I am really excited about today. There is a lot of stuff still in the works, but I am stoked to release some of it today.

DREAMING IS STUPID: A MANIFESTO INSPIRED BY ACTION

This is a project I have been working on for a couple of weeks. It is a manifesto inspired by action. Initially it was created and written towards creatives. However, in re-reading through it, I have noticed that this can literally be applied to anyone who has ever had a big idea.

You can get your copy for free by joining my monthly mailing list on the right side of the screen or click the link below.

I would love to get your reaction to the book in the comments below.

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NEW FREEBIES PAGE

Also today I am launching my freebies page where I will be posting wallpapers, iOS wallpapers and an assortment of other goodies all for your enjoyment. This page is easily found in the menu bar.

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First up is a one minute short by Rick Mereki, Tim White, and Andrew Lees. The piece is 1 of 3. It is entitled MOVE.

Why I Love This

• Consistent Framing- These guys traveled 38,000 miles in total and their framing of every shot is so precise it is as seamless as could ever be hoped for.
• Great Music- Music is half of what makes or breaks a video. The right visual with the wrong audio can take a potentially great video, and make it an “ok” video. The music moves this piece forward.

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

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On one hand we get these awesome moments of inspiration at 3am… and people think that’s awesome. It feeds are ego and makes us feel better about losing sleep.

On the other hand… we are notorious (at least I know I am) for overworking ourselves. This isn’t healthy.

I have spent the last few years in “church ministry.” What this meant is that I worked 70+ hrs/wk, and rarely taking a day off because there was either so much floating in my head, or there was too much to do.

Now that I am out of traditional ministry, I have quickly understood the value of a sabbath.

A time off.

Taking time to just take time.

One of the best things I ever heard was that God created us as “human beings” not “human doings.” God just wants us to be with Him. To take time to take time with Him.

This week, take time to take time.

Know that you are good enough.
Your offering of graphics and video is good enough. Don’t stress, it’s not worth it.

Spend time with the Father in your creative process. It will do wonders for your inspiration, your attitude, and your walk with God.

So often I would get so caught up in being in love with ministry that I fell a little out of love with God. I was “creating for the Kingdom”, but God wasn’t anywhere in my process.

Another graphic done, moving one.

Another video done, moving on.

Still, God was there waiting for me to realize my stupidity. Waiting for me to bring Him into the process. When I did… He would make things happen with joy and not frustration, inspiration instead of perspiration.

Creatives remember…

• He doesn’t want to know you are working overtime, neglecting your family or friends, for “the Kingdom.”
• He doesn’t want your graphics. He doesn’t want your videos.
• He just wants you.
• He want’s to spend time with you.
• Include Him in your creative process.
• Include Him in your family time.
• Include Him. Period.

So often we know these things in our heads, but not our hearts. Unless we know it with our hearts, we won’t ever truly live it.

Go Take Time to Take Time. Go Create. Go Be.

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So with that I am rolling out a new focus for this site. I will focus on two things.

Creativity. And God.

Creativity.

I want to focus more on the creative process, and making new things. Offering my insight into how I create, and how others create.

God.

I love writing about the mind blowing moments I have when God reveals new things to me. Not so that I can preach to you, but so I can discuss it with people.

I Need Community.

I don’t expect to get it right all the time, and want you to be a part of the conversation. I welcome comments and discussion. We all have ideas. I know I do. Trust me, they are far from perfect. However, I still want to get them out of my head and onto this site. Help me grow by letting me in on how you see things. Please. I need the community. We all do.

I won’t waste your time.

I will be the first to say that I am a long winded writer. One thing my friend Michael has been telling me is that I need to simplify. He’s right, and I will.
These posts will be simple, bulleted, and concise… no fluff.

Conclusion

So that’s it. From here out there won’t be posts about stupid things, playlists, or anything not related to Creativity or God. My site slogan is Live.Think. Create. It’s time I implement it better.

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I know I have been called to ministry, but what did that mean?

So often I look for understanding, and when I don’t have all the answers I make excuses…. like Moses.

Have you ever thought about why God gave Moses his brother Aaron? I was thinking about that today.

