#4 - Summer of Silence

A Season to Listen, Not Perform
There’s a strange stillness with my art right now.
The momentum that once drove me to crank out piece after piece has quieted. I’m not churning out portraits like I used to. In fact, the only thing I’m currently working on is a wild life piece for an upcoming show. It’s slow. I feel like I should be doing something more.
But maybe that’s exactly what I need.
When Production Slows, Reflection Begins
What motivated me to come back to art was singing and playing the guitar. I thought how fun it would be to blend that part of me with what I believe my true gift is, art.  I recently read Romans chapter 2 as part of my men's bible study group, and it stopped me in my tracks. It challenges motives. It examines the heart. And it made me ask myself something I’ve been avoiding:
Is my heart in the right place with my art?
Am I still creating because I truly want to share it the people willing to accept it?
Or have I started chasing money, crafting what I think might sell instead of what truly is important to me?
I don’t know the answer to either of these questions but it is something I will continue to pray and ponder about.
Art and Ambition
Turning art into a business just seemed like a natural progression. It would be nice to put a few extra dollars into my bank account.
I dream of a life where I can create art more frequently.
Somewhere along the way, “sharing my art” has become “packaging a product" and I ask myself is that what I really want.
Romans 2 reminded me that God’s not impressed by outward shows or polished surfaces. He’s after the heart. The hidden motives. The inner reality. The process, not the end product. That’s where the real work happens.
Silence Isn’t Absence
I'm not particularly inspired. But maybe that’s okay.
So, for now, I’m listening. To God. To my conscience. I don’t want to just make something—I want it to mean something.
Stay tuned. Maybe it will end up being more of the same, maybe it will be different.