What if the very first way God introduces himself sets the tone for your entire creative life? We open Genesis and meet a Creator at work, and that single lens reshapes how we read Scripture, how we show up in the studio, and how we handle the mess between vision and completion. Instead of treating creativity as a side hobby, we trace how every later title—redeemer, king, shepherd—flows from a creative heart that brings form out of chaos and beauty out of dust.
We walk through three anchors that steady artists in real time. First, your story is God’s artwork. Isaiah’s potter and clay and Paul’s assurance in Philippians reframe the “messy middle” as part of the masterpiece, not proof of failure. Second, you were made to co-create. Ephesians 2:10 calls you God’s poema, crafted for good works prepared in advance, and we lay out practical ways to invite the Holy Spirit into theme, process, and decision-making so your work resonates rather than strains. Third, create from love, not for love. Zephaniah’s singing God helps us trade perfectionism for partnership, performance anxiety for peace, and urgent hustle for the durable favor of Psalm 90 that establishes the work of our hands.
Along the way we share stories from the studio—paint drips, collapsed clay, wax in places it shouldn’t be—and show how God is not nervous about process. You’ll learn a simple daily liturgy to start your sessions, how to listen for creative guidance, and how to hold deadlines without losing soul. The goal isn’t just better art; it’s a grounded life that carries the presence of God into every canvas, lyric, and client meeting.
If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs fresh creative courage, and leave a quick review to help more artists find us. Ready to take the next step? Check the links for our foundations course and sign up for the free Thriving Christian Artist Weekly to stay inspired and resourced.
Resources for Christian Artists:
1) The Foundations Course: https://www.matttommeymentoring.com/foundations
2) Best-Selling Books: https://www.matttommeymentoring.com/resources
3) The Thriving Christian Artist Newsletter: https://thrive.matttommeymentoring.com/tca-weekly
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Episode Transcript
You know, the first way that God reveals himself to
us in the Bible is as an artist.
And once you start to see himthat way, it'll completely
transform the way you read theBible, the way you see your art,
and the way you see your entirelife story.
So in this video, I'm going togive you three simple but
powerful ways that seeing God asan artist first can absolutely
(00:21):
transform your creative process,deepen your connection with Him,
and help you really have purposeand fulfillment in every part of
your life as an artist in God'skingdom.
So there's this great principlethat we have in Bible study
called the law of first mention.
And it really means that thefirst time you see something in
the Bible, it sort of sets thestage, if you will, for every
(00:42):
other time you see that sameconcept in God's word.
And here's the powerful thingabout that.
The first way that we see Godreveal himself to humanity in
the Bible is as an artist.
Remember in Genesis 1.1, itsays, in the beginning, God
what?
He created.
And so that sets the stage.
God as artists sets the stagefor every other way that we see
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God reveal himself thenthroughout the Word.
So when you're seeing God showup as a redeemer or as a king or
as a judge or as a lovingshepherd, he's doing that from
the place of being an artist.
He's doing that through the lensof being an artist.
I don't know about you, but forme, that is hugely encouraging
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as somebody that's that's calledand created as an artist because
I realize that everything thatGod does in all of his work in
humanity and all of the storiesin the Bible, he's doing it from
the heart of being an artistfirst.
In other words, all of thoseroles of redeemer and king and
father flow out of his creativenature.
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See, that's so important to getbecause creativity is not
something that's just an add-onfor all of us artists.
No, it's the very nature of God,and it's the very nature of how
the kingdom of God is designedto work.
And listen, when you start tounderstand this, like I said at
the beginning, it changeseverything.
So the first reason that seeingGod as an artist first is so
(02:14):
important is that you start tosee your life as God's artwork.
You know, I love to starteverything here we do on the
channel with scripture.
And I want to take you to Isaiah64, 8.
It says this, yet you, Lord, areour Father.
We are the clay.
You are the potter.
We are the work of your hands.
(02:36):
In other words, you're notrandom.
You're not a mistake.
Your life isn't random.
You're literally planned, you'rea planned piece of artwork by
the Lord.
And you and I are being shapedevery day that we walk with him.
And as every artist knows, amasterpiece always looks a
little messy before it getsfinished.
I don't know about you, but Icould definitely relate to the
(02:58):
messy middle of my life as anartist.
And sometimes in the middle ofthose messy times, we feel like,
oh man, is God done with me?
Am I gonna make it out of this?
But we just have to rememberthat we're on the, we're on the
potter's wheel.
You know, just like it it talksabout that in Jeremiah that
God's the potter.
We are the clay, that he'sshaping us and molding us and
making us.
And sometimes that's a littlebit uncomfortable, but we have
(03:21):
to remember what God's wordsays.
I love it in Philippians 1.6,where it says, being confident
of this, that he who began agood work in you will carry it
on to the completion, even untilthe day of Christ Jesus.
In other words, God's notnervous about the messy middle,
God's not nervous about theprocess, God's not nervous about
(03:43):
you looking perfect.
He's not nervous about that.
And he's not worried about that.
He knows exactly what he'sforming in you.
He trusts himself in you andthrough you.
And I don't know about you, butthat gives me a lot of hope and
a lot of confidence.