Exodus 4:10, Moses makes not his first, but third excuse:

“10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

This was the third time he told God that he couldn’t do it. To which God replied in the next verse:

11 Then the LORD asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD?12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Now from here, you would think Moses would just say, “yep God, You’re right. Let’s do this thing.” But no, He rebutted again!! At this point, trying to work with him, God tells him to get his brother Aaron. God was so bent on using Moses that even in his stubbornness he made a way, even though it meant speaking through another person.

How many times am I like moses, making excuses for why He can’t move in my life?

I have decided that as awesome as he was, I do not want to be like Moses. I want to be the guy that says, ” Lord, You know I am not good with words, but I also know you are God, and I trust you to speak for me.”

That is the message God has been speaking to me….

” I will give you a voice. Trust me.”

I want to encourage you to not be like Moses. To let go of your excuses and accept the things God is calling you to do. Imagine what might have happened if Moses had accepted the call, and not made excuses? God still used him to do INCREDIBLE things. So there is the silver lining. Maybe you have made a lot of excuses in your life, but God wants to use you so much so, that he will bring people into your life to help you where your faith is weak, like speaking was for moses.

In the end, He will use you. Whether you make excuses for years, or accept the call He has placed on your life today. The reason I say don’t be like Moses, is so that you can get on with what God has for you. It is so much better that way.

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Check them out:
Twitter: @clockopera
Facebook: /clockopera
Online: clockopera.com

Clock Opera – Once And For All (2012 Album Version) from Clock Opera on Vimeo.

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I suggest that you read the whole chapter. you can find it here.

Summarized, this is the chapter that contains Jesus’ parables about men in the field. There is a pattern to these parables

In the first one the farmer(God)  throws seed(the  gospel) out, and it lands on 4 types of soil(our hearts).

In the second one the farmer again represents God, sowing seed(again, the gospel) in the soil (our hearts), but the enemy plants weeds overnight.

In the third the farmer (representing God) sows a mustard seed(our response to the gospel) and when it grows, it is the largest plant in the field.

Now in Matthew 13:44 the 4th parable about a field and a man is told:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ”
Matthew 13:44(NIV)

Gary then points out something interesting. How often do we ignore the pattern of the man in the field being God (from the previous parables), and replace that character with us. As if we are the field finding the treasure. At that point Gary moves on to discuss that the man in the field does in fact represent God, and that we are the treasure that He finds, and goes and sells everything he has (Jesus) to purchase(the cross) the the treasure (Us).

After reading that, I found myself stuck. Yes this is an overwhelming parable. I continued to think about my immediate reaction to this parable though. Previously when reading this, I fell into that category of people that would do the role reversal. That I was the one finding the treasure. So when I re-read this in context of the other parables, my mind was blown.

I want to focus on two things surrounding this role-reversal.

1. Why does the role reversal happen?

I sat and studied and scribbled for a few hours trying to come to a conclusion… this is what I came up with.

The reason why we initially switch those roles is because at our hearts base, we have this subconscious desire to add value to our lives. We initially feel like we are not good enough, and that we need to make ourselves more appealing to God. What’s crazy is that we are already valued. Any value that we needed was fulfilled on the cross. Translation: You are good enough. in all of your imperfections, sin, and shortcomings… God wants relationship with you. You mean the world to Him. End of story.

2. The flaws behind reversing these roles

In my discussions with people regarding this subject, the initial response of the majority is “I could see that, but I think it could go either way.”

I completely disagree. I don’t think that you can justify being the man in the field in this parable for a few reasons:

1. It isn’t consistent with the others.

Back in the day, this would have confused everyone listening. Jesus takes the time to explain the meaning behind 2 of the parables prior, theologians would tell you that because he offered no explanation, but used consistent descriptives, that the pattern should carry.

2. I can’t find anywhere in the Bible that the Kingdom of Heaven something that is hidden from us.

Jesus never speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as something that we must look for, it is always readily available to us, without labor. In fact, it is so readily available to us that in Luke 17:20-21 Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us.

Jesus would never have contradicted himself like that. He would have never said that the relationship he spoke of with the Father, was available to us through faith, and then tell us we have to go and dig for it. The Kingdom of God is not playing hide and seek with us…. that’s my point.

