Market Your Servanthood

To many Christian artists, the idea of marketing is repugnant.  On the artistic level it can seem crass and materialistic.  On the Christian level, it can seem self-promoting.

But Jesus taught a simple principle in the parable of the talents: whatever God has given us, He looks for us to invest it to produce increase.  Then in the parable of the sheep and the goats, He taught us to invest ourselves in people.

This implies marketing – not hucksterism or shameless self-promotion, but a discipline of finding ways to get our work out where the people are.  Take another look at Solomon’s words in Proverbs 29:18 –

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law.

Our artistic vision and our faith should put restraints or boundaries on our marketing.

Hucksterism tells us bigger is always better, more money is always better, touching more people is always better.  But the overall tenor of the gospel tells us something else:  bigger can be better, but not if it causes us to focus on a mass market and miss a niche God is sending us to. And the same principle applies to more money or touching more people.

Christian marketing in the arts must begin not with the world’s definition of success, but with God’s.  What has God called you to do?  Whom has He called you to serve?  Knowing the answers to these questions is the first step in designing your marketing efforts.

Once you know whom your work is supposed to touch, how can you get it to them?  A tasteless marketing campaign may alienate the very people you are called to serve.  The quality of your marketing needs to match the quality of your work, and it should be credible to the people you want to reach.

There are a lot of free materials online about marketing, and some are better than others.  But as you run a search and read several people’s articles, you will begin to see your options.  They all say approximately the same things:  use press releases, create a brochure, have a business card, carry yourself like a professional.

But you’ll notice that you feel more comfortable with some than with others. Ask yourself why.  Compare and contrast the articles that speak to you with the ones that don’t.  You’ll begin to identify the traits that mark the marketers whose style fits your calling.

Here’s an analogy that may help.  My wife and I often go out to eat.  Sometimes we have a waitress who takes our order and disappears until she brings the food, then disappears again until she brings the bill.  Perhaps she pops by once both of our mouths are full and asks, “Is everything okay?”  All we can do is splutter, “Mmm hmm!”

Other waitresses won’t leave us alone. They re constantly asking something – “More butter?  More water?  More cream for the coffee?  How’s the fish?  Are you happy with your steamed vegetables?  They’re not over-cooked, I hope…”  And it becomes impossible to carry on a conversation at the table.

The best waitresses are available when needed, but not overbearing. And this is a picture of Christian marketing. For Jesus has said that the greatest in the kingdom must be a servant of all.  If we market our work correctly, we make it available to those it should touch – then we allow them to choose whether to receive it or not.

Let God give you a strategy for getting your work out to the people He has called you to serve.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

What Is Your Vision?

Creative people often come up with more good ideas than they complete.  Solomon’s words can help:

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law.  [Proverbs 29:18]

In his role as king, Solomon may have been looking to the priests and other leaders to shape the culture of his day because public opinion can be a more powerful influence than the law.  Artists can share the burden of leadership, imparting vision to their generation.

But it’s not easy for artists today to make a living at what they do.  Often we have to shape our work to fit market forces, not a personal sense of vision.

This is the graphic artist who creates catalogs for a retailer and who has no opportunity for self-expression.  This is the session musician whose playing is one voice among many in a piece of music someone else has written and directed.  This is the actor whose only available role is in a script that is not personally fulfilling but is commercially viable.

Today’s self-absorbed world might make such an artist wonder, “Am I selling out?”  But for the Christian artist, the question misses the point.  Jesus has not called any of us to chart our own path; instead, He bids us follow Him.  The path is self-denial, losing our lives to find them.

This can include using your talents to fulfill someone else’s vision.  As Jesus said in Luke 16:12, “If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

So your season of self-denial may prove to be just that – a season.  Sooner or later, you may become free to pursue your own artistic vision.  It may be something you do in your free time; your own season may begin at retirement.  Meanwhile, it’s important not to waste today’s lessons in the school of discipleship as God watches for your faithfulness. Here are a few:

Professionalism. Get your work done right, and on time.  Use integrity in money matters, and keep up with your accounting.  Be systematic about details:  maintaining an inventory of supplies, arriving early if necessary for setup, and cleaning up after the job is done.  This is basic professionalism.

Assignment. You are learning to receive an assignment and to fulfill it, which often demands ongoing communication with your boss.  This will not change when God puts you in a more self-directed season, for you will still need to get your assignments from Him and to check in with Him daily to stay on track.

Excellence. Hone your skills and make the most of your talents.  Keep learning.  While you are working for someone else, you have an opportunity to become better and better at what you do.

Teamwork. In any endeavor, some people are easy to work with and some aren’t.  Work on your people skills.  If Christ lives in you, expect Him to make you into a blessing to your co-workers.  Let Him speak into your professional relationships.

Joy. Enjoy your work.  The joy of the Lord is strength, and a merry heart is medicine.  Even a grunt job can become a joyful dance.

Make the most of your opportunities to work as a professional artist, and whatever task you do, do it as unto the Lord.  Today’s lessons of self-denial will prove vital in tomorrow’s kingdom assignments.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

My Own Lessons

I wrote last week about hearing the rebukes of life, and learning from the hard lessons that come our way.  I’m going to rewrite last week’s article, restating the main lessons I suggested last week but illustrating them now with personal experience and with nudges I have received while soaking – convictions that will guide my future actions.

