BE A CREATIVE PIONEER

Why is it so hard to produce? I find the pain of producing something new gets harder with age. It really would be easier to just sit back and let the younger guys do it…let someone else with more energy…with more knowledge create.

But all at once I’m struck with the truth that God has made me unique and has done unique things in my life and I need and should express just that.

Our lack of art making could be robbing the world of a God inspired expression that points people to a loving God… A God who longs to connect to us. It’s an expression that gives humanity a glimmer of hope in the human condition.

So…why is this hard to remember? And just knowing this is somehow supposed to motivate us to create?

In thinking back to times when I have been most productive a few things seem to be present and maybe in this order…

1.   Inspiration – this comes from many sources: music, a photograph, graphic design, architecture, a painting, an experience, nature, theatre, film, a book, and God’s truth. We have to expose ourselves to things. Things outside our area are even better. I can’t count how many creative people I come into contact with - all telling me they are only interested in what’s going on in their field. No wonder all their work looks alike.

2.     An idea – this starts with a thought that wont let me go. It burns in me. It’s new and excites me. In the moment of inspiration capture it; write the idea down. I get great ides when im doing menial tasks i.e. shower, driving etc. I always have a notebook handy.

3.    When stuck for solutions… sleep on it. Write ideas down as soon as you wake up. The subconscious does wonders while we sleep.

Our training can’t get us there but at times it helps channel our inspiration. Steven Nachmanovitch says, “ knowledge of the creative process cannot substitute for creativity, but it can save us from giving up on creativity when the challenges seem too intimidating and free play seem blocked”.

I don’t believe creativity can be taught nor is it just for a select few. We are all made in the image of our creator God. We are creative…just accept it and then tap into it. I’ve stated it before in another post. As we grow older we are made to believe that creativity is for children. We are told to stop being creative so we can move on to more mature endeavors. Go back to being a child… do something in a new way and watch the possibilities open up.  When’s the last time you laid on the floor and looked up? Something up there might be your next idea. The world desperately needs creative solutions and ideas. Where are the artistic pioneers? Be brave and explore new land.  

THE ART OF DOING

I’ve been reflecting back recently on this past fall when I was in production of my first solo show (Epoh’s Pocket Full Of Snow) and how the experience has changed me. At times it was the most stressful-gut wrenching-nerve racking-experience.


I stretched to scrape together the financing and when it was all done I came out in the hole (who said art pays?). I had many technical challenges as I had to make the show portable to travel to churches and other venues, hence no special lighting, just props and a small array of foldable furniture. I had to deal with finding a graphic designer, once found, going back and forth with changes. It was raining the Sunday of one performance, making load in a bit difficult.

Did I mention the agony of trying to express before hand what the show was? Because it was genre bending. It was a theatrical clown performance but not a clown show. It had audience participation, physical comedy, but at other times it had very soft tender dramatic moments. It was a drama without any spoken word, but not a mime show although mime technique was used at times. I used magic not as a clown doing a trick and saying “tah-dah” now clap for what I just did. Magic was employed in an attempt to further highlight the plot. There was a section where my character opened a delivered package (a shadow puppet theatre) and preformed a funky, at times funny and humble, little nativity scene.

Now I ask you, how do you adequately promote this?  Right! You guessed it! I almost got hung up on asking if they were interested. I thought different was good? Innovative theatre was wanted? Never been done before was sought out? I thought this was the age of the church wanting to connect in a relevant way by bringing the arts into the church service?

The preview performance was a disaster. One of the key props broke (a glass snow globe) wetting other paper props that had to be used later, throwing timing off. The sound program was doing weird things to the sound ques. I almost forgot entire sequences of the show. The most important key moment at the end all went wrong. There is a moment when my character is supposed to touch a “magic red light” to his heart area when his heart lights up – signifying God has given hope (only the biggest theme in the whole play). The only problem was the light came on several times too early. Then when it was time to come on it went out a few seconds later never to come on again instead of staying on to finish out the show as the stage lights fade out and we only see his heart glowing.

With all the difficulty a beautiful thing happened…people got it! People were moved! Feedback was great (read reviews). And the show got better.

Now I could have just given up. It would have been easier and a heck of a lot less stressful. I pushed through. Art demands it! Art is work and it takes a lot out of you but what it does leave you is the satisfaction of getting the creation out of your head and into the hard “light” of the world.  The true artist, in my estimation, just has to get the idea out of his head. It won’t let you go – it burns in you.  The idea nags at you begging, "create me". I’ve heard it being described as giving birth – it’s painful but beautiful. I think there is something to this. The artist’s work is just like anyone else who works - the Bible describes man having to labor by the sweat of his brow (effort/pain). This is it isn’t it? We think, albeit erroneously, that creating art should be effortless or at least not painful. Or even no one else struggles as much as me. And even more so with the artist who is a Christian. We feel that creating works of art that are for God should be without difficulty. After all didn’t God give it to me? Didn’t God place it there? So why is it so hard to accomplish the completion of it?

