response, etc. There were a TON of tech cues, all of which were carefully rehearsed beforehand.

After the services were finished, there were two responses. These two responses can be characterized by the following stories that happened just after the services.

As I was standing in the foyer after one of the services, a father (my age) told me about how he had wanted to stay home this Sunday. He shared about how much he’s struggling with a rebellious teenage daughter. As he shared this, tears began to roll down his face. We prayed together, and it was awesome. He thanked me for pulling of such a heartfelt and creative worship service.

On the way home from church, I stopped off at Panda Express. If you’re asking my opinion, they should not name it Panda Express, because it is neither. They don’t serve Panda, and it’s not even close to express. They should honestly name it Orange Chicken Stay-A-While. That works better.

Anyway, on the way home from church, I stopped off at Panda Express. On the way into restaurant  I passed by a very kind lady who had been at my church that morning. She said, “Great service this morning. I just love that creativity.” I said “thank you”, and ordered my orange chicken.

As a creative leader, it is at THIS EXACT POINT where I must listen intently to what’s happening in my deep heart. Did my heart leap more at the first story or the second? Which story have I told more to the people around me?

The first story illustrates the point of creativity. Creativity is not an end, but a means. It is a tool that God uses to penetrate our eyes, our hearts, our minds, and our wills. We engage in some beautiful creative effort not for creativity’s sake, but for the world’s sake.

The second story illustrates what happens far too much in artistic circles. We tell stories of how creative something was, and we stop there. We get more excited about the chisel than the heart that’s transformed by it.

So are we addicted to creativity? I don’t know. I only know that this is a constant source of challenge for me. And if I’m not at least asking the question, I’ll probably pursue creativity, instead of pursuing the world with the creativity God’s given me.

The same world God loves with His life.

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If you hire the right person, it’ll be like hiring three people.

The reason I’m seeing this so clearly is because I’m working next to that guy every day, and he’s proving to me how true this leadership principle is.

Meet Josh Warren.

In September 2011, we hired Josh as a part-time graphic designer. During his time at Floodgate, Josh has graduated from college (B.A. in Graphic Design), increased from part-time to full-time at Floodgate, become married to Lexi, moved into a house, and become a proud dog owner. He’s been through a ton of transitions, and it’s been awesome for me to just sit back and watch.

Here’s why Josh is so valuable to Floodgate (and how any great Team Member can radically impact any creative culture):

JOSH IS CONSISTENT – When you exist in a creative culture, the environment is always up or down, happy or sad, heaven or hell. Josh’s consistent attitude, smile, and sense of humor brings security to my heart, without losing the environment where no idea is a bad one.

JOSH IS FUNNY – He makes me laugh. He does weird things like touching my clothing when he likes what I’m wearing. He laughs at my stupid jokes, which makes me laugh, which makes Lorrie laugh, which makes Judy remind us all to stop laughing and make payroll instead. He tells people at Panda Express that I’m his father, and that he’s my son. When we were boarding a plane recently, he called me “dad” as we were boarding the plane. He just makes me laugh (although the TSA agent wasn’t thrilled).

JOSH IS EXCELLENT – He’s a gifted designer, with a keen eye for beauty. There’s a huge difference between “cool” and “beautiful”. He can do both, but always lands in the middle of beauty.

JOSH MANAGES HIMSELF  - Many people wait for the leader to tell them what to do, when to do it, etc. Josh does whatever is asked of him, but then pushes into additional projects ON HIS OWN. This is perhaps the greatest gift he can give to me and to Floodgate.

JOSH LOVES JESUS – Josh isn’t simply a Christian who attends church. He’s a Christ-follower who is involved in a local church, and who consistently presses into the Great God of the heavenlies, through Christ. He’s learning what it means to trust Christ with the details of his life, and that’s amazing to watch.

So the answer to your question is an angry “No!”

You may not hire him.

You may not speak with him about a better offer.

You may not email him in hope that one day, when he’s ready to move on, he’ll contact you.

But it’s my hope that, as your church or business continues to grow, you look for that guy or gal who will benefit the organization as much as Josh benefits Floodgate. I can honestly say that our best days are ahead of us, and he’ll play a huge part in that.

