The paralyzing fear of sharing your artwork might be the very thing keeping you from walking in your divine calling. Whether you've felt that rush of pride when completing a piece only to immediately want to hide it away, or you've struggled with thoughts like "I'm not ready yet" or "It's not perfect," you're experiencing what countless artists battle. But what if this fear isn't actually wisdom at all?
Fear often wears the disguise of prudence, whispering seemingly reasonable hesitations that keep your art hidden. "Maybe I need to grow more first" or "This isn't the right season" might sound wise, but these thoughts frequently mask deeper insecurities rooted in the lie that "if you really knew me, you'd reject me." The truth? This voice of accusation and fear isn't from God.
Scripture offers powerful perspective through 2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." The Greek word for power here is dunamis—the same root as "dynamite"—representing the explosive, transformative force that God has placed within you. This power, combined with love that compels action and a sound mind that provides spiritual focus, forms your divine equipment for overcoming artistic fear.
When you hide your art because of fear, you don't just limit your own journey; you rob the world of encountering God through your creativity. Art becomes a means of grace, a light shining, tangible evidence of things hoped for. Your creative expressions can become mountain-moving, roadblock-destroying forces in others' lives when offered to God with even a mustard seed of faith.
Take practical steps today: declare truth aloud when fear attacks, start sharing your work in small ways, and release the need for perfectionism. Remember, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." Your art matters more than you know—it's time to let it shine.
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the
podcast, where we hope youconnect with God to bust through
the roadblocks that have heldyou back for years, create the
work you love and really livethe life you know.
God created you to live as anartist in His kingdom.
I'm Matt Tama, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friend, so gladthat you're here with me today
(00:26):
on the podcast.
I want to jump into somethingthat I know is going to hit home
for a lot of my listeners outthere today, and it's really the
fear of sharing your artwork.
Now, I know that may sound onits surface like what People are
afraid of sharing their artwork.
Well, listen, I've found overthe years people are as much
afraid of success as they are offailure.
I've found over the yearspeople are as much afraid of
(00:47):
success as they are of failure.
They're much afraid of makingart as they are sharing their
art.
There's just a lot of feararound art, primarily because I
think it's the thing that God'scalled us to do, and anything
the enemy can do to pull out allthe stops and stop us from
doing the thing that God'scalled us to do is a huge, huge
thing that's on his list in ourlife.
Listen, if you have ever staredat a finished piece of art and
(01:11):
felt proud of it, or felt thatjoy that's in your studio, like
man, I love this, but then, atthe same time, like I got to go
hide this in the closet, or Idon't want to show anybody, or
it's not perfect yet, or I don'twant to share this on Instagram
, or what if people don't likeit?
Or all the stuff right, allthat swirl.
I just want to let you knowtoday you are not alone.
(01:32):
I've been there, tons ofartists have been there as well,
and, as they say, the struggleis real.
Right, there can be a bigstruggle, especially if you're
working on a new body of work,but anywhere in your journey
that can be a real struggle.
And so today I really want tojump into what fear is, where it
comes from and, moreimportantly, how to deal with it
(01:57):
, how to start breaking freefrom all the ploys of the enemy
that he tries to bring, thatstart many times in our mind and
in our imagination, and reallystart walking in the boldness
that the Holy Spirit gives us towalk in everything that God's
created us to.
So the first thing I want tosay about this is that many
times the fear of sharing yourart may not be coming out in
your mind as fear.
It may be wisdom.
I think it was Bill Johnsonthat said years ago fear often
(02:21):
masquerades as wisdom.
You know, it kind of comes intoour mindset like well, I'm just
not quite ready for this, orthis is not the season for
sharing my art, or maybe I needto grow a little more
artistically first, or I'm justkind of waiting for the right
time.
Again, our fear often hidesbehind what can be really good
intentions in our life, what wethink is wisdom, but really at
(02:45):
the bottom of the pile, when youstart digging and trying to
find out what the root of thisthing is, it's not a winning
strategy for your life, right?
It's actually a lot ofinsecurities.
It's a lot of the, the, the Iguess how would you say it?
