Creativity

A week ago:

Strength for 1 hour. 3.5 miles at the Y in the evening.Continuing to struggle with the cold

 

When I'm not working or running I enjoy reading and lately books--which I prefer--have taken a back seat to blogs and magazines.  Shorter pieces are easy to fit in while I eat my lunch or during the moments of quiet before and after dinner.  My blog roll stays fairly consistent with changes now and then.  Sometimes I lose interest or the sheer volume of stuff gets to be too much and it's time to unsubsribe.

 

Two of the most worthwhile blogs I've found in the last year or so since come from Donald Miller and Blaine Hogan.  I read Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" in college and loved every word.  It's one of those books I hope to come back to some day.  "Through Painted Deserts" renewed my desire to take a long road trip and someday I'll make it happen.  Miller's blog reads more like a diary than a series of themes or articles.  He draws a clear distinction between his books and his blog and has toyed with the idea of scrapping the online writings completely.  His pieces are short and personal yet I find a great deal of insight in them.  As someone who would like to step over into the world of full-time writing at some point down the line it's inspiring to hear from someone on the front lines and to see that it is, at some level, possible.

 

How I came to Blaine Hogan's blog is a mystery.  I can't recall where I first saw his name or how I made it to his website and subscribed but a year later I'm still enjoying each post.  Blaine's posts tend to be on the longer side and he spends most of his energy writing about the creative process and especially how creativity and art contribute to Christianity.  At the moment he's working on the idea of the Artist as the new Pastor and how compelling art--stories, images, words--is more effective at drawing people to the Truth than our current methods.  I'm looking forward to seeing how he gives life to this idea and where it leads him.

 

This morning I realized that Donald Miller and Blaine Hogan were both talking about the same thing: creativity and it's place in the world from a Christian vantage point.  At some level that's what I'm hoping to create with this blog.  I'm not sure running is a creative outlet but it's become a part of my mental, physical and emotional fabric to the point where, without it, I feel out of balance.  On the spiritual side I've discovered that running brings me in tune with God in a way I've missed the last few years.  Intentional quiet time is at a premium and running provides some sanctuary without having to stand still.  Writing provides the creative outlet and, as you can tell, I've neglected that in the past few months.  Changes need to be made but talking about them here won't help me make them and in fact may hinder me all the more.

 

So I'll leave it at that for now.  Running's tough and life will always be too busy but the journey's the thing right now.  Thanks for hanging in here with me.

 

Ryan