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Good morning.

This week I decided to share something on Twitter and Instagram that I’ve already told several spiritual direction clients who are writers. It applies to all kinds of artists. It applies to non-artists, too, but is there anyone out there who isn’t an artist in some form or fashion? (That’s probably a topic that needs its own post.)

Anyway, the concept I describe below can apply to any role we have. I’m sharing it here too in case you didn’t see me tweet it or post it on Instagram this week.

Are you ready?

Here goes…

Who you are now and who you’ve been in the past are forming who you’ll become in the future and the art you’ll make in the future.

This includes the work you are or aren’t doing, the angst, the rejection, the failure, the dread, the joy, the over-confidence, the imposter syndrome.

None of it is wasted.

What if you can’t create the art you’ll create next week or next month or next year if you aren’t who you are and where you are right now?

It’s actually impossible to create anything in the future without being who you are now, without having every experience, argument, conversation, meal, etc that you’ll have leading up to that point.

I’m not trying to be a ra ra cheerleader. I’m saying this because we are always being formed.

The process of being formed is part of the writing process. Embracing this idea, discovering how it’s true for you, why it matters to you, might give you more rest in your creative work.

And rest is a good thing.

This can apply to any goals and roles you have, not just writing or making art. Parenting, selling scones, playing basketball, etc. This concept has helped other writers and me in our writing life during the past year, so that’s the primary context I think about, but it can be applied to anything.

AND I’M NOT SAYING DON’T MAKE YOUR ART.

Make your art. Write, paint, dance, create. Do the work. Do your work every day, if you can. But make sure you have a full understanding of what the work entails.

So, there you go. You’re welcome. I have more thoughts. (I always have more thoughts.) But I’ll save them for a book or an essay that’s published somewhere other than my Substack.

Putting ourselves in the way of art helps us belong to ourselves, others, God, and the world. Here are a few good things I engaged this week that deepened my belongings:

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New York City Ballet’s filmed performance of When We Fell
This 16-ish minute performance choreographed by Kyle Abraham is absolutely gorgeous. You can find it on NYCB home page. Just scroll down a bit. Kyle Abraham is brilliant. I mean brilliant. There’s also a wonderful short documentary/behind the scenes film about the process for the dancers and Abraham leading up to the performance.

This beautiful essay—”Guess What’s Different” by Susan Treimert
Someone I follow on Twitter retweeted a link to this essay one morning this week, and I’m so glad I clicked on it and read it. It was a wonderful way to start the day.

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Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
I started reading this book a couple of days ago and I’ve had to make myself not swallow it in one gulp. I’m trying to take it slow and give my full, sustained attention to Didion’s work. I’m savoring it, and enjoying every minute. I love what I’ve read so far. One of the essays that stands out to me the most is “Pretty Nancy” about Nancy Reagan. It’s perfect. Her observations, her thoughts about her observations—all of it is fantastic. And the ending. God, the ending. Didion could write about observing a blank wall and her thoughts about what she observed on a blank wall and I would read it. She’s a genius.

A Couple of Updates

*Spiritual Direction for Writers and Artists*
I’m currently accepting spiritual direction clients for four weeks of weekly one-on-one sessions. I’m offering spiritual direction for writers and others who live at the intersection of art and faith. (Also, another way to think about art and faith is to think about art and doubt, and art and mystery.) People from all along the faith spectrum (or doubt spectrum) are welcome. All sessions are tailored to each individual client.

The payment options for four weeks of one-on-one sessions exploring connections between your faith and your creative life are: $40 per session paid prior to each time we meet OR $140 for a four-session package paid up front. If you’re interested, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com to set up a phone call so I can answer any questions you have and see if we’re a good fit.

These spiritual directions sessions are going so well. This four-week package is a new approach for me. It has been so good to have a specific focus and see how God is present in my clients’ art and work and lives each week.

*Art and Faith Unplugged*
I have a couple of new episodes of Art and Faith Unplugged. I checked the stats this week and couldn’t believe how many downloads this new podcast already has. Maybe someone with way more influence than I have shared it somewhere? I don’t know. But you should see what all of the hullaballoo is about.

Art and Faith Unplugged Ep 5: A Conversation with Poet Ashley M. Jones
Art and Faith Unplugged Ep 6: When Jesus Shows Up in Popular Music with Delvyn Case

*Image of me from earlier this week when I wore real clothes and a necklace and worked in the fancy conference room at our fancy apartment’s fancy clubroom.

*Image of dancers from NYCB website

Thanks so much for subscribing and/or reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts and any responses you have. You can email me or comment on this post below or on Substack.

I hope you notice some ways art helps you belong to yourself, others, God, and the world. Keep putting yourself in the way of art and beauty.

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Charlotte Donlon is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, and the founder and host of the Our Faith in Writing podcast and website. Charlotte’s writing and work are rooted in noticing how art helps us belong to ourselves, others, God, and the world. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. You can subscribe to her newsletter and connect with her onTwitter and Instagram.