My process for creating a Peace Peep begins with prayer. I thank the Lord for the gifts that He’s given to me, I ask Him to help me create, and then I ask that He would place His anointing upon the finished piece of art. The reason I start my process with prayer is because I want my gift to be used by Him and to glorify Him. The next step is to turn on music that glorifies God, and at the very least doesn't go against His word: soft classical music. If I don’t find something I want to hear, then I’ll listen to sermons on YouTube; some teachers I enjoy listening to are Heather and Cornelius Lindsey, Charles Stanley, David Middleton, and David Wilkerson. I really enjoy having something soothing or edifying playing in the background while I create. I also like listening to talks about creativity or business.
Right before I’m ready to paint, I pause for a moment. Sometimes, I sketch my idea out first. At other times, I just go for it, knowing that I’m going to make a Peace Peep and that I must make a Peace Peep. Many times before I start painting there’s an underlying fear that I’ll ruin the “canvas” in front of me. After I get past the fact that I’m not going to ruin the blank “canvas”, then I begin painting my idea. Each time creating is a new experience for me.
My creative process is something that I’m still figuring out. I’m still changing the way I look at creating, the way I go about creating, and of course what I create. Sometimes I’ll sit down to create and have so many ideas flowing up. Other times I’ll sit down to create and despise every moment of the process. But, in those moments where I despise everything about my gift and using it, I aim to create a Peace Peep anyways. In an article I read about the creative process, a musician named Jack White described it best when he said, “Sometimes you’re not inspired… Sometimes it’s just work and you just do it cause you’re supposed to. Maybe by the end and you finish and you look and say, “Huh, that looks good. That’s pretty good.” I remind myself of this when I want to put down my paintbrush, pick up the remote and do nothing.
So, there’s my creative process. That’s really it, honestly. Here are some photos of my design process and the finished product. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!