The Artisan Soul

Have you read a book lately that really spoke to your heart? I have to say that The Artisan Soul by Erwin Raphael McManus is one of those books for me. From the very first chapter, the words I read made my soul burn with yearning, agreement, and connection. I've highlighted most of the book so far, wanting the words to be imprinted on my heart, for they encourage and motivate me to be creative, to be brave, to risk, and to truly be an artist.

McManus is not just an artist. He is a creative who uses his gifts to further the work of God. He started a church in LA, CA called Mosaic where the people of his congregation use their creative talents for the Kingdom. And what he calls us to in The Artisan Soul is a life of creativity...every day...no matter the medium or vehicle through which we create. What he teaches is that every soul is a creative soul, whether they think so or not.

"...the great divide is not between those who are artists and those who are not, but between those who understand that they are creative and those who have become convinced that they are not."

We are all creative. We are created by a creative God who made us into His image.

"Yet what humanity needs most is for us  to set creativity free from this singular category of the extraordinary and release it into the hands of the ordinary. Creativity should be an everyday experience. Creativity should be as common as breathing. We breathe, therefore we create."

A person might say that not all people are creative and that saying everyone is just sets a person up for failure. But as people who have the Spirit of God living within them, we are creative beings. We want to create whether it is through decorating a room, cooking a fabulous dish, writing a short story, blogging, painting, making a yard look good, or crocheting a blanket.

Being creative doesn't mean there won't be failures. There will be.

"...we live in the fear that if we aspire to be more we will discover ourselves to be less. We live in fear of failure, convinced that failure will prove us to be frauds. We have bought into the lie that creative people never fail and hence failure is proof that we are not creative."

"Fear is the shadow of creativity....The creative act is inherently an act of courage....To make our lives a creative act is to marry ourselves to risk and failure...creativity is born of risk and refined from failure. If we are at the core both spiritual beings and creative beings, then the artisan soul is where we live when we have the courage to be our truest selves."

It's so hard to step out and risk it all to share our creative selves. When we hit send on the manuscript we have written, we feel we are sending a part of very essence out for the world to judge. We fear we will be judged as inferior, which reflects on who we are at our core. But those rejections are the building stones of creativity. They are what grounds us and molds us. We are indeed "refined by failure".

This book is one that should grace every artist's bookshelf.

Do you consider yourself creative? Do you embrace your artistic soul? Or is it hard for you to say you are an artistic person...whether it is with words, paint, landscape, or food, etc? 

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Sherrinda Ketchersid is a born and bred Texan, preacher’s wife, mother of 4 children, and works part-time as a bookseller at Amazon. With the children grown and out of the house, she weaves tales of fierce knights and their ladies in a time where men were warriors and women had to be strong enough to keep them in check.

After taking time off from writing, she has returned with a new motto in place to spur her on. “Writers write. Everyone else makes excuses.” ~Jack Bickham.  No excuses this time. She is weaving her love of romance with history to bring joy and the hope of love to those who may one day read her stories. Her first book, Lord of Her Heart, released in May 2019.

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What if... I fail?

I struggled with what to write that would reach people in this time of such division. Some are hopeful, others cynical, and yet others still are angry. When I looked back over this post from one year ago, I knew if we could just put our swords down and be vulnerable about our fears instead of casting stones, we might just find we had common ground all along. This here was me being transparent about the fear of the unknown. Rest in knowing we are never without hope. In fact, we are in very good hands. <3

Whenever something is closely tied to your heart it has power over you. No matter how tight the threads of those big, beautiful dreams are woven in, they are still suspended over this vulnerable space where they cling with more fortitude than the delicate wisp should realistically have.

Despite the strength and determination behind them, dreams are fragile things. In most cases working towards the fulfillment, daunting and disheartening as it may be, is considerably less scary than reaching the summit. Once you're there it may look different than you imagined, or perhaps the view simply exposes how very far down you have to fall.

There's no going back. You're there. You've poured your heart and all those expectations out. You've bled and cried and stumbled and picked yourself back up for the uphill battle and then... you've made it. The point of no return where you will either lift off and soar to fulfilling those dreams or you'll struggle against the wind until you realize your wings don't quite cut it at that altitude. And then what?

It was so much safer on the ground, wasn't it? And even on the climb you still had your feet firmly on the ground, working your muscles at your own pace, taking a breather when you felt the strain.

