Get Clear on What God Wants You to Create (4 Shifts)

Trying to do everything can feel productive, but for most artists it is the fastest path to confusion, burnout, and a body of work that never quite feels like you. We share Joyce’s story, a working potter who felt that constant tension between what she knew would sell and what she sensed God was actually asking her to make. Once she stopped living in the middle, her confidence rose, her studio output increased, and the second guessing started to fade. 

We break down four simple shifts that move you from scattered to clear. First, we get specific about what you are being asked to create in this season, and we talk about the subtle ways artists negotiate for safety instead of stepping fully into obedience. Next, we get practical about productivity and boundaries by organizing your calendar around your best creative hours, not your leftover energy. Then we tackle the tough one for multi-passionate creatives: committing to a single creative lane long enough to develop mastery, momentum, and a recognizable creative voice that actually supports sales and opportunities. 

Finally, we talk about treating your art like a calling, not a hobby, which includes pricing your work with confidence. Joyce’s breakthrough came from pairing spiritual direction with practical stewardship, using a real pricing system that accounted for time, materials, and expenses. If you have been feeling overwhelmed, unsure what to make next, or stuck in “dabbling,” this will help you choose a direction and move forward with clarity. Subscribe, share this with an artist friend, and leave a review with the one shift you are committing to today.

Get The Thriving Christian Artist Pathway + Coaching Community at https://www.matttommeymentoring.com/pathway 

Transcript

The Cost Of Creative Scattering

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Trying to do too many things at once as an artist may be the very thing that's keeping you from making your best work and the breakthrough that you've been praying for. And so today I want to show you four simple shifts that one of my students recently made that's helped her get crystal clear about what God was asking her to create. And once she did, everything in her life began to change. Her confidence started growing, her productivity in the studio increased. She even stopped second guessing every creative decision that she was making. I'm also going to show you exactly how you can apply these same four shifts to your own creative journey, especially if you've been feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or unsure of your direction as an artist. So let's jump in. Well, hey, my friend, I'm Matt Tommy. Super glad you are here. And listen, after being a working artist for over 30 years and mentoring thousands of artists all over the world, I realize this that the artists that are the most successful are rarely the most talented, but they're always the ones that are the most clear about what God's called them to create and what they're doing in the season of life they're in. And that's why my student Joyce's story is so practical for today, because it really does show the power of what God can do in your life and through your life when you're called and when you're talented as an artist, but when you really get clear on what he's called you to do. And so I want to share these four shifts with you today because honestly, they're not mind-blowing. They're not like these huge things that you probably never heard of, but they're when we do these things intentionally as we're walking with the Lord as artists, they make a huge, huge difference in our life. So Joyce is, you know, she's she's a potter. She's been uh making pottery for years, a lot of functional work, a lot of kind of whimsical sculptural work, that sort of thing. And like a lot of us, you know, maybe she was she actually told me, she said, I've had prophetic words over, you know, my work over the things that I was going to be making. So she really, you know, has been sensing like God was working in her creativity for a long time. But if you've if you've been in the art world at all, and I and I say art world, you know, selling your work at local craft shows and maybe in galleries and some things like that, even if you're just stepping

Why Clarity Beats Raw Talent

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out, there can be a real tension between the things you really want to create and the things that you feel like will sell. And I mean, I face that as an artist that because you get into this thing, well, I gotta make a living, I gotta, I gotta get this work out there. And at the same time, there's this thing of, but I'm really passionate about, you know, this side of the work. And Joyce, she told me she said, I was really feeling that. I was really feeling this tension. And like a lot of artists, me included, she kind of started drifting toward what she thought would be commercially more practical and more profitable for her as an as an artist. And so, you know, for a lot of potters, that's a lot of the functional work and the things, you know, mugs and cups and plates and bowls and all the things that that you know will sell. I don't know if you've had that in your own journey. For me, that was, you know, some functional baskets early on. I remember I made a wine bottle basket that was uh, I just knew, you know, if I would take these and some bark buckets that I used to sell at uh craft shows, man, I could always sell those. I could always make my booth fee, you know, with those. But I always knew there was something more, right? And that's the kind of thing that Joyce was feeling. She's like, I'm doing this and I'm an artist and I'm selling my work, but I also know that there's this really this body of work that I really want to focus on. And listen, when you get into that, it can really cause you