So, you know, one of thepractical takeaways that I take
a lot of comfort from is that Idon't have to rush the process.
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No matter if I'm feeling likeeverything is working great, or
whether it's you know just righton time, or whether I'm feeling
like things are are taking alittle bit too long, I can trust
that my life is being moved atthe timing of the Lord.
And so everything that I'mwalking through, the good times,
the bad times, the hard times,the challenges, the pruning, and
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the moments of flourishing andharvest, all of those are like
different colors and layers andtextures and patterns that we'd
put in a in a piece of work.
God is using those as layers inour own life to create us as his
work of art and as a display ofhis glory.
And again, that is just so cooland so encouraging to all of us
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as artists on this journey withhim.
Now, the second reason whyseeing God as an artist first is
so transformative is that werealize that as his creation, we
were created to co-create withhim.
We're not created as artists tolive over here in a creative
silo and our spiritual life overhere, but we realize as sons and
(05:09):
daughters that the Holy Spiritis living inside of us, that we
don't do things separately fromGod.
We don't do things separatelyfor God.
We're designed to do things withhim.
I love the scripture where Jesustalks about, you know, I just do
the things that I see the Fatherdoing.
And you know, one of the thingsthat we know that the Father is
doing is creating us and moldingus and making us as his
(05:33):
masterpiece.
I want to put it up on thescreen for you, Ephesians 2.10,
which says this, for we are hisworkmanship.
And again, that word there isworkmanship, is poema, right?
The word we get for poem.
I love that.
It says, for we are hisworkmanship created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which Godprepared in advance for us to
(05:54):
do.
So think about that.
Before you were born, before youwere ever created, maybe before
the even the world and the starswere in place, God thought about
you, he planned you, he designedyou, and he planned and prepared
good works for you to do withhim on board inside of you
through the leadership of theHoly Spirit.
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I mean, I don't know about you,but that is like super, super
powerful.
Your life and my life are thepoem, the creative expression,
the masterpiece of God workingin us and through us.
So we are in a very real wayGod's artwork.
Now, lest we think that God isonly a visual artist, we know
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that he's the father of allcreativity, right?
I love it in Zephaniah 3:17.
It says this the Lord your Godis with you.
Again, not separate, he's withus, the mighty warrior who
saves.
He will take great delight inyou.
In his love, he will no longerrebuke you, but will rejoice
over you with singing.
(06:57):
So think of this.
Not God not only created you ashis masterpiece, but as you are
living and moving and havingyour being in him as the artist
that he created, he's up inheaven and he's within you
through the power of the HolySpirit singing over you and in
you.
And I and I just think aboutwow, we get the opportunity to
(07:18):
not only enjoy the knowledgethat God is singing over us, but
I believe that we get toresonate with the song of God
within us, that as the breath ofGod and the nature of God begin
to move in our life, it's hisHoly Spirit that empowers us to
release it through our life.
And that is so powerful.
(07:40):
It really drives this point homethat our creativity is not just
about performance, but it's apartnership with him.
Now, the third reason thatseeing God as an artist first is
so transformative is that itallows us to create from a place
of love, not for God's love.
We create from his love, not fora desire to be perfect in every
(08:04):
way, not trying to be aperfectionist.
That is so, so, so important.
Listen, I don't know about you,but I've been an artist for a
long time, and I know thatcreating art is rarely ever
perfect.
It's always messy.
There's always paint drippingand clay collapsing, and I use
encaustic wax, and so it'salways getting all over
everything.
And sometimes it's in my hair,and sometimes it gets on the
(08:26):
wall, and sometimes I'm like,what is going on?
Like, I'm supposed to be aprofessional here, and yet it's
just a messy process.
But you know, the thing thatI've learned about the Lord is
that God doesn't get nervous inthe messy.
When you realize that in thosemessy moments, God is shaping
you, and that even when you'renot put together, even when life
doesn't make sense, even whenyou think there's no way that
(08:48):
God could use all of myinadequacy and my inability and
the places that I've messed upand the things that I don't
understand about my life as anartist, there's no way that he
could use all of those for thefor his glory.
You start to back up and yourealize, nope, I'm not creating
for God's love.
I'm not creating to provemyself, I'm not trying to be
(09:11):
perfect in this process toplease him.
I'm creating with him.
I'm not performing for him.
And my friend, when you start tocreate from that place, from his
love, from knowing that you'rehis child, everything changes.
It allows the rest of God, thesupernatural peace of God to
(09:33):
begin to be resident inside ofyou and flow through you as you
create.
And hey, if that's kind of aforeign concept for you, don't
worry.
I want to encourage you to checkout the foundations course
that's right here in thedescription of this video.
It's rooted in helping you tounderstand who you are in Christ
as an artist in God's kingdom.
You know, I love it in Psalm 90,verse 17.
(09:54):
It says, May the favor of theLord our God rest on us.
Just imagine that, like thefavor of God just resting on
everything that you are, who youare, and all that you do, just
resting on you.
It says, Establish the work ofour hands for us.
Yes, establish the work of ourhands.
So get that.
