The Thriving Christian Artist

5 Steps to Create Art With The Holy Spirit (My Exact Process)

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

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What if your most inspired work begins the moment you stop trying to force it? We explore a simple, relational process for creating with the Holy Spirit—one that replaces pressure with presence, anxiety with trust, and burnout with sustainable, joyful flow.

We start by naming the trap many creative believers fall into: overcomplicating the process and second-guessing every nudge. From there, we share a practical framework built on five pillars. First, create by faith, not by feelings—show up before inspiration arrives and let trust unlock momentum. Next, prepare your heart by assuming connection; God’s already with you, so the studio becomes a sacred space rather than a performance stage. Then, let worship set the atmosphere. Music, gratitude, and prayer soften the heart and increase awareness so you can hear and respond with freedom.

The turning point comes with learning to notice what God highlights. Instead of waiting for step-by-step instructions, pay attention to textures, colors, materials, and ideas that feel alive. The Holy Spirit often leads by attraction and peace, not only directives. Finally, follow the peace. Keep going when the flow is alive, and pause when it lifts. That pause isn’t quitting; it’s wisdom that protects joy and keeps your creativity from becoming grind. We close with a brief prayer and a simple daily practice: offer your work back to God like loaves and fishes, trusting Him to bless and multiply as He sees fit.

If you’ve been craving clarity, confidence, and creative freedom in Christ, these steps will reshape your studio time and your art. Listen, take notes, and try the process this week—then tell us which step you’re leaning into. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share with a creative friend, and leave a review to help more artists find their way into a life-giving, Spirit-led creative flow.

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SPEAKER_00:

