The Thriving Christian Artist

“Making it” in the art business isn’t easy.  Every day, somebody decides that they’re going to make a go of living off of their art, and every day somebody else gives up on their dream.  For every artist who “makes it,” there are probably ten more who don’t.  

I don’t say that to discourage you - because it doesn’t have to be that way!

So what’s the difference between those who succeed and those who fail?  

There could be a bunch of f...

What would you do if the Lord told you to get up in the middle of the night and paint the Holy Spirit?

No pressure, right? 😬

In 2004, Amy Rylander, my guest on this episode of the Thriving Christian Artist, decided to paint just a little something for herself as an outlet and release for her creativity.  She got some paints and canvases for Mother's Day, and she was excited to get started.  

But she wasn’t expecting for he...

Change is never easy.  And the bigger the change, the tougher it can be.  😬

Whether you're moving to a new place, starting a new relationship, or quitting that desk job so you can be a full-time artist, you’re bound to feel uncomfortable with the uncertainty ahead.

If you're like me, you're probably asking God to show you the exact right steps to take.  But more often than not, God isn't going to tell you to t...

One of the biggest challenges any artist faces is getting their art out in front of the people so they can get paid for their work.  Galleries and exhibitions are hard to come by, especially for artists who may live outside of the big cities.  Promoting your work on your own website or Instagram can lead to sales, but you have to put in a lot of work to get noticed.  

A lot of artists take commissions as a large source of their inco...

When we were expecting our son, Cameron, we went through every baby name book out there, trying to figure out the perfect name for our little bundle of joy.  It felt like such a HUGE decision, and we didn’t want to mess it up!

Naming your business feels kind of like that.  It’s not just a name - it’s a brand, a representation of what you and your art bring to the world.      

The name of your art business needs to be memorable, uniqu...

On my first trip to Africa 20+ years ago, one of the things I looked forward to most was entering into the sounds of the real Africa - to learn from them, to feel the culture and rhythms of an ancient people.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. 😕

They had adopted almost exclusively U.S.-based worship music. The sound of their culture in worship was but a memory…overshadowed by what they saw as “the best way” rather than un...

Sharing your creative work can be a very daunting task.  What people are going to say?  Will they like it?  Is your art “good enough?”  If they don’t like it, does that mean you’re not a "real artist?"  

If this sounds familiar, you’re in good company.  Everybody feels some trepidation about sharing their work from time to time.  

It's a normal reaction to putting yourself in a vulnerable position.  

It would be easy to sh...

In the entertainment world, someone who can sing, dance, and act is referred to as a “triple threat.”  

Scribes were the triple threats of Bible times.  They were artists, writers, historians, and archivists.  They were a bit of everything under the sun - polymaths in the truest sense of the word.

That’s why I love that my guest on the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, Theresa Harvard Johnson, is a triple threat for sure!

Theresa doe...

There are people out there, especially on the internet, who will tell you that they can show you how to quadruple your art sales and make millions of dollars from selling your art...if you will just follow their super-special marketing techniques.  

But here's the truth:  I don’t care how great of a marketer you are.  If your art isn’t up to snuff, it ain’t gonna sell.   

Marketing isn’t the secret foolproof key to unlocking succ...

I don’t believe that the Lord wants us to live lives of misery, scraping by and struggling.  Instead, He wants us to live abundantly and beautifully in this world He has created for us. 

That’s why it’s great to see a couple like Jonathan and Sarah Howe, living that life together as a prime example of God’s kingdom here on Earth.  

Jonathan and Sarah have been full-time artists since they got married over a decade ago, making their l...

Quick question - what’s your number?

No, I don’t mean your phone number. ☎️

I mean that specific dollar amount it would take for you to achieve your goals as an artist who’s selling your work in the marketplace.  

Unfortunately, there’s not a magic number that I can share that applies to everyone.

Everybody has different goals, and everybody has different situations, so everybody has different numbers.  

But it’s imperative that you det...

Building up the role of art ministries in the church is a very big task.  In fact, it sure seems like it’s too big for one person to handle.  It’s a good thing that my guests on this episode of the Thriving Christian Artists podcast, Greg and Susan Card, have each other to lean on.  

Greg and Susan have been creating art their whole lives.  When they met, they bonded over their love for art and their love for the Lord, they got marr...

It’s a question that almost every business owner has to face - should you incorporate your business?

It feels so…official.  Adult.  😬

But if you’ve hesitated because you fear that incorporating your art business will take away from your creativity or make you "corporate" (in the sense of being dull and milquetoast), don’t! 

You still get to be you, and your art still is yours alone.  

Actually, incorporating your art bu...

One of the biggest struggles that creatives have is finding the time in our lives to be creative.  With all the pressures of the day, we’re lucky if we can let our creative energies flow for an hour on any given day.  

Dan McCollam, my guest on this episode of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, has heard this from people all around the world, but he’s not buying it.  

Instead, Dan will tell you that you need to make your creative...

What’s the one question I hear most frequently?  (Other than “Would you like fries with that?”  What can I say - we’ve been traveling a lot lately! 😆)

It’s probably some form of:  "How do you go from being a hobby or part-time artist to being able to do art full-time?"    

This can definitely feel like a massive leap, especially for folks who are currently working a more traditional 40 hour/week job. 

So how artists ma...

What it is like to go from feeling like you’ve lost your creativity and giving up on art, to creating art that moves and inspires everyone who sees it?  

Ask Jeanette Sthamann.  

Jeanette didn’t grow up a Christian, but she did grow up loving art.  That is…until a short-sighted art teacher discouraged her art and made her think she wasn’t creative. It was enough to make her cast aside art for years.

After some dark and heavy years as ...

When you come to a roadblock while driving, what do you do?  You backtrack, pull out the GPS, and navigate around it to get back on course.  

But what about when you hit a creative roadblock in your artistic life?  

It’s something we all experience from time to time, and it can feel very daunting.  And unfortunately, your GPS won’t be of much help.  

You’re going to have to seek out directions to get around the roadblock.  And the fir...

Sometimes, as a Christian, it’s hard to know exactly what God is telling you.

For my friend Tan-Yah Jackson, the messages she was receiving from God were really confusing…God’s voice was telling her to not quit creating art because that’s who she is meant to be…and yet He was also telling her to quit art for Him.  

So how did she know which voice to follow?  

She didn’t - so she followed both!  

I’m excited for you to meet Tan-Yah on t...

If I told you I could teach you how to grow your art business with 5 simple tips, would you believe me? 

I know…sounds like it’s too good be true, doesn’t it?

Well, in this episode of 5-Minute Mentoring, I really am going to teach you how to grow your business with 5 simple tips…

…but just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

These concepts are simple - but following the tips and making them work for your art business r...