The Tension Between Art And Sales

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a lot of second guessing and cause a lot of frustration, it can cause even burnout because you start spending all of your time and energy and focus on making work that God really never asked you to create it and that doesn't bring you a lot of joy. You just kind of traded one job for another, one pressure for another. And so these four shifts, the the first one that she made was this, and I think this is so important for every artist. She got crystal clear about what God was asking her to make. Now, again, Joyce is a potter, you know, she she was making functional work, but she was really feeling like God was calling her to make more decorative vases, more decorative, you know, sculptural vessels and that sort of thing. One vase a week, right? So this is not like this, you got to change everything, but just hey, just start shifting over to making one vase a week. But what she realized, and I was I so related to this when I saw her story because she she said, I was negotiating with God, right? I kept feeling like I was like, well, I'll I'll make the vases, but I also got to make the mugs. Well, I got to do this, but but I also got to do that. And there's this back and forth, back and forth. And she kept putting one foot in obedience and one foot in what felt like it was more secure. You ever done that before? Negotiating. Well, God, I'll do this, but I got to do this too because this makes more sense. And maybe God, you don't understand this, but well, of course he understands, right? He's trying to bring us into the thing that he's got for us, but he's waiting for us to go go all in the thing that he's called. And so I think that whole idea of understanding, you know, she had to get clear about what God was calling her to do in her work, in the season of life that she's in, and realizing that the breakthrough that we're often

Shift One: Get Clear With God

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looking for is not some big complicated thing that we got to pray the paint off the walls and hope that God will do this huge miracle. Most of the time it's just like, hey, hey, hey, what will you actually do the thing that I've told you to do? Just the simple thing, just the little thing, just the thing that looks like it might not make sense in your life, if you'll just do that and not overcomplicate what he's already said, that in itself is a breakthrough moment. And so I would ask you today, and I and I I have to ask myself this all the time, but this is just a great thing that you could even let me know in the comments. What's the thing that God has been whispering to you, maybe shouting to you in your life, in your art business, and in what you're creating and where you're at right now? What's the thing he's been whispering to you that you've been negotiating with him on? What's the thing that you know he wants you to do, but it's too big, too scary, too, you know, doesn't make enough sense in your natural mind. What's that thing and what have you been negotiating with? Just put that in the comments because I think as we share these things with each other today, it'll be really encouraging for you to realize number one, you're not alone. And number two, again, when you just say it out loud and type it in the comments or write it in your journal or whatever, break the road to breakthrough is a lot more simple than what we want to make it. All right. But listen, clarity is not enough, right, in that situation. It's good to know what God's called you to do, and that was great. But the second shift that she made, which is so pivotal, was this she organized her life around her creative calling. Now, this is something we're teaching all the time in our Thriving Christian Artist Pathway, uh, in our community. I'm always helping artists kind of make decisions about how to reorganize their life. I can remember when I first started becoming, you know, a full-time working artist, it's a different mentality shift because a lot of us kind of grew up thinking that, well, art's the fun thing, right? I get my chores done first, the serious work first, the responsibilities for everybody else first, and then art comes second. But when you start to realize, as many of you are watching the channel these days, that art is not just this fun little thing we do on the side, it's actually our creative calling. It's a part of how God's called us to release his kingdom in the earth. It deserves the time and attention, right? I've always said that if God cared enough to give you your creative calling, you ought to care enough to actually give it the time, attention, resource, space, money, whatever it is to do the thing that God's called you to do. And so Joyce made a real clear decision about organizing her life and her day around her creative calling, which meant for her mornings were studio times and afternoons was a lot of the admin, social media business, that sort of thing. And then things like