If you hire the right individual, they’ll do the work of three.

It’s true.

I get to sit next to him every day.

Have you ever considered this in hiring? Do you get to work next to this guy too?

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DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Kenny Miracle. 28 years old. Director of Film Dept. & Lead Video Editor at Exodus Cry. Kansas City, MO.

DESCRIBE YOUR ART

This is partly about work I’ve done, but more about work I am in the middle of. Last year, I helped finish the editing of a feature length documentary about sex trafficking happening today. It’s called Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. This year, I signed up to be the editor for another doc with a similar focus. This will be about a two year process, which is a much bigger project and span of time than anything I’ve done to date. So for me, this is more about the process of agreeing to be a part of this new doc that has seemed quite daunting.

WHAT WERE THE VOICES OF RESISTANCE TELLING YOU ABOUT YOUR ART? ABOUT YOU?

Early in the year, I was planning on starting my own video-focused ad agency, mainly producing short web promos. But after a couple months, I was offered this job as editor for this new doc. I couldn’t do both. So I had a choice. Follow my own vision and maybe succeed making promos; or let it go to follow someone else’s vision that seems much bigger – yet more rewarding – than my own.

The resistance was that I know how to make promos. I’ve done it for years, but lead the edit on a doc? That sounds great, but am I qualified? Do I have what it takes? Do I want to be invisible working on a two year project, or produce new content every couple months?

Also, this documentary would address the porn industry, albeit from a Christian perspective (like xxxchurch.com). As a young man, amk I ready for that? Ultimately, where was God leading me? I wasn’t sure for months.

WHAT FINALLY PUSHED YOU OVER THE EDGE, SO THAT YOU CREATED THIS ART?

While at the National Assoc. of Broadcasters, I had a couple interesting convo’s with some fellow video pros. They were older, and expressed their tension between working on commercials or documentaries throughout their careers. Commercial work was more consistent, but documentaries made their hearts come alive because they were about things they cared about.

How many people deal with this? I’ve never met anyone until that moment, which happened to be when I was experiencing the same tension. This was when I felt the tug from God to work on this documentary. To be a part of something bigger than myself.

Let me say – commercial work is great! I enjoy the creative process for them, too. For me, I deeply want to tell stories about real people that can help other people. This desire is from God, and he was opening a door to do it. But I still had to choose. So I instantly stopped all my freelance commercial work. Creatively, it was exciting to start pursuing something I’ve never done before, and that required more of me than anything else had.

DESCRIBE HOW YOU FELT THE MOMENT IT WENT PUBLIC. TELL THAT STORY.

We are still in pre-production, so I don’t know yet But for the first documentary, it has been good hearing about people that are positively impacted by it. We’ve even seen it influence parliaments in other countries that are passing trafficking-related laws.

It is not a project I can claim as being my own. I was one of three editors that helped for the last year of a 4 year process.

WHERE CAN WE EXPERIENCE THE ART YOU CREATED?

You can see a trailer for the first doc at www.nefariousdocumentary.com.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I’m a 37-year-old “stay at home artist,” a term I coined after I was tired of trying to explain how I wrestle with my camera or pen between diaper changes.  I live in Los Angeles with my amazing husband, an 8-month-old, another in the oven, a cat I never see, and a window with a view of a red-berried tree.

DESCRIBE YOUR ART

A seasonal artist perhaps?  I began in theatre, directing and writing which gave me a passion for the image, and so I slipped into filmmaking and photography.   I still write, direct theatre, make films and shoot images, but it seems to happen according to availability and more often than not… my changing moods.

WHAT WERE THE VOICES OF RESISTANCE TELLING YOU ABOUT YOUR ART? ABOUT YOU?

My site doesn’t have enough of my work up, and my Facebook like page is stale.  My camera isn’t a professional one, I am not a tech-savvy person, I have horrendous grammar, I never know when to use commas or any punctuation for that matter, and I sometimes make up words that don’t exist.  Bottom line:  I’ll never be really great at anything I do.  I’m limited, and God probably wants me for something else anyway.