Conclusion

In the verse it says that ” in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. It overwhelms God to know that through giving his Son for us, that we are bought for him. Nothing overjoys the Lord more than to know that we can be brought into His presence. Notice also that it says that the man bought the entire field. He didn’t buy just the small portion containing the treasure. God purchased the entire earth, that he may find more treasure in the field. That he may bring more of his children into His presence. Wow.. thats love.

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Kinda pathetic I know.

So instead I decided to do something different. I decided to start naming my years. Spending the first week of every year seeking God, and developing the vision for my next year of life.

For example, I named last year 2011: Year of Growth/Learning. I spent the entire year last year dedicated to doing everything I could to learn. Little did I know that much of this growth was going to be rough, and brought on from outside circumstances. In the last year, I quit a job and moved across the country, only to be let go from that job 3 months later, had to deal with and even work for difficult people, and probably worked about 20 all-nighters. I also read 40 books (you can find the list here), filled three moleskins with thoughts, and rebooted my blog. This past year God birthed many dreams in my head. All of this learning, and growth has set me up for 2012.

2012: The Year to Ship

For 2012, I am focusing on shipping. What that means is that I am no longer going to sit on the sidelines holding onto my ideas. It’s time for them to see the light of day. It’s time to ship them out. A number of books I read had the same thing to say… “GREAT ARTISTS SHIP!”

I have always been a starter, and a great one at that. My mom has always told me that my passion for life will take me places in life if I stick with it and not get distracted…. Man does my mother know me well.

Getting ideas has never been my issue. My issue has always been with shipping those ideas. Making them happen.

This means more…

writing.

discipline.

designing.

dedication.

shooting.

persistence.

There are three things I learned last year.

1. I don’t have it figured out. (but I’m not expected to, and there is freedom in that)

2. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. (you never know when it will come in handy)

3.  Until you ship, you are not an artist… you are a theorist. (and I’ve always been terrible at philosophy)

So what are my goals for 2012?

I want 2012 to be a year of focus, and a year of production.

This year is about pressing forward despite circumstance.

There are a few projects I have swirling in my head that I cannot wait to get out to you guys. I am looking forward to getting my book project underway (more on that later), Blogging more, Designing freebies for you guys, and trying to make a difference by fighting for people and bringing out the best in them.

This year is going to be unlike any other.  I’m looking forward to it. Stay tuned for more projects, fun, and thoughts.

Cheers.

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Anyway, my initial goal was to read 1 book every month this year. Which would be a good amount I thought. Before this year I had maybe read 12 books in 3-4 years |aside from textbooks|. Little did I know that I would all of a sudden get smacked in the head with this desire to read non-stop. It has become one of my absolute favorite things I have ever done. I ended up completing 40 books. In ONE YEAR. For those of you who know me, I know, It’s a shocker…. But I did.

Here is the list Since January 1, 2011. |in no particular order, I’m pulling from memory|

Completed:
1. Linchpin — Seth Godin
2.In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day — Mark Batterson
3. Sun Stand Still — Steven Furtick
4. Poke the Box — Seth Godin
5. Purple Cow — Seth Godin
6. Developing the Leader Within You — John Maxwell
7. The Cause Within You — Matthew Barnett
8. Creative Matters — Various People, Assembled by The Creative Collective
9. Outspoken –Edited by Tim Schrader & Kevin D. Hendricks
10.-11. The Tozer Pulpit Volumes 1 & 2 — A.W. Tozer
12. Steve Jobs– Walter Isaacson
13. Making Ideas Happen — Scott Belsky
14. The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
15. Leading on Empty – Wayne Cordeiro
16. Blue Like Jazz — Donald Miller
17. Holy Discontent  – Bill Hybels
18. The Pursuit of God — A.W. Tozer
19. Pursuit of the Holy — Corey Russell
20. Mere Christianity — C.S.Lewis
21.A Greif Observed — C.S. Lewis
22. The Problem of Pain — C.S. Lewis
23. Why Men Hate Going to Church –David Murrow
24. When Christians Get it Wrong — Adam Hamilton
25. Erasing Hell — Francis Chan
26. The Revolutionary Communicator –Jedd Medefind & Erik Lokkesmoe
27. Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design,
and Engineering of Contagious Ideas — Dan Zarrella
28. Read This Before Our Next Meeting — Al Pittampalli
29. Telling Lies — Paul Ekman
30. Unmasking The Face –Paul Ekman
31. Crazy Love — Francis Chan
32. Tribes – Seth Godin
33. Uprising — Erwin McManus
34. The Ragamuffin Gospel — Brennan Manning
35. Anything You Want – Derek Sivers
36. Self Reliance — Ralph Waldo Emerson
37. Do the Work — Steven Pressfield
38.  The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald
39. The Complete Poems of John Keats — John Keats
40.  Untitled — Blaine Hogan