Personally, I've always placed high expectations on myself. And each dream got my all, even when it eventually withered away and opened my heart to a new adventure. But right here, standing on the precipice of my very first book release, the excitement and anticipation are warring for the top seat, but there's also that worry that nips at their heels. And we all know that worry is just a prettied up name for the real culprit.

Fear.

Fear of failure. Fear of having to start again. Fear of seeing your dream plummet, taking all the hope and heart you invested back to the bottom to begin the arduous journey all over again.

Because let's face it, not all writers are going to become published authors. Not all published authors succeed. And even once successful authors can lose their clout. We can't all be the #1 Bestseller. And even the top dog will be knocked off his pedestal eventually, right?

Man, this is sounding pretty depressing, isn't it? Why dream at all? Why put yourself out there and risk the fall?

Ah, but you see, in the oddest way that is the beauty of it. The mystery. Nothing worth having comes easy. And very often the struggle makes the reward that much sweeter. Your "what if"... would be one of regret. Of never knowing because you never tried.

So to keep things in perspective I want to ask you this... What does failure look like to you? Or better yet... What is your measure of success? Because until you decide what it is you are aiming for you might decide that your summit isn't quite as scary as it seems. Maybe dreaming big doesn't have to come with all that fear. Because what I know for certain is that perfect love casts out fear. And that dream you have been nurturing... it has a purpose. That purpose may not be to make you a million dollars. That purpose might be to touch one person's life. It might be to touch yours. Without even knowing it, sometimes my own words come back and minister to my own hurts and insecurities. Sometimes I teach my self a lesson I was too stubborn to hear until I spelled it out on paper in plain English. Other times I simply love getting lost in where the story takes me, regardless of how marketable or profitable that story might be. My measure of success has more to do with doing something I love than proving to the world that I can make a living doing it. Sure, it'd be nice to have it all. But sink or swim, I'm where I want to be.

So you see... here I am at the summit. I'm braced for flight. Passion blazing in my heart so fierce it could launch me to space. And yet I'm still praying through the doubts that swamp me with every peek over that steep edge. Still making sure I've got my emergency landing gear on standby. The first aid kit at the ready to patch up for the next stretch if need be. But no matter where I land, I know that the journey has been more than worth it. Because I LOVE this. Not the doubts. But the story. Even mine, walking up that mountain. I'd walk it all over again, and maybe I will. But I'm not gonna let the "what if" ruin the exhilaration of catching air for the first time. Because what if I keep on flying. Stretch your wings. Enjoy the rush. And let tomorrow worry about itself.

Happy flying!


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Amy Leigh Simpson is the completely exhausted stay-at-home mama to the two wild-child, tow-headed toddler boys, one pretty little princess baby, and the incredibly blessed wife of her hunky hubby.

She writes Romantic Suspense chalked full of grace that is equally inspiring, nail-biting, and hilarious. And a little saucy! Okay fine, a lot saucy. :) She is a member of ACFW, and now uses her Sports Medicine degree to patch up daily boo-boos. Her greatest ambitions are to create stories that inspire hope, raise up her children to be mighty warriors for Christ, invent an all-dessert diet that works, and make up for years of sleep deprivation. 

Look for her debut novel WHEN FALL FADES out NEXT FRIDAY October 30th with WildBlue Press!

 

Fears

What if I like to write but I have no talent?
What if I only entertain myself?
What if my manuscript stinks?
What if no agent will ever take me on?
What if no editor will ever take a chance on me?
What if an agent and editor DO take a chance and my book fails miserably?
What if I get all 1 star reviews because all readers hate my book?
What if I put myself out there only to be crushed into smithereens?
What if this whole writing thing was just my own wants and not God's will?
What if I make the wrong choice to go indie instead of waiting for a traditional publisher?
What if I wait for a publisher when I should have gone indie?
What if my cover stinks?
What if my editor misses 100 spelling mistakes?
What if my fellow writing friends hate my books but are too nice to tell me?
What if--what if I'm just not good enough?

Am I the only one who hears these voices in my head from time to time? Sometimes daily?

One of my favorite songs right now is No Longer Slaves.

A few of my favorite lines:

"I'm no longer a slave to fear, for I am a child of God.

"You split the sea so I could walk right through it. You drown my fears in perfect love."

All those what ifs?

They represent our very real fears. Fear of rejection. Of failure. Of inadequacy.