If you've ever wondered how to actually create art with the Holy Spirit, I want to show you my exact process today, step by step, and it's a lot simpler than you think. And listen, right up front, let me say this creating with the Holy Spirit has zero nothing to do with artistic style or subject matter or the mediums that you're using. In fact, get this it's a hundred percent process driven, not product driven, which means that it can work for you no matter what you're doing artistically. But before we dive into this process, there's one thing that so many Christian artists are doing that unfortunately keep them totally stuck. And trust me, just even recognizing this can absolutely set you free creatively. See, when I first started creating as an artist, I had no clue that God wanted to be involved in the process, right? Maybe you've been the same way in your art, but I was just kind of, you know, doing my own thing, having a great time creating. But when I started realizing that God wanted to be involved in my creative process, you know, first of all, it excited me for sure. But at the same time, I think it sort of inadvertently put a lot of pressure on me, or rather, I put a lot of pressure on myself, trying to create the right way, you know, for God. And I'll be honest, I was tending to, and maybe you can relate to this, I was tending to overcomplicate things. I just, I wanted to get it right. I didn't want to miss God or do it the wrong way, but I was so focused on hearing from God perfectly and not missing him, you know, that I completely psyched myself out to the point that I could barely create it all. And maybe you've done the same thing in your creative process, you know, spending a ton of time doing things like overthinking and doubting and disqualifying yourselves with questions like, was that God or was that not God? Was that me? What if I get it wrong? What if he's not speaking? What if I do the wrong thing? Like, you know, listen. In fact, let me know in the comments if that conversation resonates with you at all. Because unfortunately, for a lot of artists, we we can struggle with this even with the best intentions. But listen, friend, here's what I've discovered in all my years and being an artist and mentoring artists. If you spent even half of the time and energy that you use questioning God's voice and doubting yourself as an artist, and instead put that same energy into trusting that God is actually for you, your whole creative world would change. And listen, that's not arrogance, that's not presumption. That's actually what it looks like to walk as a child of God who knows that they're already connected with him in Christ. My friend, I promise creating with the Holy Spirit is not complicated unless you and I make it that way. And listen, I know that's not your heart, and it's certainly not my heart. It is designed to be relational and simple and incredibly freeing. And once you understand this simple process that I'm going to show you today, it's going to change everything for you. The first step is what I call creating by faith and not by feelings. See, most people only show up to create when they when they feel inspired. But listen, anybody can create when they feel inspired. That that requires zero trust on anybody's part, right? That doesn't require any partnership with us in the Lord. Faith, I've learned in art, is actually showing up before the inspiration comes. Faith says, Lord, I may not feel anything right now, but I believe that you're here, that you're in me. And I trust that as I engage in this process, which was your idea in the first place, because you put it in me. I believe that as I engage in that, you're going to show up and flow through me. Listen, some of the best ideas that I've ever had in my artistic life, the things that I'm kind of known for, that people talk about, they don't necessarily, you know, come out of me when I feel the most creative. I've recognized that they happened when I just chose to step into the studio before anything made sense. And I just simply started doing the thing that I knew to do as an artist. See, I've learned that faith activates our creative flow and our action, our choosing to step in, even when we don't understand, that activates creative inspiration. So listen, just showing up in the studio by faith is half the breakthrough. Listen, if you'll just be faithful to do that, especially when you don't feel inspired, I promise God will be faithful to meet you there in the studio every time. Now, step two is what I call prepare your heart. You know, every day when I come into the studio, and you know, and every day's a little bit different, but before I choose a tool that I'm going to use, before I choose what I'm going to do, I typically will come in, slow down, kind of pause, take a deep breath, and just say, Holy Spirit, I'm here with you. Thank you for being here with me. And I'm not, you know, begging God to show up or trying to convince him to show up in the studio with me. I trust, right? As a son, I trust that he's already with me, that he's in me, that he's for me, that he's ready to work in my art through me today. And so that's what I like to call assuming connection. So you're not trying to get God's attention, you're not trying to beg God to show up in the studio. You're just simply becoming aware that the one who lives inside of you is present with you in the studio through the power of the Holy Spirit. And listen, that that simple little shift can change everything from going from striving to connection. And it for me, it creates a completely different atmosphere for my creativity that's not about pressure, but it's about presence, right? Not about performance, but about leaning into relationship with Him. And I don't know about you, but for me, that makes all the difference. Hey, listen, stick with me because in a few minutes I'm going to be showing you the moment in the creative process where most artists completely lose their creative flow without even realizing it, and how you can recognize it instantly so you can shift back into partnership with the Holy Spirit. So if you've ever wondered why inspiration dries up suddenly, that'll be the key that you've probably been missing. All right, step three is what I call worship as a creative atmosphere. And you know, as artists, we love atmosphere, right? But you know, usually once I'm in the studio, my heart is settled, usually I'll put on some worship music. And that doesn't mean, you know, going into a full two-hour worship set or whatever, but usually it means that I'm putting on some worship music in the background. Sometimes I'm singing quietly. Sometimes I just go for it, you know, at the top of my lungs or or whatever. But sometimes I'm I'm praying, praying in the spirit. But but whatever I'm doing, I'm choosing in those early moments in the studio just to turn my heart to the Lord. And for me, that happens best through music. I'm I'm usually thanking the Lord for what he's done in my life, for being in the studio with me for my creativity, and just thanking him that I'm filled with his presence and thanking him for who he is and what he's done and what he's promised me in his word. And listen, the more you do that, the more it kind of flows out of you. Worship isn't something that we have to add on necessarily to our creative process. Worship is the atmosphere of our studio that makes creating with God just seem natural and easy. It's where his presence is like the air that we breathe, the song that we're singing, and it's where worship is softening our hearts and allowing our awareness of him to be heightened. It's where our eyes are focused on him and where our studio begins to really feel like a sacred space. And honestly, the more I worship while I create, the more I'm becoming aware of what the Spirit's doing, not only in me, but through me and my work. And again, that's not from a place of pressure of having to get it right, but it's just out of a place of presence. So I just want to encourage you, let worship, whatever that looks like for you, let that be a normal part of setting the atmosphere in your studio as you create. And hey, in