Running Low On Creativity

CONFESSION #24: Even thought I don't like to admit it, even I run out of creative ideas and find myself in a creative slump.

Admit it. We all experience those moments when we run out of ideas and creativity. After twenty four days of this 31 day series, I'm hitting that wall myself. And when people run low on creativity there are only a few things to do.

1. Stubbornly Try to Push Through
2. Give Up Altogether
3. Take a Break and Come Back Later

Okay, maybe there are a few other things that people can do, but these seem to be pretty common ones... particularly for me. Right now, I'm at stage three. 

It doesn't mean that I'm giving up on this series. By no means! I'm loving every minute of this series. But as I prepare to go away for a conference this weekend, I'm realizing that my creative juices need a bit of a rest. In fact, I feel like I've exhausted my creative juices. That's a good thing! But it also means that I need to take a step back and come back later.

How often does that happen in our creativity? Sometimes we just need to take a step back and see the whole picture. Or sometimes we just need to be reminded of the vision. Or sometimes we just need a break from the details. Other might even need to see the details in order to get the whole picture. 

Humans are not God. We don't have the ability to create 24/7.  Sometimes we do need to walk away for a bit, take a break, or a rest. It energizes us for when we do come back from our work. 

In essence creativity is very similar to a theology of work. We should work hard for the glory of God, but we also need to humbly take a step away and rest. 

For me, some of my greatest ideas have come from inspiration that I encounter during periods of rest. At rest, my brain isn't working as hard. It's more open, more aware, and it's more prepared to experience divine inspiration. That's how I came up with the concept for this 31 day series. 

It was during the summer. I had just returned from Poland, and I had two weeks to kill until the beginning of the fall semester. So I often found myself just hanging out, reading outside, going for short walks, or taking little excursions. I was petting my dog while relaxing on a coach when I came up with the idea for Confessions of a Creative Christian, and it stuck. 

The same thing happened when I came up with the idea and the title for this blog. I'm pretty sure that I was just laying in my dorm bed listening to music when the idea for Engaging Culture came to me. 

God gives me my best ideas at the most random times, but particularly when I'm at rest. 

So this weekend, my plan is to rest from creativity. There will still be a book review on Saturday and a passage on rest on Sunday. But my hope is that during this weekend that the Lord would send me some divine inspiration on how to end this 31 day series on a strong note. (There's only a week left!)

Right now, I have some ideas floating in my head, but it's time to end this race in a strong stride. And for that, I'm going to need some rest before the final stretch. So pray for me. Pray for some divine inspiration this weekend. 

And take some time just rest too and allow the Lord to send you some creative inspiration. 

This post is part of a 31 day series called Confessions of a Creative Christian.