Still Reading:
41. Pursuing God. Creating Art. — Gary Molander
42. Living as a Christian —  A.W. Tozer
43. The Bible |almost finished reading the entire thing cover to cover|

I am looking forward to this next year and all the exciting things in store. Check back tomorrow for a look at what my prayers and goals are for the year.

What did you read this year?

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“But Scott, I create the best art by pouring everything I am into it. How can you say that seperating the artist from the art is a good idea?”

I get it, many artists can’t fathom the necessity I am alluding to here. That’s ok. What I am talking about is not necessary for being a good artist, but it is a necessity to not losing your mind at a young age.

I too do my best work when I can pour all of myself into a piece. However, the process I am talking about is how you handle things post-creation.

1. Create. Create. Create.
This is the fun part. This is where you throw on your Spotify playlist and go to town. You spend hours writing colors and slinging words all over the place. If you are like me, this part is fulfilling and sometimes full of vibrance and emotion. Your heart, and your vision are getting put on display for the world to witness. You are the very definition of an artist.

2. Self-Examine.
This is a step that I feel is often overlooked by many artists. However, it is probably the most important step of the process… This is where you take an ample amount of time and evaluate your art for yourself, no critiques, just you. It is your opportunity to make changes with your emotions without them being trampled on. Enjoy these moments, for they can be very self revealing. I have often looked back on a piece of music, or a graphic I have done and asked the question, “where did that come from?!?” It’s in those moments that I see a subconscious side of myself on the canvas… And I either love it or absolutely hate it… Either way I am the only that sees it. When we create things, all sides of our mind show their face. Even the parts that we didn’t know existed in us… It is for that reason, that self-examination is necessary.

Disconnect Your Heartstrings
Most people skip right past step 2 and this one as well. This is the hardest part. We MUST DISCONNECT OUR HEARTSTRINGS. I can’t stress that enough. It is totally beautiful to throw ourselves into a piece, project, job, graphic etc…. But at some point, that valve has to be shutdown. This is going to sound completely corny, but I don’t care…. It we leave Heartstrings attached, they often become Hurtstrings. They are a direct line to our identity as an artist. If people love it, we feel satisfaction, but pray we avoid the day that it is not well received. I think it’s funny how we can receive 30 compliments on something we did, but if we get one bad one… That is all it takes to ruin us. It gives opportunity for bitterness, self doubt, and a full array of negative emotions to set in. [NOTE: THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE THAT DISLIKES YOUR ART] Next thing you know you are painting pictures of sad puppies, wearing all black, and drowning in the ocean…. Maybe that is a little overboard, but i hope you see why it’s important to not give people access to that side of you. Moving on.

The Reveal
This part can either be a roller coaster, or a smooth ride. Depending on if steps 2 and 3 are considered or thrown out. This is where you let anyone and everyone see what you have created. You have an opportunity to let people have opinions, and them not affect your life. It gives you the choice to take the positive affirmation and hug it like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer, while examining the negative as a tool to make things better, or throw it out all together. Like I said earlier, there will always be someone that dislikes your work. Whether it be rooted in jealous, or just personal taste, you will not please everyone. So just know that. Knowing that thou, will help you in the disconnection process that allows you to step back from your work and let people speak their opinions.

I cannot stress how hard this is, yet how helpful it can be as we move forward in life, work, and in art.

Remember, you are not your art.

You are not your job.

You are not your promotion.

You are not a pink slip.

You are a child of God, and at the end of the day THAT is what matters….

It is a lot easier to disconnect from your art, when you have a loving Father to connect to.

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