#114 - Keep Your Creativity Flowing and Seek Guidance from God

How do you keep your creative juices flowing but also seek guidance from God in the process? Hi, my name is Shelli Hitz and I help writers take a step of faith and finally finish your book so you can impact lives with your message. In each of my Ask Shelley episodes, I promise to share at least one thing that helps you write, self publish and market your books so that you can glorify God with, with your story. So the question was, how do you keep your creativity flowing and also how do you seek guidance from God in the process? These are great questions and one of the things that I've really learned along the way as a writer, because I have not always been creative and a writer. When growing up, I was more in math and science on the left side of my brain. I went to medical school and became a physical therapist and, and gross anatomy was my favorite subject. It wasn't until I was older and God began to heal some stuff in my heart that all this creative energy and creativity and gifting started to emerge in my own life. So I've had to learn this through the years. And one of the things that has really helped me is having artist dates. So artist dates is not something I have come up with. It's something that has been shared by Julia Cameron. She's written the very popular book the Artist Way. It's not a Christian book, but it's a spiritual book, so you can read it in the context of a biblical view. But she, she shares about artist dates and just making sure we are refilling our creative well because when we're giving out, giving out, giving out, and we're writing and writing and writing and writing, it's. It's almost like you picture a well with water in it and we just keep drawing from that well and then that well starts to get empty. Maybe we get writer's block or we feel a little bit burnt out or we start procrastinating more often. You know, some of these things are actually symptoms of a deeper issue of not refilling our creative well and being dry ourselves. So she gives lots of ideas in her book and I have created a list of ideas of artist dates that you can take. And if you're a Christian Book Academy member, just reach out to us through email and we can send that to you. But one of the things that I also recommend is just, you know, connecting back with God in nature, you know, being out in nature. So many times as writers, we're on screens, we're doing research, we're typing, we're on our phone, you know, this and that. So just to get away from a screen and get out in nature, take a technology fast. You know, some of those things are great, but also just go out and enjoy like colors and go to an art museum or go to a thrift store and just look through some of their art in there or their books or, you know, the different funky outfits and just you're filling your mind with images and with things that help fill your creative well. Another way to refill your creative well is to read. So to read other books, not so that you can copy them, but so that you have information to pull from. My husband, C.J. is an avid reader. He reads a ton and I love to read too. But he is definitely, he does this so well. And then he always has ideas and quotes and things that he can pull from when he is doing his writing. So the first thing is just to ask yourself, how am I refilling my creative well? And really look for some ideas to do that. Even if it's just five minutes that you can spend just looking at some flowers out in your garden or just doing something that really just helps you capture that moment and refill your creativity. It is essential. And I think sometimes as writers, we neglect that. Your second question is, how do you seek guidance from God in the process? That's one thing that sets us apart here at Christian Book Academy is we help you partner with God as you write, publish and market your books. So not just like you're a Christian and you're a writer, but you're a kingdom writer that Matthew 6:33 Seek first the kingdom of God and then all these things will be added unto you. And so what we recommend is having regular business meetings with God. We have an entire lesson on this in the Kingdom Foundations module inside Christian Book Academy and we would love to invite you to join us@christianbookacademy.com we also have a free training on this that's a more of a shorter, condensed version and you can go to trainingauthors.com benefit business meeting and grab that as well. But what, what a business meeting with God is is you're carving out time to specifically turn off all the noise, the notifications, social media, email, phone, family, and ask the Lord for some guidance and direction and hearing his voice. We actually have an entire training inside Christian Book Academy on hearing God's voice as well, if that's something that you struggle with. And I just encourage you just to keep showing up and asking the Lord. So even today we had a war room prayer meeting with our members and I led them through a process of journaling and prayer that I just had them take one minute and ask God a specific thing. And it's amazing what even just setting your timer for one minute and saying okay Lord, what do you have to say about this writing project? Or God, what do you have to say about this book launch? Or what are you saying to me about my writing? Or dreaming with God for your writing? Even just one minute can give such clarity. But what if you set your timer for 15 minutes and you start journaling? Mark Verkler calls it two way journaling and he's really the one who taught me how to hear God's voice in this way in 2009 and it was so transformational that I now I purchased the rights to teach his material and that's what I teach inside Christian Book Academy. But we also have a free prayer conference that you can listen to Mark himself. I was so thrilled that he said yes. He was one of our speakers at our prayer edition of our Kingdom Writers Conference. And so check out that conference@domatherwritersconference.com prayer. You can get access for free for five days to listen to that. And if you're a Christian Book Academy member, it's in your conference Replays module. But there are so many things that I could talk to you about this. I think the main thing is carving out the time and making a regular practice. I really think too and I've seen the power of it writing it out. So journaling your prayers and then writing out what you sense God saying back to you. And again, we have a lot of resources for you on this and can help you even more inside Christian Book Academy. So come join us at ChristianBookAcademy.com wherever you.

We are different in that. Like I said, we help you partner with God in your writing, in your publishing and in your marketing. And check out our Kingdom Foundations module. It is just some really great information to help you get started in this way. So I hope this was helpful. Go and refill your creative well today. Take at least five minutes and take at least five minutes. Set your timer and do some journaling and connecting with God and see what he says to you today about your writing. I will talk to you next time. Bye bye.