WHAT FINALLY PUSHED YOU OVER THE EDGE, SO THAT YOU CREATED THIS ART?

The deadline to email Gary.  The first time I put it out there (maybe a year ago), I didn’t really care… everyone on Facebook knows me and loves me anyway, and I don’t really think I’m picking up unsolicited traffic on my website.  Submitting work to be viewed by strangers is a totally different game.

DESCRIBE HOW YOU FELT THE MOMENT IT WENT PUBLIC. TELL THAT STORY.

The moment is right now, and it feels like a big mistake.  Like I need to quickly upload some new content and delete everything else.  I feel poorly represented, but at the same time it’s this fear that keeps me sharp and I’m finding myself newly inspired.

WHERE CAN WE EXPERIENCE THE ART YOU CREATED?

http://www.karenstegall.com/index2.php#/rgallery1/3/ (the girl with the accordion).

https://www.facebook.com/BlueAugustPhotography

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DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Jonathan Malm, 27, Corpus Christi (at the time), working full time at a church.

DESCRIBE YOUR ART

Sunday| Magazine – a free, collaborative online magazine for the church creative all about the creative process of Sunday mornings.

WHAT WERE THE VOICES OF RESISTANCE TELLING YOU ABOUT YOUR ART? ABOUT YOU?

In a world of blogs, a monthly magazine wasn’t the way to go. I should focus on posting regularly throughout the month. But I wanted to maintain a certain longevity and quality of each article. I didn’t want to join the blog world.

The animated gif logo was annoying. I liked it and I liked that it was unique. I don’t know of any other animated gif logos out there that are successful.

WHAT FINALLY PUSHED YOU OVER THE EDGE, SO THAT YOU CREATED THIS ART?

I believed in it and I set a deadline. I had to launch it by March 2012 to see if I could do this sort of thing full time. I was leaving my job in May and needed to know if I needed to get another full time job where I was moving to?

DESCRIBE HOW YOU FELT THE MOMENT IT WENT PUBLIC. TELL THAT STORY.

I was terrified. Worse than that, I was hopping on a plane to Argentina for 20 days on March 1st…the day the issue launched. I was checking the statistics and comments every second while driving to the airport (yes…very dangerous I know). Then when I finally got to a place where I had internet in Argentina I could relax. I saw people were accepting it and enjoying it.

WHERE CAN WE EXPERIENCE THE ART YOU CREATED?

www.sundaymag.tv

DESCRIBE YOURSELF

My name is John Hatfield, I live in the Houston area with my wife, and I am a musician, a worship leader, and a freelance designer. And I teach music lessons to kids and adults.

DESCRIBE YOUR ART

This Christmas EP was the result of the prodding of family (mainly my wife) who love Christmas music.  I originally intended it only for close friends and family.

WHAT WERE THE VOICES OF RESISTANCE TELLING YOU ABOUT YOUR ART? ABOUT YOU?

This year I decided to be more intentional about sharing music publicly. I’ve dealt with a great deal of fear related to “you’re not good enough” and “nobody really cares about this music.”

WHAT FINALLY PUSHED YOU OVER THE EDGE, SO THAT YOU CREATED THIS ART?

I created it for my wife and my family but I ended up sharing it as the result of a lot of prodding from my wife, and some musician friends of mine who told me that the world needed my music.

DESCRIBE HOW YOU FELT THE MOMENT IT WENT PUBLIC. TELL THAT STORY.

Scared and overwhelmed. Launching the record online was a huge deal for me. In my living room, from my laptop, I first posted the record online for friends and family to download. This year I’ve been very intentional about spreading the word to more folks, and people have responded by telling their friends about the record as well. I’m truly humbled and honored to know that my music matters to people.

WHERE CAN WE EXPERIENCE THE ART YOU CREATED?

A link The Christmas EP is called “Peace” and it’s available for free at www.noisetrade.com/johnhatfield  All I ask for in exchange is your email address so I can keep in touch and let you know about future music.

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2011 has been a huge year creatively for me, not in volume of production, but in risks assumed. This is the year that, in part thanks to your book, I left full-time ministry to move and pursue several creative ministries with more focused intent. Scary, but good.

