Dear friend,
Two weeks ago I read something that changed my perspective. In any creative pursuit, it does not have to be great. (Now I’ve written that out, it seems really obvious. Did you all know this? Where was I when you were told this?)
Something about giving myself permission to write an average sentence, paragraph, and blog post, has meant in the last couple of weeks I’ve written more than I normally would. Some of what I wrote ended up on my blog, but others I left sitting in a word document.
I can get so caught up in writing for a purpose, I forget I am allowed to write something and not use it. Writing for the sake of writing has a place because nothing is wasted.
Have you heard of how quantity is better than quality in a creative sense? Writing a poem every day for a month will get you further, even if they are not “great”, than working on one “amazing” poem for a month. Doing the thing, whatever the thing may be, is how we learn, improve, and stay disciplined.
What I’ve found is the more I write, the more I understand my purpose in writing.
If I never wrote down any of my thoughts because they didn’t sound perfect, I would never refine what I am trying to say. With each blog post, story, and poem, I am using my voice and clarifying the message I want to send.
The blog posts I wrote in 2017 are vague and varied. But that is how we start. If I didn’t write all of those posts, I wouldn’t be here today knowing so strongly what I do want to write about. Those general posts have given way to where I am now, creatively.
Nothing is wasted creatively, just as nothing is wasted through God.
I was thinking recently about a bad decision I once made and marvelled how God redeemed it. I thought I had ruined something but He used it for a purpose that benefited people. It encourages me that something so messy can become so beautiful in the hands of our Creator. (Disclaimer: this is not permission to sin. Only encouragement for when we fall short.)
This newsletter is growing longer than I anticipated, so I’ll end my thoughts here. But feel free to continue the conversation by replying to this email. I also wanted to thank all my new readers for being here; I would love to get to know you!
Sarah xx
Currently listening: You Know by Bethany Barnard
Currently reading: Christy by Catherine Marshall
the softest words 