Made to Create Ok God, I''m going to do it. I sat staring at my phone. On it was an illustration I had just finished drawing days before. I was planning to share it on Instagram, which I had done many times with other pieces. But this time felt different. The drawing itself was of a dark-skinned Black woman, standing in a field of wildflowers. Her vibrantly colored headband held back her fluffy dark brown fro. She was dressed in a beautiful tan blouse and wore a pair of pink dangly earrings.
The words "Do It As Worship" were written in the sky as she looked out ahead of her. As I stared at the image, I could feel my stomach drop. It was as if butterflies were flying around in there. My throat suddenly felt extremely dry as I tried to swallow. I closed my eyes and hit Publish. With my eyes closed, I exhaled, "I''m doing this." The post went onto my Instagram page and along with it came a flood of emotions. I reread my caption a few times, checking that it was clear and free of any errors I could have missed.
My words and this image were out there for everyone to see and read. I was really doing this. It hadn''t been an easy road though. The path that I had taken to get there had been difficult and lonely and untraditional, but I had found my own way and had figured out a lot of things on my own, and I wanted to share it with others. I felt the desire to help other women, especially women of color, lean into their creativity. I didn''t see many women that looked like me pursuing creative careers in illustration. Of course, there were some, but not enough to make me feel that the art world would have room for more of us--room for me. Women of color weren''t the ones getting all of the attention, big contracts, or promotions as mentors.
My experience, as an artist and small-business owner of Spoonful of Faith, taught me that running hard enough, working long enough, or fighting my way up the ranks wasn''t the road for me. I knew that end of the route only held burnout. Somewhere in my journey, I had gained the confidence to find my artistic voice and share it with others. Not the voice the world had painted for me as a Black artist, but the voice and message that felt uniquely mine. I had figured out how to have courage in being exactly who God created me to be. Black, loving, free, soft, bold, and joyous. That voice was mine; it was unlike any other, and it was made in the image of the Creator. But my heart had also seen so many other women like me who had struggled to find their footing.
So many with potential and creative gifts that didn''t know how to walk forward. Women who, like me, didn''t feel seen or didn''t know the way. Women who were bubbling with ideas and creativity but felt there was no room in this world for what they were given to share. Why did it have to be such a long and treacherous process for us? F or about two years I sat with the idea that I needed to do something to chart a healthy way forward for budding creators. Not in the hustle-and-grind kind of way but in a way that encourages them to create from a place that feels free and authentic and is led by faith, instead of driven by sales, productivity, or accolades. Deep in my heart, I felt the responsibility and desire to share what I''d learned with others, but I didn''t think I had time to add this to my never-ending to-do list. During this same time, I was fielding text messages from girlfriends and emails from strangers asking me how I showed up with confidence, doing something that felt so authentic to me and that seemed like it was working for me. I had fellow entrepreneurs tell me they had been struggling to find their voice and show up more confidently in the sea of social media and algorithms.
They felt like they couldn''t keep their heads above water. Women I would meet at events would tell me they simply didn''t feel like they were creative or that they even trusted in their creativity. I knew I had to extend a hand to other creatives who felt stuck, lonely, or unsure in their path, just like I had been. My post with the official announcement starting a small online community and course called Do It as Worship was up. I read and reread my caption, waiting to see how my community would respond. I was relieved. I''d done it. I''d put it out there, trusting that God would reveal the next steps for nurturing the women He would bring into this community.
My nerves turned to excitement for what was ahead. Over the next few months, I walked side by side with women across the country. Brick by brick we built a creative community. We shared hopes and dreams and comforted one another through fears and setbacks. We wrestled with creative blocks and juggling priorities. I''d have moments of overwhelm, feeling like I had taken on way too much, then I''d witness times where someone would have breakthrough. I saw women who had for so long felt shut down and silenced find a safe place to be open and heard again. Women who had never shared their dreams shared them with me in this special place.
The community was a place of encouragement where women pushed through fears, became unstuck, released the pressure to perform, and used the wonderfully unique gifts that were inside them. One by one, they began to recognize their uniqueness and figure out their way forward. One woman shared her struggles as a creative: "I have found myself lost in my identity as the suggestions of others clouded my judgment as to what I should be creating and doing with my gifts." In comparing herself to others, she became confused about what to do with her creative gifts. Through this group she discovered her work was never equal to her worth. She found power in the act of creating simply to create--as a way to honor the gift and the Giver. She experienced freedom that she hadn''t felt before. The work God was doing in all of us through connection and community brought tears to my eyes.
I watched and witnessed image bearers open their mouths, speak life into the things they had been called to do, and create. Many of them gained confidence to walk forward, to show up exactly as God created them to be. No longer afraid, no longer comparing--but free to be. And that is my prayer for you as you read the words in this book. I want you to find freedom, joy, and confidence to use your creative gifts, too. I want to be a mentor for you. The mentor I wish I had early in my career, reminding me that in the same way that God made me one-of-a-kind, God had given me the ability to make something that is one-of-a-kind. God invited me to "create by faith," as I like to say.
By tapping into that well of creativity, I could have impact beyond my wildest dreams. God can use your creativity, too. Maybe you''ve started believing the lie that you aren''t creative. Or maybe you feel that what you have to offer is not enough. Maybe you''ve always doubted that what God gave you was enough or that it could be used in a way that encourages your people or those around you. Maybe, like me, the spark used to be there, and life blew it out. This book is your invitation to join me in discovering how you can take your Godgiven gifts and use them in confidence and joyful worship. As you create by faith--picking up your brushes, your pens, your hands--you''ll discover that God wants to teach, love, and transform you and the lives around you.
As you read, my hope is that the words and stories release you and your heart from the burden of producing, the pressure to perform, to be perfect, or have it all figured out. Instead, I hope you grow in confidence, knowing that you can just show up as your unique self, with what you''ve been given, and experience freedom and joy as you create. At the end of each section of this book, you''ll find creative challenges, a playlist, reflection questions, and an affirmation. All of these I offer in the hope that they will propel you forward as your creativity blooms and flourishes. Take your time walking through the book, reflecting on your own journey as you learn from mine, making space for new thoughts and ideas to emerge, and finding encouragement and motivation to create. When we make room for Him in the way we create, our gifts will make room for God''s blessing to cover us in more ways than we can imagine. Okay, friend, let''s do this!.