While making this jump, I haven’t done too many projects, because enormous amounts of time and focus were spent on a mammoth project that was a documentary covering stories from the Joplin tornado and the response that followed. Joplin has been my home away from home, and this project was important to me. In fact, today as I write, Thanksgiving 2012, marks the 1 ½ year anniversary of this historical and devastating EF5 tornado.

The project was needed at this point, where physical needs have been for the most part met or are being met, but emotional issues are very much in play. Other docs have been made, but the community wanted to see one that told the real story of the Church’s great response. Honestly, I felt inspired in the editing stage and was moved myself by the resulting creation. I was waking up at 5 am knowing exactly what I needed to do, and working late, etc.

Since that day, I knew I needed to document everything, especially knowing the national attention would be gone in no time. So I did, and poured my heart and soul into it. I would never have been able to finish if I hadn’t made the bold decision to move back and work from home. Resistance came right before going public last week. My online film school “graded” it as a final project (it was WAY bigger than the scope of the assignment). It’s their job to critique something. They basically said it was too long. That may be true if it was made only for TV or something. But this was targeted first to the people of Joplin. And they GOT everything. Every detail was not lost on them. They laughed out loud in places I did not anticipate! They identified with everything being said or shown.

Monday was the first showing. I didn’t know how many to expect. Turns out it was a packed house of 400+ seats and we had to add rows and still had people standing for all 90 minutes. Artists sound braggadocios when they are excited and I don’t mean to be. I was so very blown away and humbled by the response. I knew it would resonate, but I didn’t expect a standing ovation that lasted during the entire credits, in which one could no longer hear the music. Then when I got up there afterward, they started clapping for a second time, the stuff of goosebumps. But that’s how I feel about THEM, because they are the ones who pulled through this tragedy. I simply helped them tell their story. It was powerful.

I sold out of my first run of DVDs that night and had to order more. Something truly significant has begun. Joplin is the first target audience, but raising awareness in those who will be inspired by learning about Joplin was also another goal in the film. So one can see the trailer and order the film, complete with almost 30 minutes of extras at www.steadfastdocumentary.com.

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DESCRIBE YOURSELF

By day I am a reading instructor at Willow International Community College Center (in the middle of my 6th year at Willow, but 19th year as a teacher–taught high school before that).  I am 41 years old/young (depends on the day) and I live in Fresno, CA.

DESCRIBE YOUR ART

I am a photographer. My favorite subjects are landscapes and flowers, although I take photos of much more because of the texture, color, beauty, uniqueness, and whatever catches my attention.  I started taking photos of people (engagement, senior pictures, animals) for friends to help me learn the craft better.

WHAT WERE THE VOICES OF RESISTANCE TELLING YOU ABOUT YOUR ART? ABOUT YOU?

The voices of resistance were in my own head.  “You’re not good enough to display your photographs, let alone sell any.”  “Why are you wasting your time and money?”  Those were the voices most common.

WHAT FINALLY PUSHED YOU OVER THE EDGE, SO THAT YOU CREATED THIS ART?

My office mate at work saw the photographs on my screen-saver, and told me that I just “had” to display my work at his wife’s studio during the Sierra Art Trails event (October (2011).  So I applied and submitted my photographs to be accepted into the show. They were displayed in 2011 and 2012.  Both years exceeded my expectations and I am so grateful to my family, friends, and colleagues who have encouraged me.

DESCRIBE HOW YOU FELT THE MOMENT IT WENT PUBLIC. TELL THAT STORY.

Seeing my photographs actually displayed in a professional way was a “wow” moment.  I still had those thoughts of “there are real photographers and no one wants to look at my photographs,” but just getting my photographs up and displayed was an accomplishment.  I was putting myself out there and it was scary, but I grew from the experience.  It is a lot of work especially working a full time teaching job, but I love when people get joy out of seeing a photograph that I got joy out of taking.

WHERE CAN WE SEE THE ART YOU CREATED?

Sierra Art Trails is always the first weekend in October, and my photography can be viewed there.  I’ve also created a portfolio website – www.akbphotography.net.

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