I have lost count of how many times I have been asked this question over the years. There are many versions of the same question but all basically coming from the viewpoint or understanding that artistic ability or creativity is something that we get from someone or from somewhere. My answer to this question usually goes something like this….
“Oh my Father is an artist, sculptor, and wood-carver and I grew up surrounded by creativity. I spent hours as a child in his studio watching him, learning, playing with all sorts of materials, so it just comes naturally I suppose.”
My response is true, and I did grow up exposed to all sorts of creative pursuits, and I recognise that played a huge part in my ability to do pretty well at almost any arty/crafty activity I have ever attempted. To me it doesn’t seem that special, it is normal. I don’t feel daunted to try new things within the creative realm, it excites me. However I have realised over the years that for many people creative ability is held almost in awe due to the lack of confidence or feelings of inadequacy in that area that they possess themselves. As a consequence I think I have at times downplayed my abilities and brushed them off as,
“It’s just the way I am,” or, “It’s nothing special, we all are gifted in different ways.”
In one form or another I have been surrounded by creativity my whole life. After those early years I have had various small creative businesses whilst raising our three children, worked in interior design, exhibited my art, run craft groups at churches, and so on. My gifts in this area have helped to provide for our family and have brought me so much joy as I have been able to often work doing what I love. For this I have always been grateful.
Then a few years ago there came a moment where my understanding of my creative ability changed quite dramatically, and it was like a switch was flicked, the light was turned on and my eyes were opened!! After walking with God for so long of course I knew that my gifts were from Him, I had complete understanding that I was created by Him and that He had a plan and a purpose for my life, but God chose this moment in my life to give me a very clear revelation of Himself as the Creator God. And this led to a new and fresh perspective for me personally in the area of creativity and how this was going to shape my life going forward.
At the time this happened God had been speaking to me and giving me a fuller understanding of grace and what it meant to truly live a grace-filled life. The verses He spoke to me through were:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10.
I delved deeper into this passage of scripture and looked more into the meaning of grace. I began looking at myself as it described, ’God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus’. The Passion Translation says, “We have become His poetry”, which is a beautiful description of how our Heavenly Father feels towards us. Through this whole process of going deeper and seeking to live in a way that echoed the grace I had received, God began revealing more of His nature as a Creator. I saw that the more time I spent with Him, the more I immersed myself in the Word, the more creative I felt, myself. Just as I had absorbed creativity from being around my earthly father and observing him, how much more is that true of being around God! The Creator of all things in heaven and earth!
The second part of those verses from Ephesians spoke of our purpose,
“a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!” (TPT)
These words have become life-defining for me in this season, I have a passion to discover the good works God has destined for me to fulfil and at this time I feel that is to help others find this grace that is freely available, to help them discover this creative Father and find their own creativity. We are made in His image and if He is creative then so are we.
Don’t be mistaken in thinking that creativity is just having artistic or musical talent, there are so many ways to be creative! Planting and tending a garden, the love of making beautiful food, and making a cosy home are all different ways to be creative. Ask God to reveal your creative side, spend time nurturing a creative pursuit, I can assure you it will bring you closer to the heart of the Father.
So today if someone asks me, “Who did you get your artistic talent from?”
My response is likely to now be, “From my Fathers!”
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