Are you a solo-creative? A solo-creative is a creative individual who works in an industry or company/church without other creatives. Usually they work in a largely “uncreative” industry or in a small company or church where they are the full extent of creative expression. Solo-creatives often yearn for companionship–we desperately want to work with other…
This is a guest blog from my buddy, Josh Neuroth. My head is spinning right now trying to remember that idea I just had. For a single moment the right mix of inspiration, understanding, and insight came together in my mind and I thought something I had never thought before. It was like, for a…
I’m about to speak heresy. I know I’ll get crucified by some of my peers. But sometimes you need to put the leadership/self development books down. Sometimes you need to stop reading for a bit and explore on your own. So many of us become book and thought junkies. We’re looking for the latest trendy…
Anytime you attempt something great, you’ll run into critics. Great things challenge the norms and change situations. It’s natural you’ll receive some criticism. But not all criticism is bad. There are actually three types of critics you’ll run into. The key to responding appropriately to criticism is realizing what kind of critic you’re dealing with.…
One of my favorite ways to get inspired is through creative movies. All you have to do is plop in the right BluRay or DVD and inspiration will force its way on you. So this is a list of creative movies that will get inspiration flowing through you. Each movie is selected for a specific…
One of your greatest sources of inspiration will be life’s pains. As M. Scott Peck opens his book with, “Life is difficult.” It’s painful. Bad things happen along the way. It’s our responses to those bad things that define who we are. Will we respond well or will be respond badly? It’s easy to suppress the painful…
Jesus told his disciples, “A prophet is not honored in his own hometown.” He’s saying a guy can have his act together and be someone worthy of respect, but he just won’t get it from his own people. A guy can have all the right answers, but his neighbors won’t give him the attention he…
Creativity is about people. It’s about the way people are affected by the things we do. It’s easy to think that creativity is about doing something that’s never been done before. And there is some truth to that. But no one would ever actually destroy a building by slingshoting birds into it. Just because it’s…
Blogging is one of the greatest things I’ve done for my job at my local church. It’s upped the quality of Sunday mornings—especially in my departments. Naturally, I think every creative should blog. Blogging does four things for you: 1. Blogging helps you keep track of the things you’re learning. I use my blogs to…
Last night I realized I’d been ignoring my own advice. I’ve been breaking my own rules of branding with this very site. I’ve been calling the site “Faking Creativity”–a name that had no brand-able value. Instead I should have been calling it by my extremely unique brand, Jonathan Malm. (I’m pretty sure there are only 5 of…