I have always been fascinated with the parable of the sower, Jesus’ story of the farmer who threw seed into good ground and bad. Some seed fell on the hard ground of the pathway and produced nothing; some fell in rocky soil, sprang up, and withered; some fell among thorns and were choked; some fell in good ground.
I always wondered why the farmer didn’t simply plow his field.
Many artists tend to be like the sower. They produce work after work, perfecting their technique. They fill the attic with paintings, the closet with recordings, or a file cabinet with manuscripts. But like the sower in Jesus’ parable, they don’t prepare the soil for their works to take root and grow.
Solomon addressed this in Proverbs 29:18 –
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
The farmer who prepares the ground will succeed, but the one who doesn’t won’t. And the lesson here applies to everyone who has creative gifts, whether in the arts or in any other innovative field.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with using your art frivolously if it’s just a hobby. But to make a kingdom impact with art, you have to till the land if you want plenty of bread. The “bread” here is success in whatever God has called you to do, and your success may be measurable in dollars, in prestigious awards, or in lives touched for the kingdom of God. (See Success In the Arts.)
Your work is the seed, and tilling the ground is the process of preparing the world around you to receive what you have to offer. Here are a few ways to do it.
1) Find the stories of others who have already done something similar to what you are called to do. Their stories are unique and you can’t expect to follow them step-by-step like a recipe, but at least they tell you it can be done! If you don’t know where to start looking, run a search on “artist success stories” and similar topics.
2) Do the basics. If you don’t have a business card, create one. Prepare a flyer to introduce you and your work. Design a poster to announce your next show or performance. You may begin with something modest that you can print on your inkjet printer at home. In time, you will want to upgrade to something with professional graphics and printing.
3) Identify opportunities in your region. Where can you show your work? Ask questions, get in touch with the contact people, and commit yourself to getting involved.
4) Keep learning. Go online to search “marketing” or “growing your business” for more ideas. Who knows, maybe an articles about selling butter and eggs will show you how to create an opportunity to make an impact with your art.
It’s work. It’s plowing. Some of the steps aren’t particularly exciting, but it all needs to be done.
Make a firm decision to get your work out where it can make an impact. Then spend time with God, asking Him for wisdom and for help.
God answers prayer. As I have asked for wisdom, He has given ideas during my soaking times – for example, to create templates for my marketing materials so I can revise them as needed. Sometimes He has showed me areas I need to study, or given me phrases to use in search engines.
And He helps in other ways. He leads us to key people. He sometimes sends opportunities to us; though they often arrive at an inconvenient time, it’s important to rise to the occasion and do our best.
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