Disciplines start as habits and habits begin with doing things on a regular basis. If you want to improve and learn there are few things that are more beneficial than doing things on a regular basis. There are a few things that I try to do every day and I would recommend them to you as well.
The first one is important to every believer. I spend time in Spiritual disciplines every day. I read God’s Word and pray every day. People always talk about hearing from God and these are the two best ways. We need to pray for guidance in every aspect of life, but especially when it comes to how we spend our time and what we pursue. Of course sometimes when we pray, we wonder if we’re hearing from God or if it’s just our idea. One way that we can hear from God every single day, and that is to read the way He has spoken to His people consistently for thousands of years, by reading His Word. Spiritual disciplines are the most important part of any kind of ministry, especially creative ministry.
But what about your artistic skills. If you’re trying to build your skills as a creative there are few things that are as important as creating and working in your discipline daily. If you’re not sure where to start, or you get stuck, why not check out The Daily Creative, It’s a Facebook page where I post a daily creative challenge. Why not stop by and follow the page. That way if you’re every stuck for an idea, there will be a wealth of ideas there to get you started. You can find it here.
You might ask do I practice what I preach. The answer is yes, I try to create at least one graphic each day. I’m about to share a page that is predominantly “secular” work. You might wonder why I would do that. The answer is simple, I do feel called to the church, needless to say, but I also feel called to reach out to the arts community and in order to reach out to a community, you have to spend time in the community. I have been influenced for a very long time by what is called “low-brow” art, think the old custom car art, with the big monsters reaching through the roof of the car to grab the next gear. A lot of the work I do is in that vein. I share it in a couple places online. It keeps my skills sharp and gives me a presence in the community. You can see that type of work at my deviant art gallery. I also have a daily art blog called Beware of Artists which features similar work. I also put some of this out on shirts and other merchandise in various zazzle stores.
I also believe that we need to be lifelong learners, so I try to read part of a book besides the Bible every day. I read books on ministry, art, the Bible, as well as books on business and even some fiction because occasionally I just need a diversion. Mostly though it’s about. learning new things that will feed what I am doing.
I try to post to this blog every day and I see that as part of my mission. Blogging keeps me researching, studying and thinking. What is important is that I have something valuable to share. Hopefully if you read this, you agree.
Now of course I also have my pastorate. My church ministry is my primary work and most of my time goes to that work. The reading, the Bible study and even the art all serve that. Right now I am working on developing new ways to connect with the people who are not currently worshipping with us. One of the things I try to keep in mind in all of this is my mission, and I try to look at all I do in that light. I ask myself, “Will what I am doing further my mission and keep me in the center of God’s will?” If the answer is no, I usually try to pare it from the list.
One last thing… Don’t forget your family. If you’re too busy for the loved ones God has given you, you’re too busy. Keep your priorities in order and do your best to honor God. There are some things you can do every day to help you to that end.
AMOKArts 