Shift Two: Build A Studio Rhythm

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chores and exercise and promotion, those came uh in intentional times, but they didn't take up her most important, her best creative flow. Now, I don't know about you. You may be a night person, afternoon person. For me, I'm a morning person. If I can get in the studio 6:30, 7 o'clock in the morning, some of you are like, ah, not me. Well, whatever works for you, right? What and Joyce had to figure out what that was for her. But using your best creative energy at the time that it is most available to you is really, really important. And Joyce just found this was a big, big shift for her because, see, most artists don't need more time in our life, right? We think, oh, I don't have enough time. No, what we need is more intentional time. What we need is more protected time. What we need is more boundaries to say, hey, this is important. It's worth me putting some boundaries. It's worth me putting it on the calendar. It's worth me letting everybody else know in my life that I can't be just, you know, at their beck and call all the time. No, this is important, and I'm going to focus on that. And it requires attention and energy and putting it on your calendar. And so just doing that simple thing. Again, breakthrough doesn't have to be this huge monumental moment of the heavens breaking open and oh no, she just got number one clear on what she was doing in this season of life and what God was calling her to make. And number two, she got serious about actually create crafting her life around her creative calling. And so the second thing I want to ask you today, and again, you can put this in the comments, is if I looked at your calendar this week, would I know that you're an artist? If I looked at your calendar, all the things that you're doing, all the things that you've written down, your doctor's appointments, the running the kids or grandkids to this or that, all your church activities, lunch with friends, all that. If if I just looked at your calendar, would I know that you're an artist? Listen, until you are willing to organize your life intentionally with the Lord and sit down and decide what's important for this season of life and actually give it time and space and resource, I promise you, your creative calling will always come last. But if you'll begin to take it and focus on it intentionally, that's when breakthrough and momentum can begin to flow in your life just like it has in Joyce's life. And hey, by the way, if you're realizing that some of these simple shifts are exactly what you've been needing in your own journey as an artist, I want to invite you to check out the Thriving Christian Artist Pathway. It's my signature course that's helping artists all over the world, just like Joyce, turn their dream of becoming the artist that God created them to be into an actual reality. And the best part is it's not just a course, it's not just a library of information. There's a community as well where every week you can connect with other Christian artists who are on the same journey that you are, ask questions and get answers directly from me and my expert team, and also start intentionally pursuing your creative calling. Hey, listen, if you're serious about becoming the artist that God created you to be, I know 100%. This is absolutely the best way to help you get there. I'll drop a link below and I hope we see you inside. So the third thing that Joyce did that was a really big shift is that she made the choice to commit to a single one creative lane. She committed to one creative lane. Now, I know for a lot of us that love to do lots of different things as artists, we can think, oh my gosh, you know, if I got to focus, that's gonna kill my creativity, that's gonna quench what God's doing in my life, and I've got to do everything. Well, listen, you can do everything, but it's very, very difficult to develop mastery in multiple things at one time.

Invite To The Artist Pathway

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Usually what I found in my own life, and Joyce was finding the same thing, you know, it's it's easy to kind of dabble, right? Be professional dabblers at a lot of different stuff, take classes all the time, experiment with this. Oh, I'm doing watercolor, oh, I'm doing oil, ooh, I'm doing sculpture, ooh, I'm doing mixed media, I'm gonna be a singer, I'm gonna be a worship leader. I love sculpture, I'm gonna write a book. Like, all of that's wonderful. All that we're as creative people, right? We got all these ideas. But it's when we can take all of that input, all of that creative passion, and actually sit down with the Lord. And this is again one of the things that we really do well inside the Thriving Christian Artist Pathway is help artists really zone in on how's God wired you? What season are you in? What thing that you love to do actually has the most creative potential and opportunity to not only create income, but also create the meaningful