I'm not going to lie. Some of those things might happen. You might get rejected. You might never publish a book. You might make a wrong choice and go down a path that isn't the best. You might have a stinky cover on a book, etc.

Our fears are real. They are valid. But they don't have to control us. We are no longer slaves to them.

Those fears lead to despair and bitterness.
But perfect love leads to hope. The hope we have in Jesus.

If we let go of fear, we can change up our what-ifs.

What if I like to write and God has gifted me with talent?
What if I can entertain someone when they need it most?
What if my manuscript is stellar?
What if the perfect agent says yes?
What if an editor takes a chance on me?
What if my book sells beyond my agent and editors' wildest dreams?
What if I get letters from people who have been touched by my stories?
What if I put myself out there and God is glorified through it?
What if this whole writing thing was not only my dream, but God's plan?
What if I make the choice to go indie and it opens wide new doors?
What if I wait for a publisher and get that contract God has been telling me to be patient for?
What if my cover is breathtaking?
What if my editor puts a pretty polish on my manuscript and makes it shine?
What if my fellow writing friends love my book and give me their honest praise?
It's so easy to think the bad. To be consumed with our fears and doubts to the point that it guarantees failure.

I'm not saying you'll never have fears.But I challenge you to let God's perfect love drown you fears. To focus on the what-ifs of HOPE.

Because regardless of how good WE are...

GOD is ALWAYS good enough. And always will be.

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and writes romantic comedy. Her latest book A Side of Love, released February 29, 2016.  She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

What If We Try And Fail?

Photo by Stuart Miles
freedigitalphotos.net

Have you ever not tried something just because you were afraid you might fail? Been there, done that, right? It's normal to fear failure and I can safely say that everyone of you have had that fear.

At church Sunday, the preacher spoke about the parable of the talents from Luke 19. You know the one where the king leaves three of his servants money while he goes away. When the king comes back, two of the servants had used their money to make more money for the king. The third servant was afraid to even invest his money to earn the king interest and buried his money to keep it safe.

Here's the thing...the king didn't want his money back. He wanted productivity. He doesn't want us to keep to ourselves what He has given. He wants us to be bold and brave.

But sometimes being brave is hard. What if we try and fail?

The question of failing shows our misunderstanding. Failure is not really failure. The end result may not look like what we expected, but it is in the trying...the journey...where our success lies. It is what we learn on the journey. It is the truths we uncover in the process.

To play it safe is not safe. It is when we open up completely, giving all of ourselves and pursuing the purpose laid out for us that we find the blessing.

And remember, when we are giving of ourselves and blessing others, we make God smile.

So if you are thinking about beginning a writing career, or if you have been on the writing journey for quite some time, don't be afraid. Just write. Just pour the story of your heart onto the page, knowing that the process is a blessing. A blessing for you and a success to God.

What are you afraid of? What is it that you really fear?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Lessons from Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Photo by njaj at freedigitalphotos.net

I just finished reading Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer, may I just say, I was enthralled. Karen wove a beautiful story with such AWESOME (hear me in a sing-song-voice!) romance. Seriously, the romance in this book was tangible and swoon-worthy, and kept me turning the page awaiting for more.

But what really struck me was the underlying lesson to be learned through Karen's story.

First, let me tell you a bit about the story. Travis Archer and his four brothers were sworn by a dying father to protect their land at all cost. In doing so, the Archer brothers become recluses, never stepping off the land, and striking fear to any and all trespassers. It's when Meredith Hayes comes to deliver a warning that things go awry and she becomes the bride of one of the Archer men. It's a story of budding love and trust in one another.

What stood out to me was the whole idea of the Archer men not leaving the land. EVER. They had a friend come to them to barter for supplies and food, but they never stepped off the land. So once Meredith entered the picture, Travis is forced to deal with her wanting to go to town and teach at the freedmen's school. Travis fears for her safety, for he cannot protect her beyond the borders of his land. What's interesting is that he could have gone with her as her body guard, but he doesn't. He doesn't leave the land, because he must protect the land. He ends up trusting her to God as she goes to teach, which is great, but the thing is, he still doesn't trust God enough to step off the land himself.

Not only do the Archer men not leave the land, they do not tolerate trespassers. They carry rifles and shoot at those who come on their land, hoping to scare them off and leave them alone. They live in fear, really. It is only when a friend of Meredith's comes looking for work, that they give in and allow them to stay. It isn't easy, but because they trust Meredith, they allow the newcomers in. (and are eventually blessed by that!)

