Category Archives: Writing

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Overcoming the Fear of Making Art

For maybe the first time ever, I was scared to open an email message. I saw the subject line and I knew that I couldn’t delay it long. I had to open it. I had to see what it said. But I was scared.

I’ve been working on a project for Creative Communications for the Parish. It’s a worship and sermon series for this coming Advent. I’m under contract. It has to get finished. The worship services are submitted. Now I’m working on the sermons.

The other day I sent off the first sermon to have my editor take a look at it. I wanted him to provide feedback on the length, the tone, and other aspects of the sermon. Once he does so, I figured, I can move forward knowing that I’m either on the right track, or I have to adjust my direction.

So I sent off the email and waited.

I had to pay heed to Seth Godin’s advice: Ship it! Don’t wait. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t be a perfectionist. Ship it.

That’s not always easy. It means putting your art out there to be judged. It means taking a risk. It means giving up a certain amount of control.

A day or two later the email from my editor came back, and I was scared to open it. I was scared because:

  • It’s difficult to let others criticize one’s hard work.
  • It could mean even more work editing and upgrading.
  • It may reveal that they were wrong in choosing me to do this project.

But more than any of that, I was scared because criticism of my work is criticism of me. My art is part of who I am as a person, and rejecting it is rejecting me. Silly? Maybe. But it’s how I felt as I stared at that email waiting to be opened.

So after waiting an eternity of about 10 seconds (!), I opened it. My worst fears were not realized. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised. After asking for some minor editorial corrections my editor wrote: “Super work so far, Tom. We are excited about this project.”

Lesson 1: Take a risk and ship your art.

Lesson 2: Hard work is worth the effort.

Lesson 3: Accept both praise and criticism. It will make you a better artist. Had there been more constructive criticism in that email, I could have used it to improve my art even more. Having an outside party affirm my art means that I am headed in the right direction.

What fears do you have about shipping your art?

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How to Generate Ideas in Five Simple (But Not Easy) Steps

Thanks to Jon Acuff’s InstaGram feed, I learned about a little book called, A Technique for Producing Ideas, by James Webb Young. Acuff indicated that every time he needs an idea he goes through the process outlined in this book. I had to order it immediately.

The book only cost about $7, and it’s a mere 48 pages long. It came in the mail yesterday and I immediately sat down and read the whole thing. You see, as a pastor, I have to come up with new ideas on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Every week I crave ideas that will help me present the Word of God in new and interesting ways. It’s not easy to do that week after week. I also need ideas for ways to promote and publicize, for teaching techniques, for illustrations, and for outreach efforts.

One thing in the book affirmed something I told my son, Ben, just last week. He is a songwriter, and is constantly on the hunt for ideas to be included in his songs. Not often, but on occasion, he has complained about certain “core” classes that he has to take in his college curriculum. I have told him in the past that even “core” classes are a way of generating ideas.

Right now he’s taking an art class. He loves it. He especially loved visiting an art museum last week. While he was there I texted him: “Remember. This is a great way of generating ideas for songs.”

Here’s where this is affirmed in the book A Technique for Producing Ideas: The first step in generating ideas is gathering raw materials. That means that information comes from every facet of life. A creative person is interested in how things work, where they come from, how people react, where Cambodia is, or what it’s like to fly on a plane. Recently, Ben and his friends have been watching documentaries of all kinds, especially ones about North Korea of all things. He has been fascinated, and even got me interested in the subject.

Here’s what Young says about gathering raw materials:

Every really good creative person in advertising whom I have ever known has always had two noticeable characteristics: First, there was no subject under the sun in which he could not easily get interested — from, say, Egyptian burial customs to modern art. Every facet of life had fascination for him. Second, he was an extensive browser in all sorts of fields of information.

The internet has given us the greatest tool ever to be able to explore almost anything we want. At the touch of a key we can learn, grow, and become wiser.

You’ll have to read the book for yourself to understand completely how these techniques work, but here is Young’s five step process:

  1. Gather raw materials.
  2. Work over the raw materials in your mind.
  3. Let it all incubate (Let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis).
  4. The actual birth of the idea.
  5. Final shaping and development of the idea to practical usefulness.

One note: Probably the hardest part of the whole process is doing the sometimes tedious work of gathering “raw materials” and information. Everyone wants great ideas, but they don’t want to spend the time learning and growing. But that’s the fertile soil from which ideas take root, and sprout, and grow.

Start gathering raw materials right now. You never know how those materials will give birth to an idea later on.

What’s one thing new you have learned today? Please share it in the comment section below. I’d love to use your responses for my own gathering of raw material. Thanks!

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It’s Rhyme Time (Give It a Try and You’ll be Fly!)

