Creative Juices

I follow the Church on the Move blog titled "Seeds."  If you are a worship leader, I highly recommend you check it out.  They often proved tips and insights into leading worship as well as logistics into their services (there was a series about soundboards and mixing that was WAY over my head, but probably really good stuff for those involved with that kind of thing).  I'll save you a step; Here's the link- http://seeds.churchonthemove.com/blog

They also frequently blog about using creative elements in worship services and if you know me, you know this captures my attention. There have been a few recent posts on the creating process and I would like to share a few things that particularly struck me.

Practice creative osmosis. The Bible is clear that when we hang out with fools, we become like them. However, when we spend time with the wise we become wise. It’s a bit like osmosis – a gradual transference of substance from one place to another. The question is: Who is transferring wisdom, creativity, excellence, ideas, etc. into your life? As worship/creative leaders we must continue to surround ourselves with people who challenge our ideas, sharpen our instincts and dare us to move into new and different arenas.

Build a diverse team- Allow them to challenge you (respectfully, of course). Welcome their input and allow their ideas to trump yours at times.  They specifically recommend team members be diverse in age.

Creativity Is A Group Effort. There are no creative geniuses. There’s not one guy coming up with all the ideas. There’s not one person who can take credit for every great idea. It’s a team effort.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in creative planning is assuming your first good idea, is good enough. Think about it. Every bad church video you’ve ever seen started as a good idea to someone. I learned over the years to let even my best ideas sit for a while, because often when I allow myself time to review my ideas over and over again, I find glaring problems with my initial concept that must be adjusted to avoid a mediocre result.

We have a motto here in our creative department: “It’s not about getting it done, it’s about getting it right.” We must remember why we do what we do. Every time we open the doors of our church the seats are filled with hurting, stressed, and rejected people, men and women who desperately need to experience something real and positive.

It’s All In The Details... I’m constantly amazed at how the smallest detail can greatly make or break a worship set... The amount of time you spend on the details will have a great impact on the success or failure of your project.

A Moment

Corey and I frequent coffee shops in our town and I always bring an arsenal of books and projects. Today was no exception. But as I put one book aside and went to retrieve another from my bag, I found myself...

bored.

Not bored with the material I brought, but bored with doing. I had been non-stop for two weeks (maybe longer) and instinctively I knew I needed a break.

So I just sat. In the stillness I was content. In the not-doing I was satisfied. My mind wandered, observed, and digested thoughts I had been too busy to notice were there. I daydreamed. I gave my heart room and time to feel.

Corey noticed my lack of activity and asked if I was ready to go.

"No," I said, "just sitting."

And I sat. And then I purchased some Reese's Pieces and sat some more. Taking note of each initial crunch as I munched, I thought about the weeks gone past and the weeks to come. I reflected on how God worked and continues to move. I watched the cat (yes, this coffee shop has a cat). I contemplated. I zoned. I sighed.

The rest of the day the world seemed a little more at ease with itself and I didn't feel like it needed my attention to revolve.

3:30am

In the townhouse at MACU, I could just make-out a light pitter-patter when it rained.  The night storm over Carrollton fills my small home.  The lightening breaks through the edges of my eclipse curtains.  The thunder is boisterous and not concerned with my 7am alarm.  The rain wavers; it soothes as it trickles slowly down the windows and then pounds with fury against the roof.  According to the clock I have only been in bed for three hours and asleep for fewer.  With the storm in my ears, I flow between consciousness and the subconscious state just before sleep.

Reflecting on friendships, new and old

Praying prayers of thanksgiving, worry, and deliverance

Dreaming of a better me

Creating check-lists for tomorrow

Listening intently 

Being distracted

    at times accidentally

    at times intentionally

The storm moves on, rumbling in the distance, and eventually sleep creeps in.  Will tomorrow morning bring a more motivated, determined, organized, grace-filled me?  Or just sleep deprivation? 

Blessed to Bless Others

While I was mourning my kite shirt, I reflected on those in Japan who have lost everything.  Corey and I have been watching videos of the destruction and it is heartbreaking.  I can't imagine watching my possessions, home, town, and entire way of life being washed away.  To be surrounded by such magnitudes of destruction and devastation as waves of helplessness and hopelessness drowned me.

And here I am bawling over one shirt.

Then I began to think about all the people in the world who don't own a single shirt let alone a favorite one, families that have no home to lose.  There is need around me all the time.

And I have a home full of favorite things.

I am blessed. God has given me much.  Do I appreciate His gifts?  What am I doing with what He has given me?  How can I help those in need in Japan? In Nicaragua? In Georgia?

