Christianity is a Prism

“Christianity is a prism. It’s the light that matters, not the glass.” – @hughcards

Almost everything I post here is faith-based but I’d be remiss if I didn’t post voices that have influenced me and helped guide what I do here and how I do it. One of those people is Hugh MacLeod.

I ran into Hugh’s work around around 2005 when I stumbled upon his pdf “How to be Creative” – it’s since been turned into a book called “Ignore Everyone” but if you haven’t read the pdf it’s still out there. Actually I found the link, it’s here:

https://www.porchlightbooks.com/blog/changethis/2004/how-to-be-creative

I have to warn you, you’re not going to get some fluffy “follow your passion” or “everything will be alright” type of advice. Taking Hugh’s advice means working hard, for a long time, without any hope of fame or riches. There’s something beautiful in that though right? It’s Colossians 3:23 or John 3:30 – it’s not about us at all. I fall into that trap here on instagram where I think the number that matters is “Followers” and it’s totally not; it’s the number right next to it called “Posts” that I should have any concern of. Hugh definitely sets the example on this. On instagram alone he has over 5000 posts; that’s almost a post every day for over 13 years. I don’t think “success” looks like selling a painting to a collector to stow away in a vacuum-sealed vault for the next 100 years. Success looks like being wrung out, not having anything left, and taking everything that God gave you and leaving it on the page – happy with the work being done, knowing the recognition comes from Jesus alone. 

Anyway, Hugh has three books – all are great and offer the kind of advice you won’t find in the regular self-help for artists section. 🙌