I am a creative in the truest sense of the word. Emotional, passionate, full of ideas, easily excitable, and easily discouraged. I have spent years of my life full of joy when I had tapped into inspiration and full of despair when I hit a wall or faced an obstacle. Every emotion under the sun has come out in my music or my writing—it’s the way I process.

One of the most breathtaking gifts an artist brings to the world is the power of expression. The gift of art is its ability to encapsulate emotion—from to joy to pain, love to anger, fear to hope. Sensation. Beauty. Emotion. Art colors the world and enables us to experience life with a greater richness and vibrancy than we could without it.

It is this obsession with color in all its shades which creates brilliant art.

A Sour Taste

However, I have noticed an alarming dialogue surrounding art and artists. Artists often say things like, “the best work comes from pain,” and “it’s only when you’re broken that you can be fully authentic.” I have seen artists dive headfirst into trauma in order to create something they feel is worthy and genuine. In fact, I have even ascribed to these beliefs in my own life. 

Years ago, I wrote a song about a relationship. The song came from a place of hopelessness and was specifically about someone I knew was wrong for me. To this day, I can’t sing it without tasting the sourness of a poor decision. I ran to my art to find validation for my pain. Instead, I sang myself into despair.

We artists need to change the conversation we’re having with ourselves.

Opposing Views

For years I believed that I had two opposing options. I could create beautiful, moving art or live the lesser life of an emotionally stable person. If you’re anything like me, you cannot imagine life without your art. It’s what makes you come alive. Giving up art would be like giving up your arm—not an option. And settling for mediocre art? This is worse than giving it up entirely.

What if I presented you with a third option? An option where you could harness the power of your gift to healthfully express emotions—including pain—and live a life more wholehearted than you thought possible? What if it’s not brokenness that creates beautiful art? Rather, it’s the skillful exploration of brokenness, the willingness to dive into pain instead of run from it, and the determination to push through to the other side that will make you not just a spectacular artist, but a wholehearted one.

Art. A Gift for the Wholehearted.

Art, my friends, is a gift intended to enhance your life, not steal from it.

I have spent the past ten years on a journey of discovering who I am as an artist. I have spent the past five years discovering what it means to live emotionally healthy. I am in the middle of my journey discovering how to live as an emotionally healthy, wholehearted artist. However, more than ever, I am convinced that the greatest art comes from a place of wholeness, not brokenness. Moreover, I am absolutely certain that art is a tool intended to lead people to wholeness not keep them bound to pain.

This post is merely an introduction into a larger conversation I will be facilitating over the next few months: What does it look like for us to live as a community of wholehearted artists? This is something that has been brewing in me for a long time and I have a myriad of topics I’m excited to dive into. I am also curious to heart your thoughts. If any of these questions jump out to you, please comment!

Questions to Ponder

What is one of your biggest struggles as an artist?
Do you feel it’s possible to be both emotionally stable and a great artist?
Have you ever created something that helped you release pain? Or kept you stuck in pain?
What obstacles do you feel hinder you from living wholehearted?

I appreciate your feedback…keep your eyes open for more posts along this topic!