It sounds overly simple, but the best way to stay inspired is to do something.
Don't just sit and wait for the right thing.
Choose SOMETHING.
Because it is in the middle of doing SOMETHING that God will inspire you with THE THING.

So many Christians keep themselves up at night tossing and turning, worrying over whether or not to enter an industry that is considered "secular". We fear that if we enter into a dark space, that the influence of that space will corrupt us and swallow us whole. This is especially true in more creative/artistic fields like the music and entertainment industry.

I understand this fear to a certain extent, and I do believe we should intentionally surround ourselves with life-giving community. But I also believe that we are robbing ourselves of an incredible ministry opportunity if we subscribe 100% to this completely defensive mindset.

The darker the space, the more light it needs.

The Christian artist must stop asking, "How will this dark industry influence my faith?" and start asking, "How will I use my faith to influence this dark industry?"

"My prayer is not that you would take them out of the world, but that you would protect them from the evil one.” Jesus said this. As His followers, He very much wants us to be in the world, loving, serving, actively living shining a light, and allow God to protect us from whatever darkness might dare try to overtake us.

I don't like watching the movie Cast Away. Not because I don't think it's a great movie, it's because of Wilson. That dang volleyball makes me cry every time.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie that I actually enjoy watching though, is when Tom Hanks' character succeeds at creating fire for the first time. The minute Hanks sees the tiniest spark, his entire mind and body go into hyper speed fanning, coaxing, and praying the little flame into a blazing fire. If he loses the flame, he may lose his life. This could be his one chance.

To me, this is the perfect image for what my creative process looks like. When inspiration hits, it usually comes in the form of a tiny spark. And I've learned over the years that I must immediately do whatever I can to fan it into flame, or else the idea might be lost forever.

Perhaps this is exactly what the writer of 2 Timothy meant when He said, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands." (2 Timothy 1:6) The moment we get a glimpse of God's movement or hand in our lives, we must immediately fan that flame into growth.

In other words, God provides the spark and asks, "Will you fan it into flame?"

The artist never allows a spark to extinguish. She knows that each spark must be coaxed and formed until a blazing fire is born. Then, and only then, can her inspiration grow into art.

Moments are not moments
Moments are opportunities
A project is not a project
A project is a mission
Work is not work
Work is play

Collaboration is not a pain
It's a privilege
Connection is not a byproduct
It's a goal
Dreams are not dreams
They're the future

Fear is not fear
It's a compass, pointing up toward where to go next
Inspiration is not illusive
It is sought after, hunted, shot down, beaten, dragged, chased, whatever it takes
Love is not a distraction from what's important
It's the driving force behind it

Failure is not failure
It's a detour to success

Ideas are not ideas
They are the birth of something much, much more

I have this fantasy picture in my head of what it looks like to be a "real writer". A cabin on the shore of the lake, early morning coffee, walls lined with nothing but bookshelves and a giant window, out of which I can watch the sunrise and hack away on my old typewriter.

In reality, I don't drink coffee. The only water I live near is the leaky drain pipe above my bedroom window in Harlem. And most of my writing is done either in my dressing room during my breaks throughout the show, or on my phone as I bump along my commute on the subway.

To quote Amy Poehler, who just released her memoir, "Yes Please", "I wrote it when I could. I had to let go of the idea that creativity comes out of stillness. I find that creativity usually comes out of chaos."

Not to accuse Poehler of plagiarism, but I think she may have been borrowing from Genesis 1 there. "Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep." (Genesis 1:2) Out of this chaotic, empty mess, God begins the process of the creation of the universe. God didn't wait until He had His ducks in a row, because He knew that His creativity was the only antidote for chaos.

Don't wait for everything to make sense before you start creating. The most honest, vulnerable, and vital creativity is forged within the chaos, on the journey towards clarity.

Like many young artists, I started off believing the lie that I had to do everything myself. I tried this for several years in college, and not surprisingly, every project I started during that time failed.

Being an artist doesn't mean doing everything yourself. Just because art is personal doesn't mean we have to make it selfish, or prideful. If we get stuck doing everything ourselves, then we're serving a mission that is no bigger than that, ourselves.

When we discover how to delegate though, it not only serves us and the project, but we have a shot at serving a vision that is much greater than ourselves.

There are several signs that it might be time for you to delegate.
1. You don't have enough time to do it all yourself.
2. The person you are thinking of delegating to is actually more skilled that that area than you are.
3. You can't always be there, but the project still needs to grow even when you're not.

Delegation is not a sign of weakness. It goes for beyond strength. It's a sign of wisdom and humility.

Allow me to backtrack on myself here for just a moment so as to be absolutely clear about something. I fear that many who read this blog have begun to operate under the assumption that we need to seek creativity in our lives. While I can see how some could infer that from my writing, this is not at all what I mean to say.

Creativity is not the goal. Making an impact, changing a heart, encouraging someone, forging connections, these types of things are the goal. Creativity, I believe, is simply the most effective way to achieve these types of goals.

In the same way that church can become an idol for the Christian, creativity can become an idol for the artist. It is dangerous when the pathway to the thing becomes the thing itself. It is dangerous when the types of tools become more important to the carpenter than the chair he's actually making. An arrow is pretty useless if it's never aimed at a target. (Okay Jon, enough metaphors)

Creativity is not the destination. (Maybe one more) It is the paddle we use as we traverse rough seas on the way towards doing work that matters and makes an impact on the world.

The bum believes that he must wait for the muse to visit him. Then, once he has entered his illusive flow state, he can begin the hard work of creating.

This is a lie. When we wait for the muse, we are waiting for Guffman, waiting for Godot. We are waiting for someone who will never arrive.

The artist knows that she cannot wait for the muse to visit, but rather, she must go visit the muse. She must visit the muse daily. She must pound relentlessly on the her cottage door until she awakens the inspiration within and the entryway is opened to her next project.

Stop waiting for what that is meant to be searched out.

Fifty years ago, knowledge was power. If you knew stuff, you had things that other people needed to search and claw and journey for. Today, we simply Google it.

The point needs no more emphasis than that, in the age of the internet, knowledge is now a commodity. Each day, all across the globe, thousands of humans are given internet access for the first time, and things are only speeding up. When everyone is given an infinite amount of information at the tips of their thumbs, knowing things no longer gets you ahead.

So who then?
Who in today's world has the competitive edge?

As the world moves closer and closer to everyone having access to the same information, it is those who use that information most effectively who will shape and lead us into the future.

This is why creativity is so vital in our world today. At it's core, creativity is the ability to make something out of what's been put in front of you. So when an ocean of knowledge is at our fingertips, it is the creatives who rule the day.

When knowledge becomes a commodity, the power belongs to the creatives.