What to Do When You Get Stuck

One of the worst-kept secrets of creative people is that – from time to time, more often than we’d like to admit – we hit a wall. A lot of people imagine that creatives – storytellers, filmmakers, musicians, designers – live in a world of constant wonder and inspiration. We’re the idea people. Creativity is fun, right?

The truth is that anyone who does creative work will tell you (if they’re honest) that it’s normal to feel stuck every once in awhile. Sometimes we’re inspired. Other times we’re just trying to make a deadline. Sometimes our work has tons of clarity and focus, and we’re convinced that it will make the world a better place. Other times we simply get lost halfway in the process. And one of our greatest fears is that we’ll stay stuck forever.

So how do we get un-stuck?

As you might have guessed, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Every person is different, everyone’s process is unique. Some of us thrive on planning and structure. Some of us thrive on spontaneity and gut instinct. But there are some principles to help you maneuver around your personal roadblocks and get you moving again.

One of the best insights I’ve ever come across about navigating the creative process was from Steven Spielberg. He was asked how he stayed inspired and productive as a creative professional, where his ideas came from and how he executed them so well. I thought his answer was profound. I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like this …

As a creative professional, it’s as if you’ve been handed a passport. And this passport allows you free passage between the different regions of your brain. The first region – we’ll call it the childlike daydreamer, the awe-filled, inspired, irresponsible part of your brain – this is where all your beautiful ideas are born and can stay safely sheltered. Then there’s the other part – we’ll call it the region of experienced adulthood, the grown-up who gets how the world works and knows what it takes to survive. 

As a person who creates, you have to access both regions. Otherwise you’ll get stuck. If you get stuck in your kid brain, your beautiful ideas won’t mean much to anyone else, because they’ll never cut it in the grown-up world. But if you get stuck in your grown-up brain, you’ll talk yourself out of ideas that aren’t fully formed yet. You’ll play it safe, avoid too much risk, and end up inspiring no one.

A light bulb went on when I heard this, and it’s helped me ever since. So often when I get creatively stuck, I’m either lacking inspiration (stuck in my grown-up brain) or lacking discipline (stuck in my kid brain.) Part of getting un-stuck is pulling out the passport and crossing the border, reconnecting with the thing I’ve been missing out on.

So when you’re feeling stuck and uninspired, like you haven’t had a good idea in a really long time, it’s probably worth spending some time doing things you really love to do. Research shows that when we’re at play, at rest or away from our everyday tasks (ie: on a walk or in the shower), our unconscious has more space to problem-solve and come up with great ideas and solutions. Einstein is quoted as saying that “creativity is the residue of wasted time.” So ‘waste’ a little time (or take that long overdue Sabbath) and you‘ll do your creative kid brain a giant favor.

On the other hand, if you’re feeling stuck and directionless, like you can’t make forward progress on your project, it might be time to embrace some structure. This could be as simple as writing down your to-do list for the day or getting your ideas out on notecards, just getting things out of your head and onto paper. Maybe it means setting a timer so that you stay focused for the next couple hours, or quitting / silencing every piece of technology that pulls you away from your work. Hunker down and get a good day’s work done. You’ll feel like a responsible citizen again, and your grown-up brain will thank you.

Maybe the best insight to getting creatively un-stuck is realizing that you’re not creating alone. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says that we are co-workers with God. If we’re in God’s Kingdom, we get to co-create with our Creator, which when you think about it is pretty phenomenal. That means that, when you get stuck, you have heaven’s resources to draw upon. God’s the One who created you, after all. Ask Him what your next step looks like.

Getting stuck is normal. But getting un-stuck is crucial, because people need to hear the stories you have to tell.

The Story of Our Story Team

A few years back, I started dreaming about building a ministry team at our church that focused on storytelling. I was the Creative Arts Pastor at WoodsEdge, our church near Houston. I oversaw all the programming for our weekend services, and my team created all the media each week.

Our church is a passionate church. And I began to see how much of an impact our stories were having. We made all kinds of videos – announcements, promos, sermon intros and funny stuff. But when we told a story, it connected big time.

I had no idea what a storytelling ministry would (or should) look like for us. But I knew that we needed to let more people in on this. And I knew we wanted to empower and raise up artists for this ministry. This meant inviting volunteers into our storytelling process for the first time, something we had never really done before.

This past year we launched our Story Team. And to be honest, it was a shot in the dark. We had prayed about it a lot but still had questions about how it would all work. We launched it anyway. The dream was to help create a culture of storytelling at our church. Not only would we be a team that produced stories, we would be the ones to champion the value of personal stories – because each one matters.