Shift Three: Choose One Creative Lane

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impact that you want to see God have through your art and actually make a focused decision on what you can be focusing on creatively in this moment that can move you forward into the thing that God's created you to do. That's like me. I mean, for a lot of years, I was a musician. I led worship, but I did my art, my, you know, my basketry, visual arts. I did that on the side. But then in 2009, guess what? God switched it. Now, does that mean I never led worship again? Or no, I lead worship all the time for events and things at church for my life group at in our home. I'm worshiping every day on the piano, but it's not the primary thing that I'm doing, right? And that's the same thing with Joy. She committed to one creative lane. I did that with my my basketry and my my woven sculpture for many, many, many years. That was the main focus that I did. And so for her, you know, she started choosing, okay, I could do this, I could do this, but this one creative lane, again, working on these more sculptural decorative pieces, that was the thing that she really felt was was the direction for her. And so, you know, God told Joyce in the middle of this process, because again, she's learning to hear his voice, the Lord was like, hey, start one page in your sketchbook, right? Make uh a vase, finish a vase, all right? Go back, um, you know, to to to the sketchbook, get another idea, make another one. Like, just keep focusing on the simplicity of what I'm telling you. See, one of the things the enemy loves to do with artists is take the thing that's a gift, which is all this creative inspiration that we have, and keep us focused all out here as opposed to actually hearing the Lord and pulling out the thing that's for now. See, a lot of creative ideas that we have, they're great ideas, but they need time to marinate inside, right? They need time to kind of roll around in us. Just because you get an idea right now doesn't mean you're supposed to be executing it right now, right? And so learning to choose that creative lane and focus in on an area and go deep, not only does that develop mastery, it develops focus in in what you're doing, it really brings more momentum in what you're doing creatively and in your creative process. And I just love that the other thing it does, which artists are always looking for, is it helps you to develop your unique creative voice. Because the more you focus in an area, the more you get better at it, the more you explore around that area, the better you get at what you're doing creatively and the more recognizable that becomes, which is what? That's where sales come from, that's where referrals come from, that's what galleries are looking for, all the stuff. And so the very thing that you may be resisting in your life of I don't want to focus, I want to do all the stuff, that's probably the very thing that's keeping you from the, again, the breakthrough that God's trying to bring. You know, the interesting thing uh about focus is that a lot of us think, well, I'll get bored, you know, or you know, I I want like to do the same thing every day. But you can go when you go deep in a focus artistically, it really forces you to be more creative. That's like me with my baskets. I I've always chosen to do what I do creatively with my weaving with only materials that I harvest in my local region. I could weave with anything, but I've chosen to limit. And again, when you choose a focus and then you go deep and you do things like, you know, one of many things, but you know, choosing to to limit your materials, limit your palate, limit the focus of the type of things you're gonna create. When you do that, it really forces your creativity to work and to go deep and to become richer and richer and richer on uh your journey. And so I think it's really, really cool that that when you create focus in your life, um, it really allows you to mature in the thing that God has created you to do. And um, and guess what? Focus also lets God multiply the gifts and the talents and the perspectives and the voice that He's already put inside of you. Again, if you're just flitting around and a professional dabbler all the time, it's really, really hard to get enough momentum in one direction to really see the blessing of God uh moving in your life. And I'm not saying that just as my opinion. I'm saying that as again, working artists for lots of years and mentoring thousands of artists. I just see this over and over. When you focus, it gives God something to bless and some God something to move over. And so my question for you, again, put in the chat, put in the put in the comments down below. What if the breakthrough that you're looking for, that you've been praying for, is not another idea, is not another download, is not another moment, but it's actually committing to what God's already given you. What if it's just doubling down on the thing that you know you need to be focusing on? What if it's actually taking the time to get with him and and maybe go through the process that we have in the pathway, right? And and actually discover what is it that God's created you to do in this season and give it the time, attention, and focus that it really deserves creatively. You'll be amazed when you do that. All right. Now, the fourth shift that that Joyce made that really changed everything for her was this. She started treating her art like a calling instead of a hobby. Now, the interesting thing was with Joyce as she was telling me her story is that one of the things that she always struggled with in her life as an artist was pricing. She really, you know, and maybe you struggled with that before. I started, I struggled with that when I was first starting out. Like, what where do we start? What do I price it like? Do I price it for what I would buy it for, what my friends or family would buy it for? All of that. She was comparing herself to a lot of other artists. She was looking at what everybody else was charging. She was pricing on what she was willing to pay. All the all the things that I was like, don't do that. And the other thing was that it was this. She she never felt confident that she was actually charging enough, but she was also afraid that she might be, you know, if she charged too much, people wouldn't buy it. Like it's always that tension, right? Back back and forth. And so during the foundations part of our Thriving Christian Artists Pathway, she sensed the Lord tell her that your vases should be a minimum of $500. Again, remember, she's she's kind of focusing in this in this creative realm here of doing more sculptural and and decorative vessels. And she heard the Lord say, Your vessels need to be at least $500. And it at the time, here's the funny thing. Has God ever said anything to you? And you're like, oh, I don't know about that. Like, that seems too much. That seems too high. That seems

