As a creative, lies from the enemy affect me both personally and professionally. Failure feels like an attack against my worth, especially my worth as a creative. If I create something or do something that isn’t 100% perfect, I begin to convince myself that I am worthless.
But instead, I’m learning to roll with the punches.
Like seriously, I feel like I’m getting punched.
Because sometimes creativity means failure and failure hurts, a lot. But in those moments of vulnerability and in those moments of sheer frustration, I hunker down and force myself to create.
I’ll write a page of a screenplay or I doodle in my journal or I edit thirty seconds of a video I filmed while hiking. I just make myself create because in those moments where failure keeps punching me smack dab in the face, I’m faced with two choices: take it and grow from it or cower in fear of the next punch.
And in my experience, taking the moments of creative frustration leads to the best work I’ve ever done.
As I force myself to create, I am also reminded of MY creator. The creator of all things. I remember that I was born with this creative, artisan soul. I remember that I was created in God’s image: created to create. And like God said, all that He created was “good.” So even in the failure, even in frustration, I know this: I was created to create. When I listen to His leading, I am bound to create something great.
My favorite worship song at the moment is “So Will I,” especially when it says:
As you speak, a hundred billion failures disappear.
“So Will I”, Hillsong United
When God leads me to create out of my failure, I know everything I see as a failure is forced down, disappearing. His voice is more powerful and poignant than any lie Satan brings, especially when it comes to failure.
