Patterns
The Things We Continue
To catch up on this topic read the previous post here.
So why do we start things we don’t finish?
I had this conversation with a friend a few months ago. We boiled it down to this. People need outlets for creativity. Every time something new comes along we see it as an opportunity to be creative… and yes this applies to twitter. How many times have you thought, “I hope people like this status!” We find ourselves trying to creatively express our inner being through all kinds of different mediums. Even if your status update is just something funny, it might be saying something about your character or the way you look at the world. What do your status updates say about you?
You see, creativity is all about expression. The trick is to find a healthy pattern of creative expression. Without a healthy outlet for creativity we will find ourselves jumping from one thing to the next… stopping the things we’ve started. Here are some things that I’ve found helpful.
Creativity is about Time
Everyone, weather they think so or not, is creative. We all want to reveal who we are through things we create. This is a natural part of our being. If we don’t intentionaly create space for creativity we will find ourselves feeling dry. God not only created space in his life to create, but he created space and time itself!
Creativity is about Breaks
We have to be careful not to let our creativity take control of us. When all you’re focused on is creating a product it’s easy to push your self. “I have to finish this now!” It’s ok to take a break and come back to whatever you’re working on later. You don’t have to spend days on end working on something creative. At some point it gets to be work and not fun. Set aside times where you can be creative for a while and then pause until the next time. God spent six days creating and on the seventh he rested. Take time to enjoy what you’ve done so far.
Creativity is about Process
When you’re creating you don’t have to think about how other’s will view what you’re doing. Creativity is all about taking the time to be you and enjoy how God made you along the way. It’s ok to mess up and make mistakes. If God didn’t enjoy the processes of creation he could have made everything instantly, but instead he took his time to enjoy himself along the way. He took moments to say, “It is good.”
Creativity is about Excellence
Whatever you’re doing, even if you’re not good at it, I think you can still be excellent. That may not make sense at first, but let me elaborate. You’re end product might not seem good to others, but if you put real effort into it you will be able to enjoy your creation. Your creation will be a natural reflection of who you are. God didn’t just slap humankind together, he made us in his image. This took time, thought and care. People can criticize your creations all they want, but if your heart was in the process then it is good!
God’s plan for creation included a moment in which he created a small child… Christ… God with us… Emmanuel. God created himself (crazy thought) so that he could redeem and rescue the world. What a creative plan from a creative God! I hope that this Christmas you will find yourself inspired by God, the creator to set aside some time and partner with him in a creative and new way. God is working on you and through you, and he won’t stop.
I wish you a very creative and merry Christmas!
The Things We Start
Why do we start things we don’t finish?
Over the past few years I’ve tried to write a book, host a podcast, run an online business, design an iPhone app, and who knows what else. They were all great things, and really fun, but I didn’t finish one of them! How come?
And that got me thinking… It’s not just me. We all do it. Even social networking goes through patterns of starting and stopping.
Does this look like your life?
– got on myspace
- got a new email address
- got on facebook
- started a blog
- started subscribing to blogs
- deleted myspace
- played with facebook apps
- blocked facebook apps
- got another new email address
- got a twitter page
- stopped blogging
- consolidated emails
- stopped tweeting
- signed up for google wave
- and here we are…
Ok… so maybe this looks familiar now. (at least I hope I’m not the only one)
So why is it that we continue to follow this pattern? Perhaps it is a sign of something deeper going on inside of us. What do you think?
I’ve written some thoughts in a post titled The Things We Continue.