My younger son is a musician. He’s played trumpet for six years and picked up the tuba a year ago. As a high school sophomore, he registered for two music classes: Jazz and Symphonic Bands. Music is his happy place, the band room his safety zone. His private instructor also works at the school; he … Continue reading Free to Fail
Tag: creativity
Sprinkle Kindness Everywhere
Someone left a rock dead center on the sign-in counter at the gym. Painted white with black letters reading “Sprinkle Kindness Everywhere” amidst colorful polka dots, it's so out of place it caught my attention. It reminded me of painted rocks I saw while on vacation in Pacific Grove. Someone(s) had painted stones to resemble … Continue reading Sprinkle Kindness Everywhere
Creativity as Spiritual Practice
I read in The Artist’s Way: Are you contemplative? Yes. Do you allow yourself to go on retreat? Oh, well… Shortly thereafter, I saw a magazine ad for a nearby retreat center. An ad for the same center popped up on social media a few days after that; I clicked, and Julia Cameron, author of … Continue reading Creativity as Spiritual Practice
Reading: March-April 2018
It always sounds cliche, but I simply cannot fathom how we are almost to May. One-third of this year has slid out from under my feet. The good news: summer is coming up fast, with slower days and more time for reading. Not that I'm wishing the days away, hardly, just wishing for more leisure … Continue reading Reading: March-April 2018
Proof of God’s Existence
I stand in awe of people with the kind of artistic ability you'll see in today's guest post. In fact, creative talent of this caliber, in any form--painting, drawing, making music, dancing, writing--seems to me proof enough of a Creator in whose image people were created to create. re:create recess #21: Jae Moon Lee Coincidently, … Continue reading Proof of God’s Existence
The Sad Song
I had a rare treat last weekend: a Barnes & Noble sat across the street from the hotel where we stayed. Since most bookstores in our area have closed, I relished the opportunity to spend an hour meandering, collecting a stack of books that attracted my attention for various reasons, and sitting in a corner … Continue reading The Sad Song
Phoenix
It can be hard to find beauty as you walk in the wasteland... And some days, seasons, in our lives feel just like that: devoid of beauty, wasted, bleak. But there is hope, friends, always hope. My friend Kristi reminds us to look to the phoenix. Grieve the losses, yes, but look for the new … Continue reading Phoenix
Forward
Oh friends, how I have needed the words and wisdom of this post...! Even for those who don't think of themselves as Creatives, our very lives are adventures we have the privilege to create. Ann yearns to cheer-lead and encourage, and I'm certain others also need the cool refreshment she's offering, the gentle nudge to … Continue reading Forward
All of the Above
I can't count the number of times I've heard someone say "I'm not creative" just in the last eighteen months. I disagree. We are all creative, as humans created in the image of a creative God. We've misunderstood creativity. We've unlearned the creativity so natural to children. We've allowed the critical voices to occupy space … Continue reading All of the Above
Books: June-July 2017
Eight books in two months. Six fiction (including one YA), one creative/motivational, and one feminist manifesto. Seven female authors, one male; one Nigerian and one Swede. What are you reading? Beartown by Fredrik Backman My rating: 2 of 5 stars Backman's fans will come to Beartown expecting Ove and Britt-Marie, but they will not be … Continue reading Books: June-July 2017