Have you ever had someone tell you something with the aim of encouraging you… but it ends up doing the exact opposite? That happened to me yesterday. When a well-meaning lady told me to not give up on my art.
Now, you may be wondering, what’s the big deal, Maddie? That sounds like a nice sentiment, and it was.
The problem became noticeable to me later… as I began thinking, and thinking, and thinking.
You see, the overall conversation we were having was about the difficulties of selling art and making a living off of it. So really, what the lady meant to say was that I shouldn't give up on marketing my art.
But that's not how I took it.
If you know me, you know that words matter to me. A lot.
(Guess that's why I'm a writer, huh?)
Even though I knew where this woman was coming from, and I appreciated the encouragement, I couldn’t shake the burden that these particular words put on me...
Give up. Art.
My art.
My joy, passion, peace.
Connection to my Creator.
My art is like my lifeline. It's as much a part of me as the beat of my heart or the breath in my lungs. But to the average outsider, my artwork is connected to success. To monetary success. Which I do not have.
Since I’m not making money from my art, it only seems logical to invest my time and resources in something that does give me profit. And as I've been thinking about things from this profit perspective, I've begun to doubt...
Why do I spend my Saturdays working on art products that hardly ever get bought?
Why am I spending every afternoon working on books that don't get read?
Or this blog - averaging only three readers. Why waste my time?
And besides time, what about all of the money I've put into this stuff? A printer. Ink. Five different types of paper. Website fees. Software subscriptions. Packaging materials. Shipping (my gosh, that's a big expense!).
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
It can be discouraging, I'll admit. I’ve been in a bit of a pity party thinking about my lack of ‘success’ and about how pointless it all seems.
But today, as I’ve had more time to process and reflect, God’s reminded me of something…
I do not create for cash.
In fact, before yesterday, I'd never even thought about ceasing to create.
It’s such a key part of my God-given identity that I cannot imagine my life without it. And even if I tried to stop painting, drawing, or writing… I have a feeling I’d still end up doodling in the margins of my notebooks or making up stories in my head.
It’s how God made me, and I’m so grateful for that.
So no, giving up on creating is not an option; it’d be like giving up on living. But the store, the business?
Yeah, I could give up on that.
But I won’t.
Because I know God is in this.
Every time I create, it’s for Him. It’s through Him - the Creator using me as a vessel.
Written or visual, nonfiction or fiction, painting or photo, digital or drawn, Jesus is woven into it all. Every time someone sees my art or reads my words, whether they realize it or not, they are getting a glimpse of God.
Whether one person or one million people see my work, He is still being glorified, and He is still working miracles.
So, I think it's time to change how I think about all of this business stuff:
Friends, how amazing is it that the Lord’s placed me in a season of life where I can create full-time, where I can do what I love... while sharing His love with others?
And really, is success actually measured in sales? I don’t think so.
True success is all about touching hearts and planting seeds…
His seeds.
Truth, salvation, redemption, love.
All for His glory.
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