Residual of that old lie thatall artists tend to believe,
which is if you knew me, you'dreject me.
(03:06):
If you really knew who I was,if you really knew the things I
struggled with, if you reallyknew that I wasn't a real artist
, that I didn't go to art school, that I'm not qualified to do
this, all the stuff.
If you really knew that,whatever it is, I'm not enough,
then you would reject me.
But listen, and I know you maysay well, matt, this is kind of
basic.
Well, yes, basic, but it's thethings that we deal with all the
(03:32):
time.
You got to realize that voicethat is accusing you, that is
scaring you, that is bringingfear on you, that is not the
Lord.
And the longer that you neglect, taking every thought captive
and just allowing those thoughtsto come into your mind and you
just kind of let them, you know,wallow around and do whatever
you want to in your mind, themore you let that happen in your
life guess what?
(03:52):
The more you're going tostruggle with this.
And so part of learning to comeagainst this fear and defeat it
once and for all in your lifeis learning to come in the
opposite spirit.
Anytime the enemy attacks you,you always want to come in the
opposite spirit that he'sbringing.
If he's bringing fear, you wantto bring faith.
(04:12):
If he's bringing depression,you want to begin to declare joy
.
If he's bringing, you know, allthis anxiety about finances,
one of the greatest things youcan do is begin to give.
Why?
Because you are coming againstthe spirit of fear that the
enemy is trying to bring.
And that's why I love 2 Timothy1.7, right, because it says this
in the NIV for the spirit Godgave us does not make us timid,
(04:36):
but gives us power and love andself-discipline.
You may know it in the KingJames Version, you know, for God
has not given us a spirit offear, but a power and of love
and a sound mind, and I lovethat because it just reminds us
listen, fear, timidity,shrinking back, that ain't the
Lord, that is not from Him.
So if you are feeling anxiousand paralyzed and insecure and
(04:59):
all that kind of stuff 100% ofthe time, you can be confident
that that is not a gift from theLord, that is not an invitation
from him to come into thedeeper things and experience
life abundant.
No, that is absolutely a ployof the enemy to keep you
paralyzed.
So he said God didn't give youthat.
But what did he give you?
Well, he gave you power, loveand a sound mind, or
self-discipline, as the NIV says.
(05:22):
So that word power, there is theGreek word dunamis, which is
actually where we get the worddynamite from right.
So the Spirit of God gives youthis explosive power, this
transformative power, this powerto break things open, if you
will, that you could never haveon your own.
(05:42):
Remember, the Bible says inActs 1.8 that you will receive
what Power when the Holy Spiritcomes upon you.
Listen, the Holy Spirit isliving within you right now.
That was a part of the packagewhen you got saved.
You don't have to be afraid andbe bound in fear all the time.
You got to say nope, god's notgiving me that spirit of fear
(06:02):
and timidity and shrinking backand paralyzed.
I've got power.
I have the dunamis power of God.
The same power Think of thisthe same power that raised Jesus
from the dead is living andactive inside of you right now,
and your only choice is to dowhat To activate it, to step
into agreement with it in yourlife Now.
(06:25):
Number two it says it's given uslove.
Right, how many of you knowthat when fear comes, it always
is bringing the opposite of love, which is rejection, which is
not caring about somebody, whichis ignoring people, right, and
so you can always, again, youcan always realize.
If you're feeling those kind offeelings, you can recognize
that is not the Lord.
This kind of love that he'stalking about right here is the
(06:48):
kind of love that compels you toact, even when it's
uncomfortable.
Right?
Even in Galatians 5, 6, it saysthe only thing that counts is
faith expressing itself throughlove.
In other words, what faithexpressing itself through love?
In other words, what you got tostep out by faith in order to
be able to experience the loveof God in your life, to be able
to walk in the love of God inyour life.
(07:11):
It's always good.
Walking in love is always achoice.
Right, it's always a choice,because the easier thing to do
many times on the surface isjust to slide down the slide
that the enemy has given you oflies and fear and anxiety and
believe oh yeah, I'm not enough.
Well, listen again, that is notthe Lord.
