*NOTES from my talk with #TeamGUTS. Watch every Tuesday at 10:00 AM CST on www.gutschurch.com

We are born to create – everyone.

Here is the problem… we relegate creativity to the place of style or experience, there by missing its importance to our lives and our leadership.

There are some fundamental truths about the place of creativity in your leadership that can unlock the potential of you realizing the dream God has put in your heart.

What Is Creativity?

Creativity: Making new connections from existing resources that create meaningful new ideas.

The first act of history was to create.

Sometime on the sixth day…

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. (Genesis 2:18-20 NLT)

Truths About Creativity:

• Creativity is one of the expressions of God’s image in our lives. (We create.)
• Creativity is not art but art is creativity.
• Creativity is spiritual.
• Creativity is a partnership with the Lord.
• Creativity is magnified when it is done in teams.
• Creativity is intended to glorify God.

Creative Leadership Models

There are two types of creative leadership models that can be found in the Old Testament – Noah & Moses

Both had…

• an idea from God
• specific instructions from God
• carried the future of God’s people on their shoulders
• got it done

Side Note: Creative pursuits are only effective when you put in the hard work and get it done. History is full of great ideas by great individuals that we can’t wait to forget about because they never turned it into a reality. (Recommended reading… Do The Work by Stephen Pressfield)

Here are the two models:

• The Builder Leader: If you are a Vision Leader act as a Builder Leader to are racing towards burnout.
• The Vision Leader: If you are a Builder Leader acting as a Vision Leader you feel frustrated and disconnected from your dream.

*Note that I am not calling the second one the “Visionary” Leader. Both have vision, therefore they are both “visionary.” The name is more about what they bring to the creative process.

The Builder Leader

- He walked closely with God

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. (Genesis 6:9 NLT)

- He heard from God

Genesis 6:14-16 – God gives him the idea and plan

- He did it.

So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. (Genesis 6:22 NLT)

Some observations:

• The creative process had a direct connection with his relationship with God
• God gives creative ideas based character over talent
• God leaves room for creative interpretation in the execution
• The Builder Leader works well with small teams. (Noah’s family)
• This is typically the church planter or smaller growing church

If you are a Builder Leader:

• Focus on your relationship with the Lord first
• Look to the Lord for your inspiration – see it as a spiritual experience
• Be free to get your hands dirty… this is your source of creative energy and leadership
• Work hard a gathering a small intimate team around you

The Vision Leader

- He met with God

Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.

Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:15, 16, 18 NLT)

- Had a God-given idea (vision)

Exodus 25-30

- God called Creatives

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make: (Exodus 31:1-6 NLT)

Creatives- Those called to make a visionary leader’s idea a reality. This is different from Entrepreneur or Artist. They are committed to the vision and the team.

- He shared the vision

So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. (Exodus 35:20, 21 NLT)

- He publicly acknowledged the Creative’s call and entrusted the Vision

Then Moses told the people of Israel, “The Lord has specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft. And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their skills to others. The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers. (Exodus 35:30-35 NLT)

Some observations:

• The creative process had a direct connection with time spent with the Lord.
• The focus of the creativity was not the end product but purpose of the vision – a place for people to connect with God.
• God provided for the vision – worker, materials, capacity, and expertise.
• There is a unique calling on Creatives that comes from God.
• A critical part of turning any dream into a reality is opening the door for others to share in it. (Recommended read – Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky)
• It is the job of the Vision Leader to publicly endorse the calling of the Creatives that God gives them.
• A Vision Leader’s success is directly proportional to their ability to allow Creatives to own the vision.
• Called Creatives are vision translators… not Designers.
• Called Creatives usually come in pairs and love teamwork.

If you are a Vision Leader:

• Focus on spending time with the Lord.
• Allow your ideas to be driven by glorifying God and accomplishing His purposes.
• Avoid getting your hands dirty. There is a direct connection between your ability to stay out of the hands-on work and your success.
• Identify and attract called Creatives.
• Work to publicly affirm your Creatives.
• Ensure that your Creative(s) are building teams. This is the only way that you can grow your capacity to match the vision.

Marks of a called Creative:

1. They have a deep relationship with God and see Him as their creative source. (They truly pray and read their Bible.)
2. They see their creative work as a calling from the Lord.
3. They are wise and skilled.
4. They are multi-talented.
5. They love to include and raise up new talent… they are teachers.
6. There is a unique favor on them to work within Church.
7. They have demonstrated success.

Then Moses told the people of Israel, “The Lord has specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft. And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their skills to others. The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers. (Exodus 35:30-35 NLT)

We have all had that experience of sheer astonishment at great art. One of those happened to me this week.

Take a few minutes to watch this video and you will know exactly what I mean…

It took six years and 3.5 million Euros ($4,460,400) to create this amazingly detailed and functioning model of the oldest operational airport in the world; the Hamburg Airport in Hamburg, Germany. They named this miniature marvel the Knuffingen Airport and it is on display at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg.

“The model includes a whopping list of accessories, including 40 planes, 40,000 lights, 15,000 figurines, 500 cars, 10,000 trees, 50 trains, 1000 wagons, 100 signals, 200 switches and 300 buildings.” (excerpt from Knuffingen Airport, World’s Largest Miniature Airport, Goes On Display In Germany)

Great art is the product of an investment of time on one idea.

This model is truly and astonishing piece of art. What captures my attention was not just the detail, or that the scale planes actually take off and land – it is the time committed to the work of creating something this captivating. I am fascinated by the power of an idea, like make a working model of an airport, that would so capture and drive a team of people that they would invest thousands of hours of their lives towards its creation.

This is what I am learning… great art is the product of an investment of time on one idea.

• For the artists who created Knuffingen Airport, it was the idea of building a working model of one of the biggest airports on earth down to the smallest detail.
• For Noah Kalina, it was the simple idea of taking one picture of his face everyday for the last 11 years.
• For Jon Chu, it was the idea of turning dancers into a group of super heroes called LXD. (LXD and Yellow by Coldplay – Breathtakingly beautiful and powerful)
• For Phil Libin it was the idea of creating one product that could capture anything on any device and make easy to find; now we have Evernote.

(This might seem like a weird list of “artists” but all of them have created works that have inspired my imagination at some point in my life. I would encourage you to checkout the links and be inspired too.)

If we want to make anything great with our lives we have to commit to investing time (our lives) on one idea. Without this level of focus we will never have the opportunity to be a part of making art that creates wonder and moves hearts; that is the art I want to create with my life. That is “the art of invested time.”

What one idea do you long to give your everything? Now is your time to stop neglecting your craft. Give it the time it deserves and requires – make your master piece on minute at a time starting today.