When was the last time you wrote in rhyme? For me it had been quite some time.

Until I was contracted to write some hymns. My mind worked out like it was in a gym.

I flexed my brain…and flexed it…and flexed some more. It was like trying to settle an ancient score.

My fourth grade self took great delight. He made a bulb above me light.

Rhyme after rhyme. Time after time.

  • Light/Night
  • King/Bring
  • Peace/Release
  • Hope/Cope

What fun it was to fit the meter. I almost felt like a little cheater.

The rhymes rolled and rolled, and rolled again. And all the ink flowed right out of my pen.

  • Is/His
  • Gray/Way
  • Son/One
  • Here/Dear

It’s not too hard if you really try. The rhymes right out of your head will fly.

So if you need a creative spark, write some rhymes until it is dark.

Your challenge today is to write a poem. I don’t care if anyone’s home.

Leave it in the comments below. That way all your talent will show.

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Midnight in Milwaukee (Or, the Midwest’s Version of Midnight in Paris)

In the new film Midnight in Paris, a writer named Gil travels back to Paris of the 1920’s and meets writers and artists like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso. The film itself is an adventure in creativity and a gold mine of ideas for any writer or artist. It shows the effectiveness of blue sky thinking. Suspension of disbelief is an important tool for any creative task, and Woody Allen has led the way with this wonderful romantic comedy.

Gil spends evenings walking in Paris to get away from his annoying fiance and to feed his creative spirit. It is on those walks that he encounters writers and artists of Paris’ past. One evening Ernest Hemingway says to Gil, “You’re a writer. You make observations.” That’s what all artists and creatives do. They observe. Observation and interpretation create great art.

But with nothing new or interesting to observe there is no fuel for the creative fire. In her book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron encourages people seeking renewal of creativity to take “artist dates.” Artist dates are done on one’s own. They consist of a block of time set aside each week to nurture and feed the creative spirit.

Cameron says…

Your artist is a child. Time with a parent matters more than monies spent. A visit to a great junk store, a solo trip to the beach, an old movie seen alone together, a visit to an aquarium or an art gallery — these cost time, not money. Remember, it is the time commitment that is sacred.

Every night at midnight Gil goes out on his artist date. On that date his creativity flourishes. He finds fodder for his art. He gains renewed excitement and passion. He even finds motivation to do re-writes.

You and I will probably never meet Fitzgerald, Hemingway, or Picasso on our artist dates. But, like Gil, our creativity will be energized and renewed if we will only take the time, defeat the resistance (who doesn’t want us to do artist dates), and make observations.

Here are some of things I could do for a “midnight in Milwaukee” artist date:

  1. Stroll upon Lake Michigan’s beach
  2. Visit the Calatrava wing of the Milwaukee Art Museum
  3. Browse at the humongous Renaissance Used Book Store
  4. Shop at Winkie’s old fashioned five and dime
  5. Enjoy the fragrance of fresh produce at the West Allis Farmer’s Market
  6. Observe people at the Milwaukee Public Market
  7. Bike along the Oak Leaf Trail
  8. Enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the many ethnic festivals
  9. See a play at the fabulous Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
  10. Catch the sights and sounds of a walk down Brady Street

What suggestions do you have for a “Midnight in Paris” kind of artist date?

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How Social Media Has Helped Me Frame the Human Condition

Maybe I was naive, but I was a bit shocked. I’ll never forget the first time that a young, college-aged member of my congregation, who had “friended” me on Facebook, openly bragged and posted pictures of he and his friends participating in underaged drinking. Certainly he wouldn’t be that open about it, would he?

  1. It’s against the law.
  2. It could get one kicked out of school.
  3. Mom and dad could easily find out.
  4. My pastor is one of my friends on Facebook, and doing this would show that I’m not acting in a way  in which I was trained up and taught to act.

Ever since then I have stared in awe at the things people will reveal about themselves in open forums like Facebook and Twitter. You’ve seen and read plenty about privacy. But, in fact, there isn’t much privacy any more. We might as well get used to it. There are eyes, and ears, and cameras, and recording devices everywhere.

This post isn’t about how stupid it is to put illegal, unflattering, or embarrassing data and media on Facebook (although it could be). It’s not about ways in which these situations could be dealt with from a ministry perspective (although it could be). It’s not about protecting privacy or teaching our children to be awfully, awfully careful (although it could be).

As a pastor, artist, and creative, the thing that has interested and intrigued me about the things that people will make public, is the way in which they give us such a complete picture of the human condition. Social media offers unfiltered conversations, reactions, and opinions. It is fodder for art, for commentary, and yes for preaching Law and Gospel in Sunday sermons.

