Audience of One…

Why do artists write… paint… sing… photograph… act… draw… create? Who is their audience? What is their purpose?

I am finally coming the realization that I truly am an artist. I really do have a creative side. I’ve spent most of my life denying and honestly, not believing it. The past few years I’ve been encouraged by some pretty amazing “artists,” and through their “art” and words of encouragement, I’ve finally embraced the artist in me.

As any human spirit, when we do something and put ourselves out there, we deep down hope that someone will notice and maybe even comment. We long for approval and recognition. Maybe there are artists out there that don’t need that, but I think it’s the human side of each one of us.

When I write, I wonder who will read it. I always write with a message and hope that people will be encouraged by it. When I take photographs, I do so with the hope that someone will smile and be blessed by the image. When I act or sing, I pray that people will feel God’s presence.

What if I knew that NO ONE would ever see or hear or read my work? What if I only had an audience of ONE? Would I still pour my heart into my work? What drives me to do it?

I know how I see and feel things. I’m touched deeply by beautiful pictures. I meet Jesus when I worship and sing. I feel a sense of freedom and release when I act. I learn about myself and pour out my emotions when I write. Each of these blesses me and I know blesses my Heavenly Father. Does it matter if we are the only two?

I sheepishly admit that when I post my blog, my heart drops a bit when no one comments. After posting a picture, I want to check back often to see if anyone comments. When I act or sing on the stage at church, I long for someone to share that they met Jesus during the sketch or worship.

We all long to be recognized. We all long to be encouraged. We all long for approval. Artists walk a fine line between humility and pride. At least I do. I never want my pride to get in the way. I never want my motivation to be based on what I’m going to get out of it. I’m learning to see my creative side as my ministry. Each one is inspired by my faith and done to bless people. My name is not going up in lights and I won’t be retiring anytime soon! The payoff for me is allowing the Lord to continue to show me who I am in His eyes and why He has me hanging out on this planet. It’s only taken me 50 years to truly stop saying, “Oh, I’m really not creative.”