1) “As much as possible, plan for the environment in which your work is presented.” I have learned to commit myself to beauty as much as I can whenever I present my work.  This often means a commitment to detail:  designing an attractive label for a teaching CD, choosing the right typeface when I print a piece of writing, or laying out the book table artistically as I minister in various places.

I’m dissatisfied with my blogs.  I need to further customize the layout so all four will match.  But I’m at the mercy of the hosts’ templates, and I don’t have time to learn how to create my own layouts yet.  I had to decide that getting the materials out there was more important than insisting that the layout be all I could wish for.  So for now, I have to focus on substance, doing my best with style.

Still, soaking has given me a lot of ideas.  As I waited on God I learned how to design my website:  search for “free web templates” and look for designs I liked.  I didn’t find a template I could use, but I learned what kind of design I liked and then was able to create it.

This time I wasn’t left to the mercy of someone else’s design.

2) “Keep your production process as simple as you can, and include checks and balances.” I often have to manage complexity, and I’ve learned to make checklists.  Otherwise things fall through the cracks.

Then God convicted me a couple of years ago that if “all things work together for good” in the lives of those who love Him and engage with His purposes, I need to look for all my actions to kill two or three birds with one stone.

This blog is an example.  It is part of the online school of the Spirit.  It is also an advertisement that helps market my workshops, to open fresh doors for my ministry.  It boosts my website’s search-engine rankings.  And it will help market my books and other resources that are for sale.  So the simple action of writing and posting this article is accomplishing several things at once.

Beyond that, I create a lot of templates.  If I produce a booklet, its layout will also work for another – and then the two booklets look right together when both are on display on a book table.

3) “Finish something and get it out there.” It’s easy to get so many projects going that nothing is finished.  Sometimes I have to put a moratorium on new projects and do nothing but finish what I have already started.

Works in progress right now:  I’m writing a book about prophetic ministry, planning a ministry trip to the Midwest, proofreading my prophetic song workbook to prepare it for another printing, and taking steps to get the word out about the online school of the Spirit.

Until these projects are under control, I can’t start writing the book version of my wife’s testimony or working on another music CD – both good projects that need to be done, but right now it’s time to finish a few things before I start another.  It’s always fun to start a new creative project, but it isn’t fun to have materials that nobody can use because a small part of the job is unfinished.

See why I’m not in a hurry to focus on the layout of my blogs?

Stan Smith  ::  © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com

Learn The Hard Lessons

For everything that goes right in the arts, there are always a few things that go wrong.  The musicians practice faithfully, but the sound system acts up during the concert.  The sidewalk art show is a great opportunity, but wind or rain disrupts the display.  The writer finally gets something into print, but breaking news makes the book or the article irrelevant.

Ponder the things that blow up in your face.  Learn all you can from these failures.  Don’t lose the benefits they can bring you.  Here’s how Solomon put it:

The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.  [Proverbs 15:31]

Here are a few lessons we learn when we take our art from the hobby phase to actual productivity:

1) As much as possible, plan for the environment in which your work is presented. Many musicians travel with their own sound systems and technicians.  They have learned that others won’t know what to provide so the music will sound right.

Many artists present their water-colors in plastic sleeves because they know they can’t control the weather. Nor can they be sure a potential customer won’t get fingerprints on their work.  They learn not to assume that everything will go ideally.

Writers need to think about what can go wrong in the time it takes for a manuscript to go from the editor’s desk to the hands of the reading public.  Especially with book publishing, this can take months.  A wise writer slants the story to make room for the unexpected that may happen during this period.

2) Keep your production process as simple as you can, and include checks and balances. I talked with a production manager in a publishing house, and she said that every time the project went to another person, there was a fresh possibility for mistakes.

The graphic designers had come up with a good-looking cover.  But when the computer files went to press, the main color somehow became “puke-green.” Whose fault was it?  Nobody’s, really – but this mistake might have caused an unnecessary drop in sales. The production manager said she was constantly running back and forth between departments to iron out this kind of troubles.

Ultimately, who is responsible for getting your work before the public?  It may take a whole team of people to get the job done.  But it will be up to you to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

3) Finish something and get it out there. My parents both were professional writers and they went to writers’ clubs.  Even as a child, I noticed that many people called themselves writers and few actually wrote.

They all worked on their technique, whether they were published or not.  They all had book ideas.  They all critiqued one another’s manuscripts.  But few actually finished a work and submitted it to an editor or a publisher – and fewer still got into print.  Those who did usually had a file of rejection slips. They all joked that they used them to line the cat’s litter box.

We artists can paralyze ourselves with dreams of greatness, but the greats often receive acclaim for works they weren’t necessarily proud of.  Do something – anything – and life will reward you, richly or modestly.  But if you never finish anything and get it out there, life will surely offer nothing but disappointment.

Stan Smith  ::  © 2008, GospelSmith  ::  www.GospelSmith.com