Here are some of the ways observing the human condition in and through social media can be helpful to creatives, artists, and pastors:

  1. It helps me to see my own flaws so that I can dig deep down and write things with which others will readily identify.
  2. It helps me address, from an eternal perspective, things that really matter in my writing and my preaching.
  3. It helps me to be more specific in writing about, preaching, and teaching Law.
  4. It helps me to apply Gospel comfort in a way that has the potential to be more broadly comforting to those reading or listening.
  5. It keeps my art down to earth and not “pie-in-the sky.”
  6. It fuels my empathy for those who are spiritually lost (…or at least “losing”). Empathetic artists are better artists.
  7. It reminds me that, literally, “there but by the grace of God go I.” When I apply grace to myself, I can be certain that it will be applied to others as well.

How does observing the human condition enhance your art or creativity?

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Back to the Backstory

I love a good backstory. It’s surprising. It’s scintillating. It takes the hard edges of a story and makes them soft.

ESPN and former Sports Illustrated writer, Rick Reilly, is the master of the backstory. I was reminded of it again when I read this. It’s the story of Chris Paul, the NBA star, who lost his beloved grandfather to a brutal beating by some early teen-aged hoodlums, just to get the man’s wallet.

The surprising part is the backstory about Chris Paul himself. The backstory is about Paul’s grief; about his humility; about his compassion. He was the president of his high school class three years running. He’s the one other people want around at important moments of life. And now, even though some of the criminals have been sentenced to life in prison, he wants the people who killed his grandfather to be set free.

He hates that they’re in prison. He hates that they will never see the outside world again. He hates that their lives are ruined.

It’s surprising. It’s scintillating. It takes the hard edges off of the story and makes them soft.

I’m the last person in the world to care one whit about NBA basketball. I don’t like the personalities. I don’t like the perceived laziness. I just don’t like the game.

But through the backstory of Chris Paul, Rick Reilly has made me care. He’s made me care about at least one NBA player who seems to be a genuinely good guy. I don’t necessarily agree with what Paul is pushing for, but it’s not mine to have a say one way or another. It was Chris’s grandfather that was murdered. Not mine.

I found all that surprising and scintillating. It took the hard edges off of just another NBA story and made them soft enough for me to care.

It’s an important lesson for writers and creatives:

  • Dig a little bit
  • Everyone has a story
  • People love stories
  • Stories connect
  • Stories draw people in
  • Surprising stories bring surprising reactions from readers

Go check out Rick Reilly’s writing. It’s filled with wonderful backstories.

Someday I’ll tell you the backstory about the mini-bike crash that made me lie to my parents. It’s surprising. It’s scintillating. It takes the hard edges of a story and makes them soft.

What’s a good backstory you’ve heard? How do you use backstories to enhance your creativity?

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Saying Yes to Creativity

An expert on improvisational comedy will tell you that the key to successful improv is saying “yes”. If you’ve ever been to a show at Second City or have seen ComedySportz, you have witnessed this principle in action. Watch improv take place and you will see people saying “yes” to creativity.

Here’s how it works: ComedySportz has two teams competing against one another in various improvisational games. One such game is called “Mr. Know-It-All.” Mr. Know-It-All is actually three “professional” comedians and one audience member. A question about literally anything is solicited from the audience, and Mr. Know-It-All must answer the question. The “catch” is that the three comedians and one audience member must answer the question in the form of a sentence…one word at a time, said successively by one person at a time.

Mr. Know-It-All, can you please explain the Quantum Theory? Mr. Know-It-All responds one word at a time, one person at a time. The resulting answer is hilarious because each of the players says “yes.”

Saying “yes” obviously isn’t done vocally. Each person says “yes” in his or her head to what the previous player has said. “Yes, I will follow you.” “Yes, I will go down that road.” “Yes, I will take that turn, not knowing where it will lead.” “Yes, I’m going to jump all in and keep this going.”

Saying “no” will stop the game dead in its tracks. It won’t be funny. It won’t lead to interesting places. It will most certainly lead to stifled creativity.

Saying “yes” applies to all kinds of creativity. Over the weekend I got to see a production of Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap. The entire audience was sworn to secrecy, so I won’t give away the ending. But as I watched I imagined Agatha Christie saying “yes” to her thoughts as they went down unexpected paths that led to twists, turns, and surprises. She was a master at it. She said “yes,” and wrote the longest-running play in London’s West End.

Do you cook? Say “yes” to an unexpected ingredient. Do you write songs? Say “yes” to a chord structure you’ve never tried. Do you paint? Say “yes” to painting a landscape that includes objects that are out of context. Do you act? Say “yes” to letting an emotion have its way with you.

How have you found a way that saying “yes” leads you down creative paths?