Shift Four: Treat Art Like Calling

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too too big of a risk. The interesting thing is she thought that probably sounds too high. Number two, she didn't have any kind of pricing system that she was following really. So she didn't have any grid to even know if that was true. And so she just kind of tucked it away, right? Put it in her back pocket, you know, kept, kept walking. But here's the deal: as she started walking through the pathway, she learned, you know, the pricing formula that I teach, where I teach you how to actually price your work for profit and how to start building your art business where you can actually grow and uh, you know, just learning all the practical things that we need to learn as an artist. And she started calculating things like her materials and her expenses. She started actually figuring out what she needed to make, you know, to pay for her time, like as labor. What does she want to make? She started figuring out, you know, all the other things, the variable and and and non-variable kind of expenses that she had. And here was the cool thing. When she went through the pricing calculator that we have in the pathway and she figured up all this and what she should be charging, guess what she should have been charging for her vases? $500. Exactly what the Lord told her. I just think that's so cool that God had already spoken to her about where she was going, but it was the practical stewardship, right? Of learning the things that she needed to learn. That's what confirmed that. And again, that's wisdom, right? That's I think God loves that. Uh, that He speaks something to us. We go into this process of walking with Him to figure it out and let those things confirm one another. That just gives you confidence, right? And faith that you're on the right track. And see, here's the deal: God doesn't just inspire us spiritually or creatively, He also teaches us through His Word, through the download of the Holy Spirit, the speaking of the Holy Spirit, you know, in us, confirmation internally, but also through people that he brings in our life, teachers and mentors. I'm privileged to be there for so many, many artists uh to be able to give you godly wisdom and teach you how to hear the voice of the Lord and discern what it is that God's got for you at this season of life so that you can walk in everything that God's called you to do. You know, so many well-meaning uh Christian artists, artists that love Jesus, so many of them, and maybe you've thought this, they think that, well, if it's God, if it's God's will, it'll just happen. If God wants me to do this, he'll make it happen. Well, listen, that's not how the kingdom works. The Bible says, you know, Proverbs 16, 9, in his, in his heart, a man plans his way, but the Lord orders his steps. In other words, there's this partnership, right? We're planning and dreaming and hearing with the Lord, but what? We got to steward that with him, and he guides our steps as we start walking out the things that we've planned with him. That's how that works. And so it's super, super important to realize wherever you are on your journey, that revelation and practical wisdom, right? They don't, they're not opposites, they work hand in hand. And I think confidence begins to grow in artists like Joyce and in your life too, when you can start bringing together what God has spoken together with faithful stewardship and learning the things that you need to do, getting the wisdom and knowledge and understanding, when those things start to come together, that's when momentum and change really start to not only happen, but also are able to really be stewarded and cultivated and grow in your life all the time. So practically, what can you do this week? Number one, I would say ask God, what are you asking me to steward in this season? Where are we going? What direction are we going? Number two, what are your best creative hours? How can you protect those this week? Number three, I would say take a moment, choose that primary creative direction. And if that's that's hard for if it's difficult, if you're like, I just wish I knew how to do it, listen, we we will show you exactly how to do that in the Thriving Christian Artist Pathway. That's one of the first things that you that you do uh in the program. And it's so so that alone is worth the price of admission, just so you can get clarity on what God's calling you to do in this season. And then number four, I would say this obey the Lord, even if it seems risky, and even before you feel totally confident in it. I promise you, as you just say yes and start walking with the Lord, and you'll you'll start seeing confirmation. You'll start feeling his spirit, you'll start seeing the things that he's bringing together to confirm the journey on your that you're on. And that's how you grow and walk in momentum and uh and see these kind of shifts that that Joyce has had and so many other artists have had in their life. And listen, friend, if we can be a help to you, that's exactly why I created the Thriving Christian Artists Pathway and our incredible coaching community. Every week, I'm not only teaching artists, but I'm also answering questions, uh, also getting you in front of experts and just about

Weekly Action Steps And Closing

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everything you need to be a successful artist. We are committed to helping you grow in everything that God's called you to do. And again, there's a link right below so that you can become a part of that and uh let us help to walk with you in becoming the artist that God created you to be. All right. Listen, I love you, friend. It's a joy to be with you here every week. Make sure you subscribe, make sure you leave me a comment, make sure you like, and I have all your notifications on so you never miss any of the great content that I'm producing every week here on the channel. And uh remember, till next time, you were created to thrive. Bye.