The Thriving Christian Artist

Artist Reveals Secrets to Creating with Purpose in Multiple Genres: An Interview with Rob Dinwoodie

• Matt Tommey: Artist, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Artist Mentor

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In this engaging episode of The Thriving Christian Artist Podcast, I talk with multi-talented Canadian creative Rob Dinwoodie—a visual artist, musician, and entrepreneur whose life blends artistry, faith, and purpose. 

From his roots in British Columbia to his work as a performer and creator, Rob shares how he’s embraced creativity as a lifelong pursuit without letting the pressure of monetization steal the joy.

We discuss the value of formative years spent honing your craft, the freedom that comes from knowing your identity in Christ, and the importance of maintaining a playful, authentic spirit in your work. Whether through his art, music, or community presence, Rob’s story is a reminder that creativity flows best when it’s rooted in purpose and joy.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why embracing the process matters more than rushing to monetize your art
  • How to keep joy and authenticity at the center of your creative life
  • The value of freedom and play in artistic expression
  • Lessons from combining multiple creative disciplines
  • Staying grounded in your identity in Christ as an artist

🌟 Favorite Quotes from This Episode:

“One of the things that I think robs artists of the joy of creativity is trying to monetize things too soon.” — Matt Tommey

 “We’re not defined as artists by our last gig, or by how much we’re selling our work for… we’re defined by who God says we are.” — Matt Tommey

🌐 Connect with Rob Dinwoodie: http://robdinwoodie.com

✅ Stay Connected & Grow as a Thriving Christian Artist:

Find out more about The Created to Thrive Foundations Course 

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Speaker 1:

All over the world, artists are awakening. Painters and potters, writers and weavers, poets and dancers, not chasing followers or fame, but sons and daughters called for such a time as this, transformed from the inside out, creating with purpose, releasing the glory of God and living in the power of the kingdom. Right now, this is the Thriving Christian Artist. Well, hey, friends, welcome again to the podcast. Super glad you're here. I'm Matt Tomei, your host, and really excited to have a new friend of mine that I'm just getting to know, rob Dinwoody, who is out in British Columbia and is one of those guys that the Lord just poured extra talent in, not only an artist, visual artist, not only a musician lots of other things that he's doing. Entrepreneur and Rob, super glad to have you on the podcast today. Welcome.

Speaker 2:

Right, thanks. Thanks a lot, matt, really appreciate it Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

For those who are just getting to know, you maybe give us an idea of where you are in the world exactly and what your life looks like right now, and then we'll jump into a little bit of your backstory and what your life looks like right now, and then we'll jump into a little bit of your backstory.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I was born. If you're familiar with Canada, western part of Canada is the prairies from Ontario. West, basically it's flat and you hit the Rocky Mountains and I'm in British Columbia and it's a little strip. I was just saying to Matt that I live in the Okanagan Valley beautiful place. A lot of people know Kelowna. That's kind of a common center but a real fruit-growing region.

Speaker 2:

I was born in Alberta, born a cowboy, and we kind of had a mixed farm horses and cattle and I was always around horses and had the good fortune. It's interesting when I replied to your email, matt, before meeting you, I thought of how God directs steps and I could see that in my life and I could see it in all of our lives, right, so I've had the good fortune. Dad moved us out to British Columbia. He had some health problems he's passed away since then but really had just a multitude of things. As I reflect on my life, I think, just the fingerprint of God all over it, and sometimes you're so busy going forward you forget to look back, and so you know this is a good opportunity for me to think about all his blessings. Opportunity for me to think about all his blessings.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, Absolutely. You know, it's easy, I think, for people maybe that have grown up in a farming life, agricultural life you're on all the time, like always something to do. I can imagine that creativity and the arts and that sort of thing may have had a tendency to get pushed to the side or to the bottom of the list in your life, but it seems like that you've really been intentional about cultivating that. So when did creativity and art or music or whichever came first? When did that start to emerge in your life?

