At this time of pressing circumstances, it is hard to even think about simplifying. It may not be an option. Yet it is so vital to streamline in order to survive. As a creative person, it is crucial to cling to our faith and art amidst a swirling vortex of demands, information overload and clutter. We are officially the most over-informed and communication saturated generation yet, so it is no wonder our creative time is ever-decreasing. In chapter seven, Janice Elsheimer gave us insight and advice about reclaiming our time as artists. While the book was written some time ago, the next chapter still offers valuable guidance on simplifying which may be more important than ever before if we are to keep our spiritual sanity and guard our craft.
 

 
While the verse she quotes seems like a ridiculous suggestion at this time in our history as a nation and world, the Truth of Scripture is ageless and always applicable. “Jesus taught us that, in order to have an authentic relationship with our Creator, we must trust God and not get caught up in the worries and busyness of life.” She is alluding to Luke:22, of course, as it was uttered by our Lord Jesus in simpler, yet not dissimilar times.(p.140)

 
Since the book was written, the majority of Amaricans have gotten into thousands of dollars in debt, many out of necessity. Yet there is still some truth to how she cuts to the chase with, “We need to step off the materialism treadmill and start trusting God to meet our needs.” Indeed, many of us don't just need our deisres satisfied, we need to return to a deep place of faith which informs our every-day mindset. Many need miracles in this economy and so their thoughts finally turn back to Him as the Giver of all good things. If at all possible, she encourages us to simplify by making life less complicated and focus on what brings greater meaning as well as stepping out of fear into faith. (p.141) Many people are living on just that right now. This is where faith hits the road...hard. It either stands up to the impact or crumbles. It makes me think of a commercial, "Got Faith?" We certainly need it right now. Perhaps that is the reason we are in this situation.

 
Much of what we consider necessity isn't. All those channels. Three types of sports for our children. Our daily latte. Six social media sites that take up our free time. There are usually things we can cut from our lives that will streamline and bring simplicity. Then relief. Then peace. The result is more time or money for the truly necessary and meaningful. “We need to selectively prune away the things in our lives that are not life-giving.” (p. 143) One practice Elsheimer empasizes is honesty. (p.146)  With a gentle yet firm honesty under the Holy Spirit's direction, we can avoid many pitalls that consume our time and energy against our wishes. God sometimes uses difficulty to draw us back to Him and so it is wise to respond to His call. As a creative, you are probably feeling the brunt of this economy acutely, whether you have followed Him closely lately or not, so this is even more important now. We must keep some space in our lives for meaningful communion with Him. “When we confess our sin, either in prayer or writing, we clear the air and reopen the lines of communion between His Spirit and us.” (p.148) The subsequent pages offer very helpful information as far as the financial aspects of an artist's life and sound advice for these difficult times. Creatives often struggle with this area, so Elsheimer's observations and helpful guidelines are a practical, timely help.

I hope you have enjoyed our journey through The Creative Call and taken away much. I encourage you to continue your Day Book and flip back in it often to see how the Faithful Creator has walked with you, leading you gently by the hand into greater creativity and faith.
The conclusion and appendices offer yet more insights and tips and are highly recommended. Thank you to the author for her wonderfully written resource. It has and will continue to be a valuable one in my library and for many others as well.

 
Our next book will be Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water: Reflections of Art and Faith. It will begin on January 11^th with the first chapter. I hope you will join us!