What ever your process of staying motivated and creating - we artists must push through. We must create! We are obligated to the idea. And if you are anything like me, you just have to do it – it won’t let you go. My fellow artists join me in seeing the beauty in the process. The journey is part of the art or to phrase it another way the whole is much more than the sum of its parts – see the value in it. Push on. Create! 


(Click on pics to view larger. To view video clips from the preview performance click here) I'm available to perform for special events - contact me for details: todddurrance@gmail.com.

Feeling Burnt out creatively?

As a person who does creative ministry I find Psalm 40 to be a great inspiration for creativity.

Ps. 40: 3  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

I often feel I have nothing new to give or bring to the table. If you are like me you don’t like to repeat yourself or just copy what is already out there. We want “New”. But in our effort to be unique and original we somehow keep going back to the tried and true. We want to hold tight to the familiar. The boring known is better than the scary unknown. I like what Nancy Beach said, “If we are not carful we can do ministry more out of memory than out of imagination”.

Lets face it when we try new things we set ourselves up for criticism. And we are plagued with the fear that the great idea might not work out or worse people might not get it. FEAR! Fear is the enemy of creativity and innovation.

But listen to Psalm 40:3 He put a NEW song, (“he” not us gave the song and guess what, not only did he give it, it’s NEW) a hymn of praise to our God (our creativity is an expression of thanksgiving) Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord (but listen what’s at stake if we don’t give creative expression: many will not see and many will not put their trust in the Lord).

Artists have a duty to seek after the new…the good news is God has already provided it. Us creative’s traverse in the realm of the prophetic. We give expression to what is felt and seen in the spirit. We speak from the heart and God wants to use us. We need to trust God in our creativity and not look outward but ask God to reveal to us what he wants us to say through our art. Only than will our art transcend and speak to the heart. And dare I say even at times transcend technique. We all know we have been confounded by the non-professional when their art, as crude as it is, touches us deep and stirs our spirit.

Let go of the familiar and seek out that new song. A Greek philosopher made this point, “You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing onto you”.  This is a word picture of how the Spirit of God moves – it’s fresh water. We serve a creative God who is forever giving us something new. He designed us in his image. The first image I see in the Bible is that of a 

creative being surprising us with his beautiful creative power.

I think many times I don’t partner with God in his creation because I’m doing it my way. Adam and Eve got kicked out of God’s creation for that very thing. We don’t take that new song God has freely given us – the self-expression of what God is constantly doing in our lives. This is always in flux, hence always new.

A Life Line

Joe struck up a conversation with me as soon as he got into the classroom. A large kid, somewhere between husky and fat with a very respectful tone in his voice you don’t often hear in teens these days. As he sat down waiting for the bell to ring signaling the start of class, I noticed he was writing in his notebook. I asked him if he likes to write? He says he writes poetry a lot. I threw a challenge to him by asking him to write me something just to see what he would say.

He brought this back to me and asked me to read it and to tell him what I thought about it.

(A rap by Joe a student in the 11^th grade, Winter 2009)

Hard times has me facing,

Trials and tribulations,

And every other day I strive but God

Is always patient.

So I take all that I learn into

Consideration,

And make sure all of my enemies stayed

Choked leaving no ventilation.

I gotta find a way to pursue my goal,

Will this thug life stop? Nobody knows.

From what I see you need to follow

The hourglass,

In order to look to the future you should

Know your past.

Hard times made me understand,

The reason for my past,

But I didn’t know what to do with

Blood on my hands,

Until I realized God really had a plan,

AND that plan was to be make me a better

Man.

I finished reading it at my desk and then called him over to ask questions. I said “thug life”, are you in a gang, of course I didn’t think he fit the profile. He answered, “yes” he and some relatives are in a Laotian gang called “TLC” in Linda Vista, CA. I was surprised! It sounds like you are talking about killing someone, “blood on my hands”. Joe says he and his relatives have killed people, his voiced trailed off – he was not bragging when he told me this. In a soft tone he added, "I've seen people shot and killed right in front of me... There’s not much hope for the kids who grow up in my neighborhood – you’re stuck". He told me he is doing everything in his power to keep his little brothers from going into the gang. He told his uncle to leave his brothers alone. He wants out so desperately. If you could see this student you would not see a gang member – no hardened by hate or revenge in him. He had a gentle spirit and a big heart. My heart was breaking just listening to his story. He genuinely wanted to share his work with me. He told me I could keep this rap, “It’s for you”. I asked him if he is a Christian he said I’m a Buddhist. I asked, “So what is your plan to get out of the gang life?” He said “My music, it’s my life. When I graduate I plan to move to L.A. to get my music career going”. He plans on going to a music school too. His notebook was full of poetry and rap – FULL.

If you could see in his eyes, the deep seeded desire to do something with his life and his talent, you would believe in him too. I told him I believe you will make it, don’t give up! Let that hate for the life you have right now drive you to pursue your talent. Don’t ever give up on your dream!

We all aren’t much different from Joe are we? We are all pursuing something. I often run into people who aren’t even aware they are in pursuit. What is your goal I ask, “Goal…just to get through life”. If you haven’t already, ask yourself what are my life goals? What passion am I not pursuing? What talent are you sitting on? For some, like Joe, your talent may be your only life source. His music is his way out of the gang life he has always known.