Speaker 2:

Well, I actually had that question posed to me yesterday and come from a family of six kids and seemed like mom was always have another kid and so she. She put a pencil in my hand. I was a little guy. I still remember uh her saying would draw a picture, robbie, and, and I would draw. And since I since as long as I can remember I've I've drawn, but a very, very as a little kid very critical of uh ability, right and and uh later on the whole, the musical aspect came in. I uh again bought a guitar when I was quite young. I wanted to play, couldn't play with a hoot. I used the 50% principle playing the guitar. I knew if you played two chords, there's three chords in most songs and you have a 50% chance of hitting the right one.

Speaker 1:

That's how well.

Speaker 2:

I played. So I thought, well, you know what I love music. And I thought you know I can't, I'm having difficulty playing. You know songs, you know some of the artists that I really enjoyed. And I thought you know what, I'm just going to write my own songs. And I started writing and it became a real part. And then the part that I really find, you know, that whole direction of God in my life was I mean, I find and I see people involved in the music industry and the arts I read an article one time I was quite young Like I was quite young.

Speaker 2:

I'm 67 now looking back and I read an article that too often a very good artist, when they're discovered when they're young, uh, they burn out because they can't. They can't keep up the pace, they don't have enough maturity to know how to, how to engage. And I thought, you know, when you look back, sometimes it's, uh, you know, I've thought. I remember saying that many times when I was younger I'm going to be a professional artist, going to be a professional musician, and and God had a different plan. He allowed me to go through university. I've got an agricultural degree and I worked for I just recently retired, three years ago from range management. So I was in charge of the range program, which is cattle on public lands, and got to meet some phenomenal people and phenomenal history and it fed into both my music and art and it seems like I look at art and music very much differently now.

Speaker 2:

I don't look at it as an economic driver because I was very, very fortunate and I guess to all the artists and musicians that are out there is recognize the gift you have is from God and he wants you to use it, but he's the provider, and don't you know? So I looked at my life and I think, yeah, I've paid my bills abundantly and they gave me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write. I could write a song. It doesn't matter if it's a radio playable song. You got a few. I'm on Spotify and stuff like that, but it doesn't matter. You know, like I love the creativity that comes out of not having the pressure to you know, you're only as good as your last gig.

Speaker 2:

I don't you know there's that musical saying last gig. I don't you know there's that musical set and so yeah, so that's a little bit it, matt, like it really. Uh, I, I find how, how life weaves in the creativity and uh, it's quite exciting to me.

Speaker 1:

I think that's so good because you know, as we're just getting to know each other, a big part of of my life having I was in ministry for a long time. I was a working musician in ministry and then I had a graphic design web design business for a long time. Since 2009, I've been mentoring artists and a big part of that is coaching artists on how to turn their hobby into a business. But one of the things that because that was kind of my story so that's kind of how.

Speaker 1:

God used that to help others. But what has been interesting to me, I think that I'm, having done this for so long and, kind of like you, retrospectively looking back one of the things that I think robs artists of the joy of creativity is trying to monetize things too soon and just always in this. You know our day and time we live in. I was just trying to make money from everything. There's just so much to be said.

Speaker 1:

And I look back at my own life for, like I did my, I've been a basket weaver, sculptor, all this for for many years, did that as a hobby, for 13 years, before I ever really thought about selling it full time and I just thought, man, those are, those are such formative years where God was teaching me, not only artistically but also in my character and just all the stuff that he does to to lead us along the way. And, um, I just love it that you've been able to embrace that, this idea that I'm making my living this way, but I'm able to. That gives me the freedom to pursue my art, because we're not defined as artists, as you said, by your last gig or by how much are we selling our work for, or even that we're selling our work, but we're defined by who God says we are Right, and that's just huge.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, no, I would agree with that, matt. So when I, when I look again, looking back, it sometimes is really interesting. Like, like, as that happens, those interesting twists to it is I find that looking ahead. I said this to a friend the other day who also is a musician, is a phenomenal guitar player. I played with him for years and I said I find it interesting.

