Courage to Begin: Creative Freedom for Mixed Media (and all!) Artists Can Be Yours :)
Freedom: Creating without Fear
Recently, those of us in the United States celebrated a meaningful milestone. On July 4, 2026, our country marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And across the nation, people gathered for fireworks, food, music, ceremonies, and time with family and friends. We remembered those who sacrificed, served, labored, prayed, and persevered so that others could experience greater liberty. Now the fireworks have faded from the sky. The flags are being folded and stored. The gatherings have ended. This gives us a quiet moment to ask a deeper question:
Are we living inwardly free?
When the Fireworks Fade: Reflections on Freedom, Faith, and Creativity
As an artist and a Christian, I have been thinking about this question for my own life, and especially for those of us who are creatives and/or have a regular studio practice. In fact, this month’s Café PRAY and Café LIVE Zoom calls inside my Creative Café community have been rich with discussion around “creative freedom” and “process joy v. results pressure.” It’s been so helpful! And comforting to remember that most of us struggle at one time or another as creatives with how to create freely and with joy.
And a reminder that it’s very possible to have the freedom to speak, worship, gather, and create … yet still feel trapped by invisible chains of fear, shame, perfectionism, comparison, rejection, control, and/or the expectations of others. These things can shape our creative lives more than we realize.
When Fear Enters the Studio
Fear Does Not Get the Final Word in Your Creative Life
Fear has a way of making our world smaller. It does not always appear in a dramatic way. Sometimes it sounds practical or responsible: Maybe I am not ready. What if I fail? What if people misunderstand my work? What if the finished piece does not match the picture in my mind? What if I believe God is leading me, but I have heard Him incorrectly?
Fear can cause us to hesitate, hide, overthink, and compare. It can make us strive for perfection or cling tightly to an outcome we were never meant to control. I have felt this in front of a blank surface. A blank canvas holds possibility, but it also asks me to make a choice to select a color, place the first mark, to simply begin before I know exactly how everything will turn out.
Man, sometimes that first step can feel so vulnerable! Anyone?! Yet Scripture reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, so it must come from elsewhere. In our own hearts, from the enemy, maybe wrong belief systems. The truth is: fear may visit us, but it does not have to govern us. It does not get to name us or decide the boundaries of our obedience. It doesn’t have permission to be in the driver’s seat unless we allow it. We can remind ourselves that the LORD did not send fear, that is NOT His way.
So what to do? We can recognize the fear, claim what God HAS given us ( 2 Tim 1:17): a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind! We can pray Isaiah 41:10 aloud: “So I will not fear, for the GREAT I AM is with me. I will not be dismayed, for the GREAT I AM is my God. He has promised to strengthen me, to help me, and to uphold me with HIS righteous right hand." BOOM!
The Freedom to Become Who God Created Us to Be as Artists
Creative freedom does not mean doing whatever we please. It is not the freedom to live apart from God or depend only on our own strength. True freedom is found through dependence on Him. Jesus did not set us free so that we would remain imprisoned by fear, shame, perfectionism, control, or the need for everyone’s approval. Instead, He gives us freedom to become who God created us to be, with the freedom to love, forgive and heal. The freedom to create, to obey, to lay down fear and take the next faithful step. This does not mean we will never feel afraid or uncertain. It means fear no longer has the final word. In other words, we can feel fear and still choose to create. We can feel vulnerable and still share our work. We can be uncertain about the outcome and still take the next faithful step.
When Praise Clears the Atmosphere: Worship and the Creative Process
In my own process, creative freedom often means worship beforehand. I am a huge believer in the power of worshipping Jesus and putting Him on the throne first. Why? Because He clears my heart, head, and conscience. And He clears the atmosphere. Nothing dark or troublesome has permission or can get through an atmosphere of praise!
Sometimes creative freedom looks like being willing to explore, and try something new, regardless of the outcome. It’s one of the MANY reasons I love and teach mixed media and art journaling – the massive creative freedom, especially for beginners and in those times where things in the studio are blocked.
Sometimes, I’ll simply soften an edge, cover a section, change a color, or begin again. Those of you who know me through my creative communities have heard me say, “Guess is my friend!” In other words, cover it up with gesso and start again, lol. Or … I can allow the painting to unfold rather than demanding that I understand every detail before I start. The work can then grow through trust of the process, patience in the process, and prayer over the process!
Surrender Is Part of the Creative Process
Releasing the Outcome: Surrender in the Creative Process
Speaking of process … surrender is often a huge part of the creative process. Perhaps the word “surrender” sounds like giving up, becoming passive, or abandoning responsibility. I love that true Biblical surrender is none of those things, rather surrender is an act of trust. It says, “God, I release what I cannot control.” “I entrust You with the outcome.” “I will stop demanding certainty before I obey.” “I choose dependence on You over dependence on my own strength.” Or “I will allow Your grace to meet me in my weakness.”
This COMPLETELY changes the way I approach the creative process. I can prepare well and work with care without believing that everything must be perfect. I can be faithful to the work in front of me while releasing the response it may receive. I cannot control how another person will see a painting. One viewer may feel peace. Another may remember a place or person they love. Someone else may notice a detail I almost painted over. Once a piece leaves the studio, its story continues beyond me.
And while that can feel uncertain, it is also quite beautiful.
Grace for the Unfinished Artwork
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God says, “My grace is always more than enough.” His grace is enough for the places where we feel hesitant. It is enough for the unfinished painting, the imperfect attempt, and the brave beginning.
Beauty in the Unfinished: Grace for the Creative Process
We do not have to become completely fearless before we move forward. We can move forward held by grace. This truth gives me room to breathe in the studio. I do not have to prove my worth through my work. My value does not rise and fall with every success, mistake, sale, or response. I can create from a place of belonging rather than striving.
That is a much, much deeper kind of freedom.
Taking the Next Faithful Step in Your Creativity
I am choosing in this season to be grateful for the freedoms we have inherited. For artists, this may also be a time to notice where fear has limited us: Is there an idea we have been afraid to begin? A piece we have been unwilling to share? A new direction we have resisted because the outcome feels uncertain? Afraid to financially invest in mentoring, skill development, equipment, or supplies?
I am grateful that I do not need to solve everything today! I – and you – can simply notice where God may be gently placing His finger, and then take one faithful step. Order the supplies. Join a community of like-minded artists. Get some creative coaching and/or spiritual coaching. Learn the thing. Pick up the brush. Mix the color. Make the first mark. And release the outcome.
The Next Faithful Step in Your Creative Journey
Creative freedom is not found in having complete control. It is found in trusting God enough to create with courage, humility, and an open hand. And may He free us from the fear that keeps us small, meet us with grace in every unfinished place, and motivate us to boldly use the gifts He has given us to bring beauty, hope, and light into the world!
That’s my prayer for each of us today 💙
Much love, faith and creativity my friend,
xoxo,
Debra
PS: Got you all a-thinkin’? If so and you’d like to grow in fresh ways, please check out these great opportunities. I love to share and grow with you. Hope to see you soon :)
About the Artist: Debra Hart is a metro Atlanta, Georgia fine artist, writer, and creativity guide, living and working from her home studio in Gwinnett County. 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.