As these men meet more people through Meredith's influence, they step out of their comfort zone and step off the land. They are met with others who come to their aid. They are supported. They didn't have to fear, for they found friendship.

And this is a message for us today. So often the busyness of life keeps us in our own little bubble. When we do have free time, all we want to do is hole up and be at home. We want to bury our nose in a book, or a movie, or lose ourselves in the stories we weave, ignoring the world around us.

But that is not what God wants from us. Look at Jesus and His ministry. He was with people a lot of the time. He ate with sinners, healed the sick, cast out demons, and cared for the people around Him. Sure, he had time alone, praying by Himself, praying with his disciples, but He spent the majority of his time loving people.

We need to be with others. Yes, writers must have time alone to write, but Jesus has a mission in this world and it is to love. To love Him and to love others. We need to connect with others and live life outside of our bubble. It's in this reality that we experience life...life you can write about!

Have you been living in a bubble? How have you made the effort to get out of your bubble and live life? How will you, if you haven't already?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Know Thyself - a Devotional to Battle Fear in Your Writing

For the past two months, I’ve been moving at speeds nearing overload. It’s been pretty crazy. From full-time work to five kids (with massive science fair projects) to a new house which needed some major cosmetic renovations, there hasn’t been a lot of time to write. It doesn’t make for a very productive wordcount…I can tell you that!


In the middle of all of this, there has been a struggle with my writing-calling. A struggle to even consider the Genesis again. A struggle to daydream about my wip. A real struggle to take my smallest moment of mental solitude and dance around the idea of ‘what if’.

Interesting enough, my fellow AlleyCat, Julia helped tag one of my main problems in her post last Tuesday.

So, I want to chat a little today about what FEAR does to our writing and how we can dissipate those fears. It really all comes down to KNOWING Thyself.

I’ve come up with 5 things that fear does.

1. Distracts – The first whispers of fear bring with them one thing for certain: distraction. It’s the little niggling of uncertainty just before the self-examination begins. This hint of fear begins the unhealthy spiral of distraction away from our creativity and writing-purpose, and if fed, will lead to #2.

2. Discourages – If we remain distracted by our fear long enough, the questions begin. Is this story really good enough? How can I ever write as well as Julie Lessman, Laura Frantz, Denise Hunter, Liz Curtis Higgs, or Robin Jones Gunn? I'm stuck in chapter 2 and will NEVER write my way out!

3. Distrusts – With comparisons comes distrust. We don’t ‘measure up’, so we begin to lose faith in our calling. The discouragement builds to such proportions it blinds us from the Truth, which then leads us to #4.

4. Distance- We distance ourselves from the Source of our calling and sometimes from the ones He’s placed in our lives to encourage us. It makes it easier not to have to face people who are going to ask us about our writing, so we don’t have to admit to our many failings (we’ve convinced ourselves of in numbers 2 & 3). We might also distance ourselves from our writing, making excuses to do anything else but open up that document. (Been here more times than I care to admit). At the very end of this long and painful battle, we fall into the pit of DOUBT.

5. Doubt – Am I called to write? Will I ever learn? Of course the judges made those kinds of comments! I’m such a failure.

Oh, how we listen too much to the wrong voice! What’s happened when we make it to this point in our 'fear downward spiral'? We’ve lost sight of something vital.

WHO. WE. ARE.

I don’t mean:

Single, white, female

Or

Middle-aged, married male

Or

30-something soccer mom

Nope – I mean even more intimate and foundational than any of those things.

We are God’s kids.

HE HAS CALLED US HIS!!!!

He has NOT given us a spirit of fear. He has given us the power of his RISEN Son – power strong enough to shake the dead, and that kind of power is much greater than any doubt.

So what do we do to battle the evil doubt monster?

Remind ourselves to whom we belong.

1. If we get distracted, we fill our minds with the truth of God. We were created for a purpose, and within the folds of that purpose is the call to write.

2. If discouragement comes, we build our COURAGE with the truth of Scripture. Romans 8:31-32, 37 “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, give us all things?...In all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.” Are you getting the hint yet? Who are you?

3. If you begin to distrust yourself, trust in the One who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light! Proverbs 3:4-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.” The One who never fails and is steadfast will make the way clear. He has called. He will equip.