As we started to meet, we asked each team member to write out their story and share it with the group. We wanted them to experience what it feels like to get vulnerable and open up, so they could walk someone else through that process.

Every month we would gather at the table around some food and listen to 3 or 4 stories. After each person shared, I asked our team to speak back what they had heard, what they loved and what impacted them. The response was absolutely life-giving. Each person’s vulnerability was met with encouragement and acceptance. The room felt deeply connected in a holy sort of way.

This made a huge impact on us as leaders and helped us realize several things.

The first thing is that people crave connection and stories deliver on that. There’s something very human about letting down your guard and sharing something difficult. But when we’re willing to share it, it connects on a deep level with other people.

We also realized that storytelling is a ministry, not just a craft. Not all of our team members needed training to produce stories – filming and writing and taking photos. Some of our team members are just really good listeners. They’re wired for empathy, and that’s a crucial component for walking people through an interview process.

Other team members had a passion for untold stories, for the people you wouldn’t expect, the stories that are less flashy and more everyday. These were people that could help us find new stories because they were already looking for them.

And then we had team members who were more creative – writers, photographers and filmmakers. They were the ones to bring along on photo shoots and film projects so they could begin to grow and be empowered as artists.

Along the way, I’ve seen our team become more intentional and confident in what they’re doing. And we’ve gotten some traction as we’ve done this work together. It hasn’t always been easy. Working with a larger group takes patience. Training people takes time. If you’re used to fast production schedules (like we are), it’s an adjustment. But it’s been absolutely worth it.

We still have moments when we have no idea what to do next. But we’ve gotten to a point where we’re doing this ministry together. Storytelling is a team sport. And we’re willing to push through uncertainty because we believe in each other and in what we’re doing.
 

P.S. If you’re considering starting a storytelling ministry in your church, we would love to chat with you, to hear what you’re dreaming about and encourage you. Shoot us an email anytime.

Why We Tell Stories

I’ve been telling stories on film for over a decade in the local church. And I’ve noticed something along the way … people respond to stories.

They remember them too. Years after we’ve shown a story in our church, it’s not unusual for our team to hear people talking about something that impacted them, something they’ve hung onto over time. What we really love hearing people talk about are the things God did in these stories – how He saved someone or healed them, how a child was adopted, how a marriage was saved from certain disaster. This might be the most beautiful part of the ministry of storytelling – we get to share a glimpse of how good God really is.

We’re in a golden age of storytelling these days. We’re enamored with everything ‘story.’ When I tell people that people that I’m a storyteller, it usually sparks interest (or they roll their eyes and silently mock me – which is fair enough.) Story is a buzzword that won’t go away. Because it’s all around us, it’s something that needs meaning in order to matter.

So why do we tell stories?

First, we’re following in the footsteps of Jesus. He told stories and taught in parables, making the secrets of Heaven accessible to people’s imaginations, describing His Kingdom in a way only He could. By telling stories, Jesus met people right where they were.

We tell stories because they glorify our good God. They demonstrate His unyielding faithfulness, whether He transforms a situation or redeems someone’s perspective in suffering. It stirs our hearts to know that God is still at work, still speaking and moving and healing and making all things new.

We tell stories because they matter, both to God and to us. Our story is a chronicle of our faith so far, the things we’ve experienced and the insights we’ve learned. It’s one of the most precious things we have.

We tell stories because they create impact. They speak truth that resonates deep in the hearts of people. Audiences can relate with struggle, with unresolved conflict, doubt and uncertainty. We need to know we’re not alone in all this. Stories remind us of this.

This past year, I launched a Story Team at WoodsEdge Church with the vision to foster a culture of storytelling at our church. God began bringing us people with a similar passion, and our ministry has begun to take shape and grow.

Along the way, we connected with leaders in other churches who want to tell more stories too. Some are getting started, some want to get more intentional in building a team or grow in the craft of storytelling.

So we’ve launched Tell More Stories as a community resource for storytellers in the local church. Our aim is to share practical, approachable insights that empower you to tell more stories and create more impact in your ministry.

Storytelling is hard work. (It’s a TON of work!) It’s high expectations, limited resources and never enough time. We’re right there with you – it’s where we live too. But we’ve learned that it gets easier when you have a team to help you out. We want to be that team for you.

We want to help you get more intentional, clear and focused as a storyteller. We want to help you understand what moves you and what will move your audience. We want to pass along any resource that’s been helpful to us. And we want you to use it to bless your church for God’s glory. We tell stories because it’s what we were created to do.

So if you’re a storyteller in the church, you’ve come to the right place.