(10:15):
As you're with the Lord,creating from this place of
being loved and resting in him,you can trust that his favor is
resting on you, not because ofwhat you do, listen, but because
of who you are.
You're his child.
He's called you and created youaccording to his purposes.
And so when you begin to realizethat everything that you're
(10:36):
doing is done with him and forhis glory, you can then realize
that, gosh, I don't have to makeit happen.
It's the Lord that wants toestablish the work of my hands.
He wants to make the things thatwe do count, not only in our
life and not for our life, butalso through our life, that we
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might be able to walk in theabundant life that Jesus
promised us, but also that hewould be glorified, that his
nature would be released, andthat lives would be transformed
because we chose to say yes tothe calling of God in our life
as an artist, and because wechose to walk in that place of
quiet confidence that says, Idon't have to prove anything.
(11:19):
When I show up in the studio,I'm doing it from a place of
love and rest.
And that in itself is the groundwhere transformation begins to
flow in you and through you asan artist.
You know, my friend, when youstart to see God as artists
first, everything shifts.
You start to operate in a placeof rest.
You start to see hisfingerprints all over everything
(11:41):
you're doing.
And you start to be able to leanback and be able to really walk
in a settled, confident place,knowing that your father is
singing over you.
He's singing through you, he'sthe potter that is shaping your
life, he's the author that iswriting your story, he's the
loving father that has gonebefore you and is behind you and
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is surrounding you with songs ofdeliverance so that you can
fulfill every good thing thathe, as the master artist, has
designed for your life.
So this week, I want to inviteyou not just to make art, but to
start making art with him.
In other words, just invite theLord into your process as you
walk in the in your creativeplace this way this week,
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whether it's an extra bedroom oryour dining room table, or maybe
you've even got a studio likeme, just pause for a moment and
say, Holy Spirit, thank you thatI'm your masterpiece and thank
you that you want to create withme.
And Holy Spirit, I just inviteyou right now to fill me with
your spirit and to lead me byyour voice and by your spirit
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today as we create together.
And listen, when you do, you'regonna be amazed at how your
creative process gets absolutelytransformed by just the
simplicity of that invitation.
Let me pray for you real quick.
Father, thank you so much thatmy friend is watching right now
and desiring to understand whatit means to see you as artists.
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God, thank you that everythingthat you do in our life and all
throughout your word and in yourkingdom every day, God, it flows
out of your creative nature tobring those things which are not
yet, the things which are inyour heart, to bring them both
in us and through us by yourcreative nature and allow us to
participate in this process ofseeing your nature and your
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transforming power cover theearth like the waters cover the
sea, to see our lives be used byyou, God, to see transformation
happen in the lives of thosearound us.
And at the same time, I get tolive the abundant life that you
promised.
Lord, we thank you for that.
God, I pray today by the HolySpirit that you would draw my
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friends so close to you as theycreate.
God, remind them of this messageand remind them of your desire
to create with them every day.
We thank you for that, God, inJesus' name.
Amen.
Hey, my friend, listen, thankyou so much for being with me
today.
If this message has been ablessing to you, please leave me
a comment.
Please hit the subscribe and thelike button.
(14:15):
And listen, share it on othersocial media platforms if you
want to with other friends, sendthem an email, let them know
that this channel is here, thatit's making a difference in your
life, and it's being a part ofraising up this incredible army
of artists that God's raising upall over the world.
I hope you'll also check out allof the incredible resources that
we have down here below.
(14:36):
One in particular is called ourfoundations course.
And if you're just starting tounderstand this idea that, hey,
God wants to create with me,God's got a plan for my life as
an artist.
And you realize that maybeyou've wanted that your whole
life, but really not known thesteps to how to start walking in
it.
That's exactly why I created thefoundations course.
(14:57):
It helps artists just like yougain clarity, confidence, and
creative freedom in Christ.
It's a nine-week journey in thecontext of community with daily
art projects that help me tohelp you lay a biblical
foundation in your life for whatit means to be an artist in
God's kingdom, to get rid ofsome of the habits and thought
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patterns that have held you backin your life up until now and
start really walking in all ofthe promises that God has for
you in your life.
You can find out all the detailsright here in the description,
as well as a ton of otherresources that we've got for you
as an artist that wants to growin everything that God has for
you.
Hey, friend, I'm Matt Tommy.
I love you.
I'm here every week trying tobless your socks off and help
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you be everything that God'scalled you to be in the kingdom.
I hope we see you again.
And remember till next time, youwere created to thrive.
Bye.
Hey, my friend, before you go,make sure that you're signed up
for the Thriving ChristianArtist Weekly.
It's my free newsletter full ofspiritual encouragement,
creative inspiration, andpractical tips to help you
thrive in everything that God'scalled you to do as an artist in
(16:01):
his kingdom.
Every issue is absolutely free,and it includes the latest
podcast episode, featured artistspotlights, a worship song of
the week, and again, tons oftips and encouragement and
inspiration for you to keep youinspired and encouraged in
everything that God's got foryou as an artist in the kingdom.
You can click the link righthere in the show notes to join
us, and it's a great way to stayconnected.
(16:22):
All right, love you.
Bye.
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