4. If you feel the impulse to distance yourself, remember His GREAT love for you. So safe within his hold you will find strength, encouragement, and faith to fight against your fears. Hebrews 10:21-23 “and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” It’s all about HIS faithfulness! We have no need to run away, but we can find hope in His love and in the love our fellow writers sprinkle on us because they know Him too :-)

5. If we counteract all of those fears with the word of God, then (even if the doubt comes) we have all the truth necessary to counteract its influence. The powerful message we received in church yesterday was the story of Thomas, who declared that he needed to touch Jesus’ wounds to believe he had risen. What did Jesus say to him? “Stop doubting and believe.” Doubts may come, but through Christ we have the power to vanquish them with the TRUTH of his love.

Fear cannot win against Jesus. He’s conquered it all – so the next time fear starts to nimble at your mind and scratch at your heart, remind yourself WHOSE you are!

And the battle is over, before it begins :-)

How do you battle your fears in writing or in life? What words of wisdom or Scriptures encourage you to wage war against doubts?
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pictures courtesy of:
http://www.thechoicedrivenlife.com/seven-thoughts-on-prayer
http://eafromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/09/jesus-i-want-to-trust-in-you.html

Weeding Our Manuscripts Part One: Weed Out Fear

"Listen...you know those days when you get the mean reds?" --Holly.

"The mean reds? You mean like the blues?" --Fred (Paul).

"No... the blues are because you're getting fat or because it's been raining too long. You're just sad, that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?" --Holly.

"Sure." --Fred (Paul).

In light of gardening season I'm going to start a miniseries on the weeds that have been messing with my writing life. Maybe you notice them springing up in your manuscript...or in your own heart. Some of these will be emotional/spiritual issues that cloud up our writing lives, others will be on craft issues.

Have you ever had the mean reds? I mean in your writing life? 

An intense fear that holds you captive. Thoughts such as:

I'm afraid I'll never be good enough.

              ....of what my critique partners/agents/editors/readers will think about my manuscript.

              ....of hitting the "send" button to an agent, to a contest, to an editor.

              ....of wasting my own time and my family's time in my pursuit of writing.

              ....of writing true from my own heart, perhaps this is the most scary of all at times.

What are your fears?

So how do you turn them off?

1) Our first line of defense: prayer. I would like to say this is the one I always turn to immediately. 

Here's some Scriptures that bring me comfort:

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Luke 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

Let's remember that we're writing for the Audience of One. When we fear God, the fear of man begins to dissipate.

2) Remind yourself that its all a process.

Maybe you didn't just sign a contract from your favorite publishing house. Contest results can be elusive.

We will never reach that coveted state of writing perfection. Never. 

A few months ago I presented some writing to my face-to-face critique group. Two members asked me whether this was an older piece of writing because it wasn't the quality they were used to seeing from me. That was encouraging to me, because it showed me even though I hadn't seen the growth, it was there.

3) Don't be afraid to write badly, particularly on your rough draft.

Jennifer Egan, 2011 Pulitzer winner gave the following as her favorite craft tip in Writer's Digest (March/April 2012). Please note I am in no way advocating her book, I have not read it so I can't vouch for it.

Write Badly. Just write a lot of terrible stuff and wait for it to get better. I think the feeling that it needs to be good, that you need to wait for it to be good, is a recipe for writer's block. I've written so badly that my working title for The Keep, my last book, was A Short, Bad Novel. I'm not going to exceed that. I don't want to shoot too high. I would urge anyone to write badly and deal with the bad feelings that it brings in order to get into the habit of being a habitual writer and being present for the good stuff when it comes.

I find those words tremendously encouraging and you know what they show me?

Our insecurities about writing will not go away if we are published by X publisher, sell X copies, make the New York Times list or even win a Pulitzer. 

God is the only one who can help us put our insecurities in perspective.

4) Don't second guess anyone else's reaction to your writing.

Don't try to figure out what was meant by that Genesis judge's comment. Don't fret if you don't know how to apply the advice your critique partner gave you.

God will grow you in your writing. Allow for his timing. Don't let fear hold you back from learning, but wait for his timing. 

Just like in our spiritual life we have a growth arc. So many times I find myself frustrated because I'm not learning craft in MY time. 

Do you struggle with fear in your writing life? What helps you through the process?

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys reading and reviewing books for The Title Trakk, a Christian review site.