His talent is a lifeline from God. I believe that. God gave this chubby teen in Linda Vista a way out, He threw him a lifeline – our God is so good! Have you ever considered your talent as a lifeline from God? You know God has given us our gifts no matter how insignificant we think they are. What are you doing with the gifts God has given you? Your talent just may be the lifeline to pull you out of a horrible life situation. God cares about us so much He has thrown us lifelines for help. Is it music, acting, painting, sculpting, dance, design, fashion, writing, singing…what is it?

When Is the Last Time You Created Something

When is the last time you created something?

We have to make time for our art making. Cultivating a consistent time to express ourselves through art is hard. For those of us who are artistic, planning art into our lives is necessary. Just like setting aside time to pray, it is equally important to set aside time to “make art”.

My friend, who is an accomplished independent filmmaker, artist, actor, writer, and director, asked me once why I don’t create more (i.e. direct, paint, design etc.)? I didn’t answer right away, so he asked, “Do you just do larger productions…you go from one big project to the next?” I thought for a moment…then answered “yes”. This friend was always directing some theatre piece and directing a film project and writing a script. I must confess, I was jealous. Why did he produce so much more than me?

At the time, I was producing large pieces; so large they would leave me without artistic and physical energy. It would take me awhile to get my creative energy back. Have you ever put so much energy and time into something that in the end you were mentally and physically exhausted? Your whole life style is rearranged to accommodate the project then when it’s over you are left with a gaping hole in your life so large that you feel hallow.

That bothered me – he was producing more than me! He must somehow be better than me. He had more opportunities to hone his talents by the mere amount of work he was churning out. A controlled study was done on art students. One class was told they would be graded on the quality of their work in one final “master painting”. The other class was told they would be graded on the “amount of paintings” they painted by the end of the semester. Who’s work do you think was better in the end…the class that was not graded on the quality but on the quantity?

You see the more you work at something then it naturally follows the better you get at it – you learn along the way; you practice by doing. I guess I was waiting around for the big projects rather than adapting an artistic lifestyle. I was a “part time artist”. Would you agree that prayer part time is not building a healthy spiritual life? How can you get to know God if you don’t spend time in prayer talking to Him?

How can we get better at our art if we don’t spend time doing it? It’s my deep felt belief that quality of expression in our art comes as we know more intimately the Master “Artist/Creator”. As we spend time using art to express what God reveals to us in our daily life than God gets glory and our art is made perfect in Him.

I have since adapted a creative lifestyle. I set aside time at least once a week to write down creative ideas. I set goals for my art (i.e. paint one painting a month). I’m constantly reading books on art, theatre, design, and anything to do with creativity. You have to cultivate it. Keep coming back to your goals even if you don’t reach all of them. The world isn’t waiting for you to produce…but God is. He wants to see what you will do with the gifts He has giving you.

I ask again…when is the last time you created something? If it’s been awhile then start today. Make a list of goals then get at creating that artist lifestyle your Creator created you to have. You won’t be at peace until you do what God called you to do. For those of you who can’t believe it it’s true, art is a calling.

Nothing Thoughts

The thought of nothing scares me.

How do you put that out of your mind?

Where does the heart go to be inspired?

Is there a process to retrieve it?

How are we to tap into the hidden experiences of the heart?

The unspoken unarticulated responses logged deep in the soul.

As an artist, this for me is a frustrating process

Some call it their “other” spirit. The Greeks had a name for it – the Muse

Others call it their latent, not yet actualized, self.

Does it come from inside or out?

The source of inspiration has two thoughts - as I see it. One believes it comes from within

the other says it comes from an outside source.

I tend to believe both.

The more holistic approach seems to emerge as truth for me.

If we believe there is a God who created us, and we ask Him to be our Lord, and we believe that God wants us to express our love – in all its forms, then we know it must be possible to tap into that God-placed creative expression.

God created us to be creative – like Him.

Listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit is a life long process.

It’s a direct influence felt deep within your spirit/soul.

There have been times when I was creating and I knelt down and prayed through a creative block. Okay I’ll admit I have only done this twice. We should all do this more. It’s a way of humbling yourself and removing ego as you create - ego is limiting.

This then comes from a God who IS and asks us to acknowledge Him in all of our endeavors.

The “god-thing” works both from within and without.

God is and always was = without

As a believer God/Holy Spirit now resides in us= within

At times other things “speak” to us.

Things form without (non-Spirit).

Things that we see, hear, feel, touch.

I overheard a fellow directing student tell a friend to start going through books of paintings and photography, and expose yourself to different kinds of music all for the purpose of finding that one thing that inspires you to create. I agreed with him. I do the same thing. Somewhere, some how, one thing will trigger a memory mixed with an emotion, mixed with an original solution. And now we see your unique original art.

The life long struggle as a creative person will be to find a steadier stream of inspiration; giving birth to more original thoughts and expressions.

But it’s sill a scary thought, if only fleeting, to think nothing. To have nothing new to create or say.