I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I create. Not the surface-level “because I love art” answer, but the deeper question that keeps surfacing during my Thursday night live sessions: Am I creating for joy, or am I creating for purpose?
It’s a question that’s been dancing around my heart, especially as I’ve shifted SCS Designs toward a more ministry-focused approach. And honestly? I think I’ve been wrestling with a false choice.
The Joy of Creating
There’s this magic that happens when I’m lost in a piece – when the brush moves without my brain overthinking every stroke. It’s pure, childlike flow. The kind of creating where time disappears and suddenly I look up to find I’ve been painting for three hours straight.
This is creating for joy. It’s spontaneous, unplanned, deeply personal. Success isn’t measured by likes or sales, but by how alive I feel in that moment. It’s art as prayer, art as breathing, art as being fully present with God in the process.
The Purpose Behind the Paint
But then there’s the other side – the pieces I create knowing someone needs to see them. The zentangle prayer guides born from my own need for spiritual grounding. The scripture art that whispers hope to a weary heart scrolling through Facebook at midnight.
This is creating for purpose. There’s intention behind every decision, every color choice, every word I letter. I’m thinking about who needs this message, how it might land in their day, what healing it might offer. The impact on others becomes part of what fuels the creative fire.
Finding the Sacred Balance
Here’s what I’m learning: joy and purpose don’t have to be at odds. In fact, the most powerful art I’ve created has been when they dance together.
My Thursday live sessions are the perfect example. I create for the pure joy of the process – the meditative rhythm of zentangle patterns, the surprise of watching colors blend on canvas. But I’m also deeply aware that someone watching might need exactly what unfolds in that moment. The joy becomes the vehicle for purpose.
When I made the decision to shift to ministry-over-profit pricing, something clicked. I wasn’t creating just to make money (which can slowly drain the joy) or just for myself (which might miss the deeper calling). I was creating because the act of making art AND sharing it brought both personal fulfillment and served something bigger than me.
The Beautiful Tension
Sometimes I wonder if this tension is actually sacred. Maybe the question isn’t whether to create for joy or purpose, but how to let them inform each other. When what lights me up is exactly what the world needs to see – that’s when art becomes prayer, becomes ministry, becomes exactly what it’s meant to be.
As I sit here tonight, paintbrush in hand and another piece calling to be born, I’m not asking myself which camp this one falls into. Instead, I’m asking: What wants to emerge through me right now? And how can I show up fully – joyfully, purposefully – to whatever that is?
Because maybe that’s where the real magic lives – in the space where joy meets purpose, where personal expression serves something greater, where creating becomes both gift and offering.
What about you? Do you feel a different energy when you’re creating purely for joy versus when you have a specific purpose in mind? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Sprinkle some joy in the comments! 🎨