The Artist Life: YOUR ART MATTERS - A LOVE LETTER TO THE CREATIVE SOUL

Dear beautiful, expressive, creative soul,

Let's chat for a moment, I have something I want you to know: your art matters.

Not just the finished piece you post online. Not just the pages that feel polished or purposeful. But every stroke, every smudge, every ink-stained page, every toe lifted to dance, every scrap of needle and thread, every dust of flour needed in the baking pan … every quiet moment you spend with your supplies of choice, and your heart wide open… and it all matters.

In a world that often rewards productivity over presence, it’s easy to question whether making art “just for you” is enough.

Here’s the truth: Your creative expression is needed, because it is sacred.

Each time you create, it becomes a map of you, and of your becoming. Each time you create, it’s a conversation with your Creator God and with your own soul. And every time, it’s a bridge between your inner and outer worlds.

Every time you show up at the page or desk or studio or kitchen —even when you're uncertain, even when the colors or tastes or words don’t quite work, even when the inner critic whispers that what you are creating is not “real” art—you are doing something profoundly brave.

You are saying: I am here. I am listening. I am willing to be seen—not only for myself but also for others.

And that is powerful.

The Practice of Presence

As a mixed media artist and oil painter, I have some trade secrets that keep me inspired and are simply just for me. Yes, you may see some of my own art journaling and mixed media work on social media, on my website, and/or in this blog … but that’s only part of the story. I choose not to share them all.

Not because my intuitive marks and artmaking is ugly - although some of it is and I celebrate that because I’m learning, always learning! No, it’s because I choose to keep some close to my heart and studio because they are sacred, they are deeply personal, and they are evidence of my practice of presence. Not only my presence in the studio - where I’m intentional about getting out the paints and papers and canvases and gel plates and whatever else - but the Holy Spirit of God’s presence with me as I create.

When you show up with honesty and curiosity in your creating space, you're not just creating art—you're creating space for His truth to form your truth - and to creatively breathe. In my online community SOUL Collective, we see this magic unfold all the time as we use paper and marks and collage and paint to express our journeys. The practice of presence may show up as ...

🦋 a scribble that becomes a revelation,

🦋 intuitive marks that aren’t ‘anything’ in the beginning but become a way the Lord speaks in an unexpected way,

🦋 perhaps a collage spread that uncovers an old memory,

🦋 a page that looks like chaos but feels like clarity,

🦋 and quite often it’s the hot mess of a creation that brings healing and hope!

This is the kind of art that doesn’t ask for approval. It asks only for your attention—and your trust. Not trust in the end result or even your ability, but trust in the process. The end result doesn’t even really matter (I know, I know, that’s hard for some of us perfectionists and business people who want it all to be great!). It is the practice of showing up - something that you cultivate with intention and time. It doesn’t just happen on its own.

You Don’t Need to Be “Good” to Be Worthy as an Artist

Let’s be clear: you don’t need to make “beautiful” things for your art to be valuable.

You don’t always need to know where it’s going. You don’t always need a plan - in fact, this sometimes hinders more than it helps. You just need to show up.

Every imperfect, tender, honest mark, and every mistake in your creative practice you make? It's a thread connecting you to His inner wisdom inside you as a Christian artist and creative being.

So if today your ‘art’ feels messy, uncertain, or hidden in the margins of your life — please know, it still matters.

An Invitation

Let this be an invitation from me to you, my clever, imaginative heart: keep creating.

Pick up the brush, gather the glue sticks, open the journal, put on the dancing shoes, find that baker’s mitt.

Let the process, the play, the expression be the point. You don’t need permission. But in case it helps, here it is:

🩵 You are a valuable artist in the Kingdom.

🩵 Your voice is needed in the Kingdom.

🩵 And your art is worthy - so keep on creating.

With love in my heart for you (and happily messy hands!),

~ Debra

PS: Some studio days are rough … and I wonder, “does it all really matter?”

ANYONE?!

In these moments, I’ll grab the gift my daddy gave me before he passed away in 2024 — a 1920 Gibson mandolin — and start plunking away.

It seems to help because I’m not very good yet. That in itself is a tangible reminder as I hold the slick wood in my hands, feel the strings pressing on my fingers, and hear the warm tones emerge within the chords … that creativity is a holy practice. And I’ve learned that ‘practice’ is not a dirty word.

I love the feeling of holding something sacred like a 100+ year old instrument built for artistry, and then creating something, learning something new. As a redeemed perfectionist, I now enjoy the journey, failures and all. Failing along the strings on Daddy’s mando tends to be a catalyst for the creative flow to return — BECAUSE my fumbling around is so imperfect, and in the end, I must let it all go.

And please remember - your creativity matters. No matter how it comes — or doesn’t, as on a rough studio day. It matters. Always. And you will be rewarded. Promise. 🩵

Debra Hart is an Atlanta, Georgia area fine artist, writer, and creativity guide. She delights in encouraging creatives in their journey of discovery, skill development, and overcoming barriers to loving their best creative life. A redeemed perfectionist, she approaches her life and art from a place of mystery, grace, and love of her Savior, Jesus Christ - the best Adventurer of all.