More Foam Board

Here are some other projects I worked on for Southern Hills.

On Wednesday nights we are doing a series called "B."  Jon Day, the Executive Pastor, asked me to make a gigantic letter B for a prop.  He bought 5 pieces of insulation foam board each 1 inch thick.  I drew the original B, cut it out, and then traced it on the remaining sheets.  After cutting out those, I glued them all together with insulation foam board glue and voila- an 8 foot tall, 5 inch thick, self-standing B.  Jon paints it a different color each week.  Again, you can't see the depth of the B in the picture, but you get the idea.  It looks awesome on stage!

For the Sunday morning Heroes series, we transformed the entire stage.  I created the word heroes, making 4ft high letters out of 5 pieces of 1/2 inch thick insulation foam board glued together.  I painted them with a high gloss white and added some grays for a grunge effect.  Here's some pictures without any lighting effects.  (For those who would like to know- the hanging windows are 2x2 boards nailed to create a frame with thin fabric stretched over it and stapled.  A frame with a t in the middle was made and then laid on top of the fabric frames and sprayed with black spray paint to create a window pane look.)

Add some LEDs and projection and here's the result.  Very cool!

Fail

Yesterday was a total fail for me in terms of t-shirt making and feeling confident in my crafting abilities.

I've been working on re-creating my first original shirt for my online shop.  This design involves bleaching in three different stages.  I began working on this shirt a few days ago and it didn't go well.  Yesterday morning was terrible.  I won't get into all the boring details, but to get right to the point this shirt will not be for sale.

It was very discouraging.  And it gets worse.

While re-thinking this project, I created a small addition that was not on the original.  Frustrated with everything going wrong, I desperately wanted something to go right.  So I dug the original out of the hamper and set out to add this adorable addition.  I could tell almost immediately that it wasn't going as planned.  Luckily I was able to stop the bleaching process with minimal damage.  Later in the evening, I decided to give it another go.  I had worked with this shirt before; I knew how it would react to the bleach.  I was extra cautious when laying out my stencil and I bleached wisely.  Everything seemed to be going great... until I removed the stencil and it revealed a large, unwanted, bleached spot.

My first original t-shirt ruined.

I did everything right!  Why did this happen?!?

I cried.
A lot.

Not just because one of my favorite shirts was now my favorite dish rag, but mostly because of how discouraged I felt.  I wanted to forget the whole online shop idea.  But by the end of the night I was thinking rationally about the pains of the creating process (and the money I already invested) and was ready to try again.

So what did I learn?

1- Bleach is not easy to work with and will not be my medium of choice in the future.

2- I like to see results; sometimes I need to wait for them.  Allow the bleach to react, let the paint dry, wait a moment while he digests the idea, sleep on it, give it time.  The results will be much more satisfactory.

3- Somethings are good just the way they are and should be left alone.

4- When everything is falling apart and frustrating the mess out of you, set it all aside and come back to it later.  Working on something you love is NOT the answer.  Curling up on the couch with your man is.

My Online Shop

Friends have often recommended that I take my crafting hobby to the next level and sell my creations online.  I appreciated the compliments, but never moved forward in creating pieces I could sell.  My insecurities got the best of me and I didn't think what I made was good enough for retail.  My lack of time gave me a viable excuse for not starting an online shop.  When discussing this with one of my friends, he said that in this instance, my opinion was the only opinion that didn't matter.  He has a point.

Moving to Georgia, I have found a lot more time for crafting and, with the encouragement of my husband, I am beginning to take the next steps towards posting my creations online for purchase.  Every week I try to create a few new pieces for my online shop and am brainstorming how to market my "brand."  I'm excited and enjoying the creating process, but I am also very nervous.

I fear rejection.  What if no one buys my products?

I fear not being good enough.  What if someone buys something and then sends it back?

I fear failing.  What if I spend more money on this than I make?

And if no one likes my stuff, is that some sort of reflection on myself?

You know those singers on American Idol that are terrible and delusional?  Most are auditioning because someone told them they could sing and they bought into the lie.  Am I doing the same thing?

Despite the quiet lingering fears, I am moving forward once more.  I have several pieces of jewelry ready, a purse done and another almost complete, and several shirts at varying stages of the creating process.  I have found a model for my jewelry and will start taking photos this week.  Now I need a name...

So if you have any ideas for my brand name, please share!

Or if you have a computer you are willing to part with (or sell for dirt cheap), I could also use that.  Seems to be an essential component for an online business...

Check back in for more updates on my online shop (along with contests and discount codes!).