fact, if you're already doing that, like having worship music on in the studio, let me know what it is in the comments. What's your favorite worship band or music that you love to have on in the studio? I love seeing what inspires you guys creatively. Okay, step four is super important, and it's all about paying attention to what's being highlighted by the Holy Spirit. See, I've found over the years that if I will pay attention, not just with my natural eyes and ears, but with actually the eyes and ears of my heart, I can usually tell what God is already highlighting in the studio. And so I believe my job and your job is to simply notice what God's already highlighting and then learn to respond to that creatively. See, unfortunately, I think a lot of Christian artists, well-meaning, but they, you know, they think that the creating with the Holy Spirit means asking for specific instructions with specific answers, like, Lord, what do you want me to do first? What color do you want? Which direction should I go? And that's all good and fine. And yes, that may happen, but I just believe that that God loves to lead us as much through desire and attraction as he does through specific instruction. You know, sometimes he'll highlight a texture that catches your eye or your touch or a color that may feel alive or maybe material that draws your attention or a curiosity that kind of sparks your imagination that that's on your mind. And listen, friend, I just believe that's the Holy Spirit. And he's wired us to be stirred on the inside by his presence. And he's he's wired us to be led intuitively like that. And so instead of reacting with stress or pressure or uncertainty, just learn to respond to what you're already noticing without striving or all these guessing games or all this pressure or the fear of getting it wrong. See, if your heart is surrendered, God has no problem at all leading you intuitively as his child. And through that, you can follow this sort of peace-filled nudge. You can respond to what's being highlighted, and you can move into what feels aligned with his presence in the moment in a place of confidence. And the beautiful thing is that I believe that's the flow that God has for us. No pressure, no performance, just presence without having to constantly second guess ourselves. Listen, we can absolutely trust the Lord in this beautiful creative process because it was his idea for us to do this in the first place. Now, the last part of my process usually is what I call following the peace. And I've always believed, I can hear my mama saying, you know, over the years, be led by peace. But I I just believe that peace is sort of like this kingdom compass for us as we walk with the Lord. In other words, it it kind of lets you know how and where you're moving with Him. So when I'm creating in the studio and the piece is really flowing, I just usually keep going without any pressure. And when the piece lifts, if you know, you can kind of tell like the thrill is gone, right? The flow starts to slow down or things start to feel forced. I typically will not, you know, just push through just to do it. Typically, I've learned over the years that I can't make creativity happen. The only thing that I can do as an artist and you can do is create an atmosphere where we're responding to creativity and where it's flowing freely. And I think this is where so many artists get burnt out because they they push where they should really pause. They end up forcing things uh where they really should rest and just kind of let it go for a day or so. Hey, real quick, remember I told you there was a moment that a lot of artists lose connection with the Holy Spirit without even realizing it? Well, this is it. So when the piece lifts for me creatively, I'll usually do something like, you know, go take a walk or get outside or, you know, just do something simple, maybe even put on another worship song. But honestly, sometimes I'll just end my session for the day. And and I don't see that as quitting, I really do see that as partnering because stopping in those moments is not failure, it's wisdom, it's it's sensitivity. It's really trusting because when I honor the Holy Spirit's rhythm in my creative process, when it's flowing and also when it stops, I can also trust at the same time that he's gonna bring that fresh flow of creativity tomorrow or later in the day. And listen, again, it just reminds me this is not all up to me and not all up to you to make it happen. I'm just trying to learn to cooperate with him in my creative process and do the things that I see the Spirit doing. Now, listen, this is a bonus, but every day when I when I leave the studio, before I do whether a piece is finished or whether I'm kind of stopping for the day or or whatever, generally I will stop and just kind of thank the Lord and say, Holy Spirit, thank you for creating with me today. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for what we did. Like, look, this is really cool. You know, I'll just kind of celebrate that. And I usually will offer the work to him. I'll say, Lord, you know, and I don't say this formally every day, but I'll be like, Lord, this is my loaves and fishes. I want you to take it and bless it and multiply it however you want to do it and use it for your glory. And listen, for me, that posture of my heart keeps it tender and keeps my creativity rooted in worship. And it just reminds me every day that it's not up to me. Listen, my friend, you and I are not designed to have to create under pressure or to do it alone. We've got the God of the universe of all creativity who's living in us and breathing through us and wanting to partner with us every time we go in the studio. And so I hope that you'll take this simple process with you today into the studio as you're learning to start creating with him. Listen, I want to pray for you today because I believe that God wants to do something in your heart right now to begin to activate the words that I've I've spoken to you today. So, Father, I thank you right now that Lord, for every believer in Jesus who's watching this video, Lord, you already live inside of them through the power of the Holy Spirit. And Holy Spirit, I thank you that we don't have to beg you to show up, that Lord, you're already in the studio waiting for us to partner with us and to lead us and to guide us into all truth, into all wisdom and beauty and goodness and revelation that you have for us. And so, Lord, if I pray anything today, Lord, it would be to awaken our awareness of you. Awaken our awareness of your goodness and of your love and of your creative spirit that already lives inside of us. Holy Spirit, teach us to partner with you in the unique way that you have for us every day in the studio so that we can not only create with you, but that we can be formed into your image as sons and daughters who are revealing and reflecting your image to the world in all that we do. We thank you for that, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Hey, listen, if today's video encouraged you, I want to encourage you, please hit the subscribe button and also let me know in the comments which step, maybe all of them, maybe one or two of them, really hit your heart today and what you want to really be focused on with the Lord as you enter back into the studio. Also, if you want to find out more about learning to honor God and your creative process and more ways to really start cooperating with Him, I got a couple of great videos in the description that you can watch as the next step to help you on your journey. My friend, I love you. We got a lot of great resources that will help you in your journey as an artist to gain clarity, confidence, and creative freedom in Christ. Listen, God's raising up an army of artists just like you all over the world. And I'm so honored to be a part of it and have a small part of being able to speak into your life and encourage you in all that God's got for you. Thanks for being here. Again, hit that subscribe button, leave me a comment, and remember, till next time, you were created to thrive. Bye. 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.