A Snail's Pace

Time has flown by recently. Life is moving so fast that it's hard to believe that my first year of college is almost over. Yet, at the same time, I feel that time has never moved slower. It's a game of perspectives. On one hand, my schooling and relationships seem to be passing me by very quickly, but on the other hand, my work cannot progress fast enough—it's moving at a snail's pace.

In reality, that's not true either. Over the past two months, I have shot more concerts than ever and have been hired to shoot for various organizations, churches, universities, and even have my first wedding coming up at the end of April. Yet, somehow, I still want more. I feel that I could be doing more than I am to further my career. I could be sending more emails, making more phones calls, and spending more time honing my craft. I'm probably right. I could do all of those things. However, I recently made the realization that I want more than just bigger and better shoots.

At this point, I think most of you know my love to create. It's so much a part of me that I have to set aside time to not be creative. If I had a day to myself—where nothing was required of me—it would probably be spent taking photos, playing guitar, reading a book, listening to podcasts, and sitting at my desk writing my own stories. The fact of the matter is I serve a creative God, and for some reason, he has blessed me with part of his creative nature. At my best, I seek to reflect Him through my own creations.

But are they my creations? And if they are, do I want them to be?

I suppose the obvious answer is "of course." I spend hours on them after all. Whether it's staring at a photo over and over again trying to find that one imperfection or sitting for long periods of time thinking of the perfect title—the work I put into my projects personalizes them to myself. My writings are my words and I certainly do not want to discredit my skill. Or maybe I should. I think it's easy for creatives to see themselves in their work. I would even argue that it is natural. A songwriter may write a song about something they experienced or an author may write in a protagonist that reflects themselves. A painter may alter his or her style throughout different seasons of their life. This is the reality of creating.

In no way will I suggest that these are bad things, quite the opposite. I think that it shows sincerity and genuineness which are vital to the success of the best artists, however, as Christians I think creatives have to be wary of becoming "the best artists." And no I'm not saying that it is bad to work hard to be the best at what you do. Paul calls us to work hard in Colossians 3.

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." -Colossians 3 NLT

If every Christian is truly working their hardest, it seems apparent that some of us will no doubt become "the best" in our fields. However, I think creatives have a unique challenge because becoming "the best" in a creative field has a direct tie to oneself as an individual. This is different than any other industry except perhaps sports. For example, let's use an entrepreneur (in the business industry) who creates a successful business—Doritos chips. While some may know him or her (I certainly don't) millions more know the brand or the company: Doritos. While an individual may be responsible for starting the company, it is now much larger than any one person and thus it relies on many people to be successful.

That is wildly different than a creative's journey. A singer, photographer, painter, or actor may have a manager and people around them for support, but they are the brand. There is no logo or company name because their name is in lights. They or their work are what people pay to consume.

Therefore, I would submit that it is incredibly easy for a creative to lose sight of God's work through them and for their work to become about their creations. As soon as that switch happens, it becomes ten times easier for their identity to be shifted into their work and how they create. Just like that, they have been rendered useless to the advancement of the gospel.

And so the question becomes: As creatives, will we let our own stories get in the way of Christ's?

Once again, I would like to emphasize that I am not shaming people for telling their own stories. I only wish to pose the question: What if our story is not God's story?

All Christians have a story of redemption meaning that they have been made new in Christ. This is the most important story we can tell. Crazily, the protagonist in every single one of our stories is the same: Jesus. It's not ourselves, it's not our friends. This whole "main character/side character" discussion in culture right now is stupid and fruitless. But I digress.

"Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." -Colossians 3:24

This verse is just as important as the previous one because it speaks as to why we are to work hard. It is not for money, success, or even to become "the best." It is to serve Christ. To serve. If you view your work and your craft as a service, then it becomes way harder for your identity to fall into it. Your identity falls to who you serve: Jesus. If our identity falls to Jesus, then the stories we seek to tell and the art we choose to create will reflect that. That is ultimately where fulfillment lies for the artist—not in taking shortcuts to success, but in the snail's pace of service.

-Luke