Speaker 2:

I think faith you know that I think most people know Hebrews 11, one where it says faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And so what we don't see is the future. And you'd think I remember when I was 30, 25 years old, I thought, yeah, when I'm older I'm going to have so much faith and what I come to realize is that it's faith in anything. But when I look back, I've got a lot of faith. Yeah, god did that, he did that. I could write a book, I mean an encyclopedia, on what he's done in my life. And then I look at the present, or I look at the future and I think, yeah, he can do it again. But then I look in the present, the present moment, and I think, oh, my goodness, like you've got these things that I think no faith is. The is hanging on to the now with remembering.

Speaker 2:

I'm not a big artist like in terms of big, in terms of, you know, like world renowned but what I've come to realize is that every individual is important, and so that little granny that comes to my show, they were created by God and they need a lot of times. People just need to have purpose and they need to know that somebody cares for them, and I find that at the you know again our shows we've done cowboy dinner shows and you know a lot of it's for tours, we do it for any event and it's always overwhelming to me the response that I get. And quite of it's for tours, we do it for any event, and it's always overwhelming to me the response that I get, and quite often it's people that are over 50. And I think our society and our culture tends to write people off, and not that there's anything wrong with the youth, but by the time you hit 50, man, you've got a scope of experience that is overwhelming and God gave that to you and he wants to use that and I think that I'm just looking forward.

Speaker 2:

I am 67 now and I'm just looking forward. I'm just starting to really understand. God's getting bigger. I'm getting tinier, but as he gets bigger, the possibilities are just endless, you know and so.

Speaker 2:

So when I bring you into the context of art is that I've learned, like all, sometimes sit down with a with a, like I take. I take a little book like I got. I got one of my little binders, I don't know it's buy them at local art stores. What size is this? You know it's eight by four or something like that. But every morning I just take my and I do pen and ink. I started with pencil and when you're working in ink it's very unforgiving because you don't use an eraser with ink. And I find it very interesting is that this is where the Holy Spirit kind of works in you. Is that I'll just I actually literally will just start scribbling, you know, and you know a picture will come out of a cowboy on a horse right.

Speaker 2:

And it'll take. It'll take, literally, it'll take that this picture, this is a bunch of ink tins so I use this to put the shading on the picture. But I guess my point is that it's almost like I really understand the artist. Like, Charlie Russell was a phenomenal cowboy artist back in the 1800s into the 1900s. He made a comment one time that really resonated with me. He said don't give the artist too much credit. He can't help it if he's good, and I thought that was interesting.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I love that.

Speaker 2:

So you know, again, just looking at sort of life is don't ever limit yourself and don't practice your mistakes. It's like guitar playing. I'm playing with some really fabulous musicians. In fact, one of the guys tunes my guitar on stage when I'm playing. He'll actually reach over and he'll tune my guitar when I'm playing it. You know he's so and I think I just smile, I say thanks a lot, kevin.

Speaker 2:

But the reality is when you play with or you're around people, it doesn't mean you exclude others, but in order to develop your craft or your talent, another man, you're gifted. He says I'm not really gifted. He says, but I've just honed my talent and I think really he's a wonderful Christian man, like he's one of my guys that I just love as a friend and you know we can have great musical discussions and spiritual discussions. But he says you know, I think that it really resonated with me because he says, rob, you know, if you want to get good, you got to practice your craft, you've got to you be around people that know. Don't be afraid of saying you know I need to improve and you know like I daily, uh, am in that place and so, and then, and then the sort of the flip side to that is, I started realizing we always feel like we're 30. Somehow, you just you know in your own mind. You know I haven't aged in my mind and when I look in the mirror I don't even recognize myself anymore. Who is this guy? Who is this guy with that white haircut, with three daughters, exactly. But you know, like, I think it's really important that we also share, because younger artists I remember when I was I was about 30 years old and there was a real phenomenal artist, western artist, in a local community and I'd go past his place, I was working, and I thought, oh, I'd just like to go drop in and see John, you know, like just to get some tidbits.

Speaker 2:

And I got enough courage one day and I pulled into his yard and I knocked on his door and I said you know, john, his name is John Ralph Schoenberger, a phenomenal Western artist. And I said I'm Rob. I said would you mind if I just said hi? He said, oh, no, come on in. And I spent the afternoon with him.

