I want to write about creating as a source of joy today, but first, I’m going to be honest about something I’m feeling.
I want to be a novelist. And I worry that spending time writing Substack posts isn’t going to help me move toward reaching that goal; even worse, I worry that the already limited time I devote to writing will be diminished further if I try to keep up with a bi-weekly Substack.
The truth is, I’ve been going back and forth on this for a while now—hence the gap between my first posts and my most recent one. Last Friday I decided I wouldn’t post anymore, and today I’m deciding that maybe I do want to keep posting.
I don’t think one post every two weeks is going to steal too much time away from my novel. In fact, I think that taking the time to think and write about other things will help me produce a more thoughtful, well-written novel in the long run.
So, I’m sticking around.
How do I “create” joy?
It’s funny—when I wrote the title, I meant “create joy” in two ways.
First, I believe that joy is something we can bring into our lives with a variety of methods. I think we can decide that we want more of it, and if it’s lacking, or we don’t see obvious sources of joy, we can make it ourselves.
Second, I believe that joy can come from the act of creation. Taking the time to sit down and make something, with our own two hands, can bring a sense of purpose, of contentment, that is really easy to miss in the busyness of our day-to-day lives.
I want to focus on the second meaning in this piece, and challenge you to take a few minutes today to make something.
What kind of “thing” should I make?
This act of creation can literally be anything. Build a tower out of Jenga blocks, playing cards, or plastic cups. Cover a piece of paper in flower doodles, patterned lines, or scribbles of color. Draw or paint a person, a sunset, a rainbow, or a garden. Use clay to form a pot, or a bowl, or a dog. Make a chalk drawing in the driveway. Cover a surface with stickers. Fold origami.
Or write! Make some notes for a story you’d like to write. Draft a chapter, or a page, or a paragraph. Put something on the page that wasn’t there before.
Or cook! Use a recipe, or experiment with ingredients you haven’t used before. Watch a YouTube video and follow along, or pull a few random things out of your fridge and figure out a way to make something of them.
Use your imagination. God is a Creator—our Creator—and I believe that He derived joy as He created the world, and us. We are meant to be like Him, and as we use our God-given bodies to create something new, we are becoming just a little bit more like our Heavenly Father!
How can that not be joyful?
But I’m not artistic!
That’s okay! The list above includes some suggestions that might seem to require artistic talent—but they don’t! If you “can’t” draw, give it a try. If you “can’t” cook, cobble together a meal anyway. Joy can be found in the effort, not just the product.
So much of our lives are commercialized, and we tend to think that we should only spend our time on something if the end result is “good”: if we could sell it, or give it as a gift. But I think it’s okay to draw a “bad” picture, or to write a “bad” story. After all, every artist, writer, cook, or potter makes at least one “bad” thing. Otherwise, how would they learn? You have to start somewhere. Why not start right where you are?
Leave a comment below to let me know what you created! As for me, I’m going to spend a few minutes working on my novel. I might not write a “good” scene to start, but that’s what the revision process is for. At least I’ll get to create something!