Being Different to Make a Difference

Today was the first day of STORY 2012, a gathering of Christian creatives in Chicago. We heard awesome bands like Sleeping At Last, The Soil & The Sun, and The Royal Royal...all fantastic, Google them now! And then we got to hear from speakers such as Bob Goff, Erwin McManus, Isaac Rentz, Mason Jar Music, and Anne Lamotte! It was such an amazing lineup of creative writers, storytellers and artists.

Takeaways from Day1: Bob Goff, hands down. He's an author & a lawyer, and is an active justice warrior in Africa. And, on top of all that, he's hilarious. He had us ROLLING. I can't wait to read his book, Love Does, that I just picked up! He challenged us to find our creative voice and create. He commented that so many people want to make a difference in the world, but no one wants to be different! And that's a trap I've fallen into, being so cautious to walk the line of status quo. But walking that line, whether it's fear or whatever, keeps me being as creative as God created me and as passionate as God created me. Which in the end is a disservice to Him, because I'm devaluing His creation. Whoa, late night revelation right there.

The big surprise today was Isaac Rentz, a young music video director. I had never heard of him, and was rather indifferent about his session. But once his demo reel played, I knew we were in for a great ride, as he's directed videos for bands like Cage the Elephant, Blink182, All American Rejects, and Motion City Soundtrack. And he's young!! He took us through his journey of discovery through directing, and it was entertaining and educational! He also talked about the need for Christians in media, not Christian media! Let's not make the art that Christians are expecting, but make the art that the Creator puts inside of us...because then it's authentic!

And this is just day one! Had 2 great breakout sessions, with a group of authors on a new release called "Inciting Incidents", and then the Hillsong Creative Video team from Sydney, Australia!

Spent the evening enjoying Chicago nightlife, from a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, to an actual hole in the wall for dessert called the Violet Hour. It was a great night, with great friends! Can't wait for Day 2!