Speaker 2:

He was so gracious and when I think about him, there were some things that he said to me that day that really resonated, you know, like, as I thought about it, like he said. You know, for example, he said the darkest dark should be against the lightest lights, and I never really I thought what are you talking about, john? And then, when you're a painter or doing even black and white, that's what happens in life, like the darkest arts are always against the lightest lights. If it's really extreme light, there's extreme darkness, and I guess that's in life itself, like God created that. Sure Is that I'm not afraid of darkness anymore, because the darkness is overcome by the light, and so it's really not only in creativity, and I think that's the thing that I'm starting to see more of too is the spirituality of creation, of the essence of God in all things, of the essence of God in all things. And yet, very personally, gave us Jesus to be personal with us. Because, apart from that, I really have difficulty sort of fathoming this Father God, because his magnitude is so immense. So it's nice to have him as a dad, and I'll talk to him and I'll say Father, how do I do this Exactly? And I'm still, I'm consulting now and I love it, I love agriculture and I love the opportunities, and so I'll just say you'll help me today to do what I have to do.

Speaker 2:

And, more importantly, I think and this is something I missed for years because when we're young, it's sort of natural for humans to want to be known, like we all want to be known. I came from a family of five boys, right in the middle. Know you'll, you, you want to be known as something or somebody, sure, and? And so you know, that's sort of the natural inclination that people have. I want to be known, I'm an artist, I'm a musician and sometimes we've we uh, in that, uh, I don't know, striving is the right word, but in that endeavor, uh, we miss out on the fact that God's on the journey with us and we don't have to be worried about what the next thing is or that I'm going to be okay. And I think that's something that I'm starting to realize now as I get older is that I was made this for eternity? I've been really thinking about that lately. Is that the? I was made this for eternity? I've been really thinking about that lately. Is that the eternal? It's not just here and now.

Speaker 1:

That's right.

Speaker 2:

It's that, you know. So we've been given something like. It's not this ethereal realm that we're going to, but it's a very purposeful. God is purposeful in how he created a tree, how he created a horse, how he created man's thoughts, and so the purpose of the artist. You know, I think of the. I often love reading, you read back in Leviticus and you look, the artists were chosen to. One artist developed the beautiful structures within the temple of God. This is for God, and you know so. The artist was a very selected. He wasn't. He wasn't An afterthought, an accident.

Speaker 1:

No, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so when I really think about it, so I think I think now I'm thinking how do I dedicate and I guess where I'm going? Matt, I went off on a cow trail. I always do that. But but went down this cow trail. If you've ever followed a cow trail, they'll always come back to the main one.

Speaker 2:

But they'll often wander away in the bush. So that's sometimes my train of thought is like that. But coming back to the mean cow trail, is that I think God is quite interested in people and very interested in people, because he would never have sent Jesus, he would never have come in flesh, right, if you think, why did he do that? He didn't have to do that, and so he did because he wanted, he wanted people. He wants every person.

Speaker 1:

he wants every person to know him yeah, you know as I've been looking at your your website today and looking at watching some of your videos and looking at some of your artwork and all that, and in talking to you um, I love talking to guys. I'm 51, so you're a little further ahead on the journey than I am. I love to talk to guys that are in your stage of life because there's just such a settledness in you and one of the things that really caught me, I think, when I was looking at watching some of your music videos and looking at your art and all that, there's this real sort of relaxed sort of way that you present yourself, the way you create even the songs you sing Tons of humor but a lot of fun. You can tell you guys are having a blast when you're playing, having a blast when you're playing, and it seems to me that you have really embraced this whole idea of a life well-lived in the kingdom of God, that I'm his son.

Speaker 1:

Like you said, he's my dad. Whatever I'm doing, he loves me, he's there with me, he's called me according to his purposes. I don't have need of anything because he's already gone before me. That just kind of oozes out of you and I think so many of the artists that I work with and even people we interview here on, you know, on the podcast, sometimes there could be a real pressure to like live worthy of a calling.

