The Chaos Of Creating And The Power Of One, Simple Moment

Art is chaotic.

But it never looks like that from afar. When we think of writers, for example, we picture log cabins, snow capped mountains, and endless days to craft a masterpiece beside a roaring fire.

For me? It’s a frantic challenge to find the time in the midst of a busy life. Total chaos.

But you don’t see that. You think, “Wow, this guy has it together!” You see my worship album, my book, my course, my blog, and my podcast. But I see chaos in trying to get it all done.

I see hurrying.

I see stress.

I see that I need to go take a nap right now.

Life isn’t a Thomas Kincaid painting. It’s more like a toddler finding a box of crayons – disorganized and messy…but beautiful.

There’s a lesson here: Don’t wait for ideal circumstances to start creating. It’s a mirage. Just when you think the perfect time has arrived, life interrupts with the unexpected.

The Truth About Interruptions

Interruptions are a part of life. And I’m here to tell you that they may be exactly what your creativity needs.

You’ve probably sighed and breathed these words before: “I don’t have time”. You may have a spouse. Kids. A busy job. There’s soccer practice and birthday parties and weekend activities.

Or, you may have 21 credits on your to-do list, a volunteer position at your local church, and some semblance of a social life to maintain.

Busy. Busy. Busy.

With this mindset, you start to view your life as an interruption. But what if those “interruptions” are there as the foundation of your creativity?

Do you read Carlos Whittaker’s blog? The foundation of all of his creativity is his family. He fully engages with the beauty and craziness of fatherhood and arises with lessons – fuel for his creative projects.

So rather than disengaging and wishing you weren’t interrupted so much, start paying attention. Be present. Creative gold may be waiting in unexpected places.

But that’s only half the battle. At some point, we need to isolate ourselves and get stuff done. And that’s where we turn next.

One Simple Moment

Rather than waiting for an ideal circumstance, just seize one simple moment very soon.

I know what you’re thinking: “David, I don’t have any simple moments. My life is crazy.” OK, I get that. Mine is too. But allow me to expand your thinking.

Here are some “moments” you may not have thought of:

• A few, quick minutes in the morning
• A few, quick minutes over lunch
• Rather than watching that new TV series tonight, start something
• In the waiting room at the doctor’s office
• Record yourself fleshing out ideas as you drive (I use Evernote for this)

You’ll be surprised what one simple moment, multiplied over your lifetime will produce. Many of us fantasize a life of utter simplicity where all we have is our art, a beautiful view, and a fresh cup of coffee.

We dream of weeks and months of uninterrupted creative time. Because that’s what you need to be an artist, right? Hardly.

Stop dreaming of the ideal place and time and start seizing one, simple moment today, tomorrow, and the next. Put one foot in front of the other. Slow and steady.

What you have is today – chaotic, crazy today.

It’s about saying “yes” to the call to create. It’s saying out loud, “I may never have the ideal circumstances. But I have this one simple moment to make this world a better place.

What Are You Working On?

I’ve done these posts before, asking you what you’re working on. But here’s the deal. Some of you I haven’t heard from in a while and some of you are new. You may have never commented on a post before. Well, now’s your chance.

What are you working on?

What’s the creative project that is claiming your attention?

I’d love for you to share your project in the comments.

You are awesome!

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