So you got to step into power,step into love, and then this,
(07:33):
this last one, which is a soundmind or self-discipline.
You know, this is the part ofthis scripture that says hey,
it's that spirit-led focus andresilience that's going to keep
you going, even when you'rescared and even when you're
tired.
You have to start tellingyourself and reminding yourself
listen, god, I'm not on my ownout here.
(07:54):
I'm not just thinking with myown thoughts.
I have in me the mind of Christ.
Why?
Because I've been made a newcreation in Christ.
What does that mean?
I can think like Christ, I canthink with Christ, I can see
life and see situations throughhis perspective.
I can see myself and the art Icreate through his perspective.
(08:18):
Listen, so many of you maybe youwent through years ago a
challenge I did online we didthis for years called Artists,
rise Up.
I just think of this verse asan invitation to rise up.
Right, it's an invitation foryou to say I know the enemy
might be bringing in fear of mesharing my artwork with others
right now and of holding thething that God's given me and
(08:39):
hiding it under a bushel, butthat is not the Lord.
Fear does not get to lead theway and write the script in my
life.
The Spirit of God does by faithand so, listen, it's so, so, so
important that you get this.
Why?
Because if you don't get this,then all of the art, all of the
calling, all of the impact andinfluence that God has for your
(09:00):
life will never be expressed.
God's not going to make youexpress his nature and his image
through your life.
He gives you what An invitation.
He gives me what An invitation.
Genesis 1, 7 says what Godcreated us in his own image.
My friend Ray Hughes said in theforeword to my first book,
(09:21):
unlocking the Heart of theArtist, that we were created by
the creator to be creative or tocreate.
That was how God set it up.
I loved it.
And so, hiding your art becauseof fear, it doesn't just hurt
you, right.
It doesn't just mean thatyou're just kind of kowtowing to
(09:42):
the enemy and say I'm justgoing to do what's easy right
now, I'm not going to reallystand up.
No, it robs the world of whatGod has placed inside of you.
But Matthew 5, 14 through 16says what you and me, we're the
light of the world.
And so what?
Because of that, you got to letyour light shine before others
that they may see your goodworks and glorify your father
(10:06):
who's in heaven.
Listen, art is a means of grace.
Art is a light that's shining.
Art is a sign and wonder.
Art is the proof that thethings that you see and hear
from the Lord and the spirit areactually true.
Why?
Because art is a reflection,it's experiencing the
supernatural in a very tangibleand real way.
(10:30):
Remember, the Bible says thatfaith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence ofthings not seen.
When you create art, you areengaging in that faith process.
The art that you create proves,it is the tangible evidence
that the thing which God showedyou and the thing which you
agreed with and put your handsto in your studio is actually
(10:53):
true and it can be a sign and awonder, a table, if you will,
where God comes and meets withpeople in the context of your
art and they receivebreakthrough through that.
Listen, I absolutely believewith all my heart and I've
written about it for years thatwhen you create art with that
(11:13):
mustard seed of faith, that artcan be a mountain-moving,
yoke-destroyingroadblock-destblock, destroying
place in somebody's life.
Because when God moves in andthrough that art that you're
creating, in and through thatsong or that book or that play
(11:34):
or that, whatever it is that youdo, all of a sudden you're
saying God, I give youpermission to come and move in
and through what I'm doing righthere in this art and I want you
to use it for breakthrough andfor power in somebody else's
life.
Come on, of course, the enemydoesn't want you to do that,
right.
See, this is why we spend somuch time in everything that we
(11:59):
do, whether it's the mentoringprogram, the foundation scores,
the whatever Everything that wedo comes back to identity, right
?
Because if you are continuingto believe, well, my art is just
a hobby.
Well, I'm not that good, I'llnever be that good.
Well, I don't know if that'sreally what God has for my life.
And you know, it doesn't reallyseem as spiritual as what other
people do.
As long as you're in that messall the time, as long as you're
(12:21):
continuing to just keep thatstuff going around in your mind,
guess what?
You're never going to step intothe fullness of what God has
for you.
But, my friend, when yourealize, hey, god's not giving
me a spirit of fear, but a powerand of love and a sound mind.