Speaker 1:

You know, and I kind of have this, and not that we're not but like this heaviness on us, like I've got to do everything to please God, and it seems like and I just I know from my own life as I'm endeavoring to walk with the Lord there's this beautiful freedom that comes when you know that you're his son, that he's your dad, that he already has everything provided for you and he's already seen the beginning from the end, that there's no need to worry. And I just I would love for you to just kind of dig into that a little bit, because I not really knowing you, knowing you, that really comes out in everything, the way that you present yourself, and I'm I'm sure that that's been a deep well that the Lord's dug in your life over the years for us, like I was reflecting.

Speaker 2:

So you started as an artist, became a musician. I mean, this is just things that I love. I was a bullfighter. I rode in rodeo. I went from rodeo into, you know, agricultural realm. I worked at the University of Manitoba in the plant science department. I knew research wasn't for me. Came out of that. God's hand is just always moving, always moving, always moving. And so when I think entering into the kingdom now, I just think, wow, like who wouldn't want to be here? Like it's just. I find it just. I don't know even how to describe it. It's just like it's like my last name is Adinwadi. I'm Adinwadi. Like we all have a last name.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

We all come from somewhere and it's like my last name is or middle name or whatever. I'm associated with the King of Kings.

Speaker 2:

I am royalty and everything that he has for me. And he knows my culture, he knows my misgivings, he knows my sins, he knows, you know, that we're not perfect, and that's why I think one thing, a verse that comes to mind Paul wrote he said, he says all things may be I forget the exact term but he said all things might be acceptable, but they're not all beneficial. So if you're under the grace of the King of Kings, it is complete. There's nothing left. So I'm just completely soaking in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Speaker 1:

I am.

Speaker 2:

There's nothing I can do, nothing I can do to separate me from the love of God. And so, within that, so, rather than just say, you know, sit in the sunshine, then I take my life, sit in the sunshine, then I take my life and I say, okay, father, who do you want me to see? I'll tell you a little story. Tom is, I've got a little piece of property and it's a hillside and I just have pasture for horses and it was covered in rocks, like when I say covered not completely, but there's rocks everywhere. I thought every rock is covering a piece of grass for my horse, so I'm going to pick it up. I started piling these rocks. I thought I hate piling rocks. Honestly, I hate piling rocks Every morning. I thought I'm going to make this purposeful.

Speaker 2:

25 years ago that's when we bought this property I started piling these rocks up. Every morning I'd take a rock and I thought I'm going to make a prayer pile. And I just recently got a book called the Altar of Uncut Stones. I'm really interested in reading that book. But I pick up a rock every morning and I pray for somebody or about something. Literally, the rock pile is now over six feet high and about eight feet in diameter, but it's just rocks. And every morning I go up there with my dogs and I pray every morning like 365. And I'm not saying that to brag, but I'm saying that if just what I've seen is the power of Almighty God, he doesn't just answer the way, sometimes he answers exactly as we pray. But it's more about that relationship.

Speaker 2:

Say, father, you know, I'm concerned about Joe. I'm concerned. How do you want me to pray about him? What do you want me to do? How do I approach this? And sort of, within the artistic world, you know, people are very fascinated with music and art. They want to touch the artist. Sometimes they'll buy a piece of art. They don't really want the piece of art, they just want what you have. That's what they want. And when they look at what you did, they remember you and who you were. And so I think what an opportunity for me to really share the gospel. And the gospel doesn't have to be with words, it's just being kind to somebody, saying you know what? Like young people, you're a good like. I just love encouraging people. You're a phenomenal music writer, you're a songwriter, you're doing so good. Carry on, carry on, carry on. So we're human beings. We're so reluctant to give out praise and encouragement to people because I think most of us have never received it.

Speaker 2:

And so we don't know how to do it, and so I think when I'm thinking of music or anything, it's just saying man, those glasses look good on you, Matt. It's like that verse in Proverbs that says you know, he who refreshes others, will be refreshed, himself be refreshed, and I just we never go wrong with giving to each other and that's such a huge thing.

