We all need some encouragement and inspiration! Here's how to get it!

It’s a Creative Mystery!

An important example from C.S. Lewis

Are you a fan of C.S.Lewis?

His writing is ~ even though some 80 years distant ~ insightful. Deep. Rich. Imaginative. The Chronicles of Narnia Books, written for children, have a lasting impact on adults as well.

Recently I read something about Lewis, which I found to be…. well, eye-opening.

The creator of such powerful stories that have a beautiful message of truth interwoven in them didn’t start with a profound message to convey. He began the Narnia series with a most unlikely picture in his head.  It was a curious fantasy of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood.  For decades, he’d had this odd mental image.

Then, he decided to try to write a story around that idea.  He had no preconceived ideas about how it would unfold – no plan or plot – but he began to write.   And then, as Lewis says, Aslan came bounding in and pulled the story together. 

I can’t tell you how much I love this! If you know the Narnia stories, you know that Aslan is a lion… but not just any lion. And you also know that he represents Christ who redeems and restores.

For me, as a creative ~ an artist ~ I can get caught up in the mindset that the work I do needs to have purpose, impact, relevance…. Maybe that’s not the best starting point! Maybe my best starting point is to pick up my materials and open the door to my imagination and inspiration and begin, watching for Aslan to come bounding in!

I’m not advocating for creative work without excellence of craft, but being too wrapped up in purpose and message can hold us back; make us doubt and stall.

I love that Lewis just began to craft his story and the message, like Aslan, came bounding in! Eighty years on, it would be impossible to count the number of lives that have been touched and impacted by Lewis’s creative work!

There is something beautifully mysterious ~ unexplainable, really ~ when a work begins to “speak” to you as it unfolds. This is the moment that Aslan comes bounding in to pull it all together. I hope this encourages you like it has me. Pick up your materials and begin! And prepare for the mystery that comes unexpectedly.

Photo Credit:  Glen Carrie

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