And but a power and of love anda sound mind, and by goodness
and for the sake of Jesus, I'vegot to begin to stand in this
calling as an artist, begin towalk in the things that God has
(12:43):
called me to do, not just so Iget to walk in the abundant life
, but so this abundant life getsto overflow out of me into
others.
So listen, just a couple ofpractical things.
Number one I think you got tostart declaring this truth out
loud, not just in your head, notjust in your journal, out of
your mouth.
(13:03):
When the enemy comes againstyou, you tell him God's not
giving me a spirit of fear, buta power and of love and a sound
mind.
That is who I am, that is whatI'm walking in, this is my
inheritance in the Lord, and youare a liar and I'm calling you
on it and I'm turning the otherway.
Number two I would say this Ifyou're, if you've been freaked
(13:24):
out for a lot of years aboutsharing your art, putting
yourself out there, start small,right.
It's not like you got to go outand and, uh, apply to art Basel
or the Smithsonian show orsomething like that.
You know, put a post out thereon social media, share it with a
friend behind the scenes,whatever it is.
Begin to share the story.
But start somewhere, all right.
(13:45):
And as you start, make that aregular rhythm, whether it's
daily, whether it's weekly.
Now, listen, I'm not sayinggetting bound up by social media
and trying to prove yourselfand perform for others' approval
.
That's the other side of thependulum, right.
But you can use this rhythm ofsharing your work almost like a
spiritual discipline, right,just like you're spending time
(14:09):
with the Lord.
You're in His presenceworshiping, you're in the studio
creating.
Just make sharing what you do apart of that spiritual process.
Why?
Because you know that when youdo, god is going to bless it.
And you know?
The last thing I would say isyou got to let go of the
outcomes and the need forperfectionism and just celebrate
(14:31):
the fact that you are in thisjourney with the Lord.
I love Colossians 3.23.
It says this whatever you do,work at it with all your heart
as working for the Lord.
Listen, everything that we do,whether people see it or don't
see it, whether it's on socialmedia or not, whether we feel
like it's worthy of celebrationor not, is worthy of being
(14:54):
offered to the Lord.
Why?
Because when we being offeredto the Lord, why?
Because when we offer that tothe Lord, he comes and uses that
for His glory, not only in ourlife but through our life, in
ways that we could never expect.
Father, I thank you right now,in Jesus' name, that you are
moving in the lives of artiststo break the spirit of fear and
(15:15):
timidity off of them.
In the name of Jesus and God,begin to bring faith in them to
share this beautiful gift thatyou've given them with the world
, in whatever way it is that youlead them.
God, I pray for faith andboldness for them in Jesus' name
, amen.
Listen, my friend.
If this episode is reallychallenging you in this area, I
(15:37):
want to invite you don't delay,jump in the foundations course
right now.
This is absolutely everythingthat we focus on inside the
course and a whole lot more.
It's digging up thesefoundations that are not serving
us in our life and actuallystepping into all that God's got
for us.
So, listen, if you were just toget real with yourself and the
Lord just for a second and sayself, you know that you are
(16:00):
still dealing with a lot of fearand self-doubt and confusion
and overwhelm and feelings ofinadequacy.
Why aren't you doing this?
Listen again, I want to inviteyou to come into the foundations
course and allow us to walk youthrough a proven process that
helps you step into everythingthat God has for you in your
life as an artist.
(16:21):
The link's right here in thepodcast description and I hope
we'll see you inside theFoundations course real soon.
Listen, my friend, I'm so gladthat you're with me every week
and until next time, remember,you were created to thrive.
Bye, hey.
Thanks so much for spending afew minutes with me today on the
podcast Listen.
I hope it's been a hugeencouragement to you on your
(16:41):
journey as an artist.
Hey, also, before you leave,make sure to hit the subscribe
button so you don't miss any ofthe other episodes of the
Thriving Christian Artistpodcast, and also be sure to
connect with me on Facebook,Instagram or at my website,
which is matttommymentoringcom.
Until next time, remember, youwere created to thrive.
(17:01):
Bye-bye.
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