Speaker 1:

You know, rob, as we're kind of wrapping up our time together, I would love for you to just encourage those artists out there that maybe their life is. You know, art has always been a really important part of their life, but the enemy has been beating them up because they're not making a full-time living from their art, they're not a full-time musician, they've been doing something else and maybe living from their art, or they're not a full-time musician, they've been doing something else and maybe the enemy's beating them up saying, well, you don't really count, you're not a real artist, you're, you know all the stuff. What would you say to them? And uh, as we close our time together today, yeah, well, thanks, man.

Speaker 2:

I mean, this has been a lot of fun, right absolutely wonder what it was going to be like.

Speaker 2:

But I I would say to any musician or artist out there it doesn't matter where you stack up in terms of, you know, we're our own worst judges, we look at what we do. We say I'm not as good as Robert Bateman, I'm not as good as Michelangelo, I'm not as good as Bono or whoever your favorite musician or singer-songwriter is. And I would just say to you that, because so again, I'll say something that was given to me. I was 25 years old, I was going through university, I was asked to play on this television broadcast. It was a cable thing in Winnipeg at Christmas time and it was a Jewish Christian man and I went there and I could hardly you know, like I thought what am I doing here?

Speaker 2:

You know, you just ask yourself doubt, what the heck, why would you have me? And uh, and I was watching a friend of mine play the piano and I just made a comment to him and I said, you know, I said I sure admire gifted people, and he looked at me and he said son, he says God told me one time. And he says listen up. He says the gift is not the ability, the gift is the desire.

Speaker 1:

That's good, the gift is not the ability.

Speaker 2:

The gift is the desire, and if you have desire, if God's planted desire in your heart to be an artist, musician, singer, songwriter, whatever it is, he put it there and if you desire it, then he's with you and he's with you anyways, but don't ever doubt and just keep moving forward. So I really appreciate being on, matt and I hope somebody gets encouraged by this and down the line they'll tell somebody else that Pass it on.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, absolutely. I just I say this all the time God's not looking for our perfection, he's looking for our yes, and I love that that you're just saying it's God implants the desire, and when we say yes to that, it's like he opens up the floodgates of blessings and provision and leadership of the Holy spirit in our life, and and that's just, that's just so good. Rob, I know people are going to want to go to your website, social media, all the stuff and connect more with you, so where's the best place?

Speaker 2:

for them to be able to do that. So I, I I'm a, I'm a facebook user, so I got a lot of friends. That I don't I we call them friends, but but I, I truly, uh, I post a lot of my work, like I. I do my morning sketches every, just about every morning, and I post somebody. I post one this morning sketches, just about every morning, and I post somebody. I posted one this morning. So just go to Facebook.

Speaker 2:

I've got a business page called Cowboy Rob and Rob Dinwiddie. I've got sort of the personal page, and then I've got a website, robdinwiddiecom, and I've got my music and my art there. I have trouble. I don't manage my website very well, so I get behind and six months later I start putting stuff on. But if people want to reach out to me and don't hesitate. If you've got questions, my email address there in the contacts on my webpage. If you want to reach out and if you felt encouraged by today, or if you need a little encouragement, or don't hesitate to reach out and just keep at it. That's the big thing is, just keep at it. You're one of a kind. You're the only one. God broke the mold when he made you and he's expecting you to use everything he gave you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so good, rob. Thank you so much, man, for being on the podcast. It's been a pleasure. Hey, my friend, before you go, make sure that you're signed up for the Thriving Christian Artist Weekly. It's my free newsletter, full of spiritual encouragement, creative inspiration and practical tips to help you thrive in everything that God's called you to do as an artist in his kingdom. Every issue is absolutely free and it includes the latest podcast episode, featured artist spotlights, a worship song of the week and again, tons of tips and encouragement and inspiration for you to keep you inspired and encouraged in everything that God's got for you as an artist in the kingdom. You can click the link right here in the show notes to join us, and it's a great way to stay connected. All right, love you, bye.