How To Step Up Or Step Down In Creative Work

Practical signs and ways that help you to identify your creative stage

Have you ever gone through a phase where ideas keep flowing and you feel like you cannot keep up? Or you desire to have that creative flow, but nothing comes? Both of these situations need you to do something; either to step up or step down.

Stepping down doesn’t mean abandoning your creative work. It means to take a break and return to it later. Breaks depend on how much time you need to gain new inspiration or reflect on the work you’ve done. A new idea or angle might need some time to work on before displaying it. Let’s talk about stepping up.

I recently had an amazing idea pop up in my head. I got excited and unsure at the same time. This is because I am currently working on a ministry to encourage people in their giftings. I had to pray about this new idea before working on it and displaying it on social media. As a Christian, I believe it’s wise to inquire from God before taking any step forward.

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:6

Here are four practical signs that show it’s time to step up our gifts.

1. New opportunities. When the boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, there is an urge to use our gifts and talents. Sometimes skills learned in the past become invaluable in the new opportunity. There is always room to use our gifts, talents and skills for the benefit of people we work with or serve.

2. Ideas flowing. These come at random times, often making us drift away in thought or spend long hours executing. Also, there’s an excitement that rises when picturing what it will be like when the idea comes to life.

3. A desire to help others. This comes from a heart that wishes to help improve something in a team. It can come in the form of suggestions, or concepts that have proven to work. Helping others is servanthood. Help shouldn’t be mistaken for bossing people around.

4. Encouraged to wake up early. We have only twenty-four hours in a day to work and pursue dreams. Waking up early ensures better management of time and enough time to rest. An extra two hours in the morning undoubtedly goes a long way. For example, if you work a 9–5 job as a single person, waking up at 5:00am allows you plenty of time to work on a side project whilst feeling fresh and energetic.

Once we identify the practical signs in front of us, then it’s time to put ourselves to some good work. It is easy to get into a ‘fake hype’ if we don’t become intentional in our creativity.

So, here are some ways to combat situations that hinder progress, intentionality and consistency.

1. Step into the opportunity. They say opportunity only comes once and that can be true to some extent. How painful it is to miss it and not know when it will ever show up again. When that window opens, climb right in if led to it. Be humble to take even the lowest position as you continue to pursue your vision. If it so happens that we’re unsure and miss it, let’s pray for grace to redeem lost opportunity.

2. Write down the ideas. It is hard to keep up with the amount of concepts that flow in one’s mind. Keeping a journal to record these ideas immediately, will help you plan and showcase them well. If there are other preferred methods like recording on your phone or using a digital notepad, then do so.

3. Be intentional and consistent. Habakkuk 2:3 says;

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it. Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

How we wait matters. Are we working towards the vision, or burying the idea? Deliberate effort in new concepts will give you the results that you desire or show you a different path to take. We can only know when we consistently put in the time and work needed to get us to where God intends for us. It’s not easy to step down from something even when we know it’s time to. Good news is it’s not to our detriment. When God asks us to take a break, it means there is a desire from Him to do something in and for us. This can be filling, fellowshipping and teaching us what’s required for that moment or the next season.

After a season of pouring, investing, giving and sacrificing for God’s Kingdom, Him as a good Father gives His children rest. We might not know what to do with ourselves after getting used to grinding everyday, but we can trust God in the process.

Stepping up and stepping down in creativity are both necessary for our giftings.