Reblog: Creative Team Night 101

    There are many teams that act as the gears to my church but I think the one I feel the strongest towards is the creative department. That probably has something to do with the fact that work in that department but whatevs.
    Recently I came across Hillsong's blog called Hillsong Collected. Being a creative myself, when I read this post I found it inspiring and down right awesome! So awesome I thought I would share it with you guys.

Happy Readings,    
Teniola

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There’s something pretty unique about Thursday nights at Hillsong Church. It’s the night that our creative community gathers, first in Australia and then slowly as the clock moves, right across the globe. It’s one of my favourite nights of the week, and I look forward to it with great anticipation and excitement.

Our creative team has an incredible responsibility within our church to help create a picture of who God is through using the gifts and talents that we have been given. Within our church, the creative department encompasses many areas, not only worship music and singers, but spans production, TV, filmmakers, artists, writers, costumer designers, youth and kids worship teams, stage managers, designers, and regular people who choose to belong to this beautiful melding pot of people.

Often I get emails about why our team gather weekly from people outside of our context, and so I thought that I would share just a few of these reasons with you.

1. We gather to rehearse and prepare for the weekends.

It is our firm belief that God deserves our very best. We have a responsibility to lead the church in worship as best as we are able. As a result, there is a need to practice, to hone our crafts, to steward our gifts and to learn how to better work together in a team. Rehearsals allow us that opportunity. We make mistakes, modifications and then continue to rehearse until we know that what we will bring on Sunday, as people gather to seek God, is the best we are able to. Our aim is that we want to play a small part in helping people to encounter God, and by getting better hopefully people are helped by what we bring, not hindered by it. That’s what excellence is, a commitment to bringing your personal best to the table, and a commitment to ongoing improvement.

2. We gather because we love hanging out.

The truth is that our creative community actually likes each other. We find a sense of commonality in our quest to worship God with our gifts and talents. We find a commonality in our love for The Church, in our love for Jesus and in our love for the people of God. On Thursdays we are seeking to build a community that makes a big church seem smaller. That places value on each person who calls Hillsong Church their home, and that allows everyone to find a place to belong.

3. We gather to inspire each other and instil courage.

On Thursday nights we “have a go”. Sometimes we bring new songs, we try new ways of worshipping, watch our dancers let loose, or hear from artists endeavouring to capture beauty on canvas. We are inspired by pieces our writers craft, or moved by photos or music that our team is creating. Thursdays create a place where we can try things and fail, or try things and succeed, whatever way, we watch each other take steps toward becoming more and more creative. We find each other looking for words and ways to describe God differently to inspire worship and adoration from others. We want to find ways to help people see God is working amongst us and on the earth.

4. Gathering together shapes our culture.

On Thursdays we come together to worship. We are not performers on a platform, but people transformed by the love of God and living in response to this love. We listen to people within our team encourage us from the Bible and their own lives, which is causing leaders to rise up from within the ranks of our own team. We give to see the Kingdom of God advance, which is creating generous people. We serve so that others may encounter Jesus, which is allowing people to realise that life is bigger than themselves, and one of the greatest blessings in life is to give our lives away for the sake of others.

We attend master classes, coaching groups to refine our talents, unearth new gifts, and practice in preparation for what may be required of us. We laugh, we cry (some more than others), we share life and hopefully little by little become more Christ like. When we gather together we find ourselves united around a common goal, we are able to articulate why we do what we do and who we do it for.

If you ever find yourself at Hillsong Church, our creative community is open to you. Join us in Australia at our Hills, City, Southwest, Brisbane and Melbourne campuses at 7pm Thursdays. You’d be welcome!

Cass

To see the original post please click here

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Being that I have a few family members that live in and around New York, you could only imagine how difficult it was to watch the news. However, the biggest thing that got me through was the hope of life. I made this for them and any other person who was impacted by this horrendous natural disaster.

Even though it was last October the effects are long-lasting. They still need (y)our help. Help out today.

Do not be afraid to want a lot.

Things take a long time; practice patience.

Avoid compulsively making things worse.

Finish what you start.

Often people start out by thinking about all the things that they can’t do. Once you take that path, it’s very hard to get off of it. Shoot high and shoot often.

imageIn this interview on The Great Discontent, the inimitable Debbie Millman (who is newly on SoundCloud!) offers five pieces of advice for young people starting out in any creative field – a fine addition to our running record of sage advice.

Complement with Neil Gaiman’s advice on the creative life and treat yourself to Millman’s sublime Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design.

(via explore-blog)

1. [Turing tape] You need an idea notebook.

2. [Open-minded] Do not aim to solve some specific problem.

3. [Proliferate and select] You may need 10 to 100 ideas before you find a good one.

4. [Aloof] Avoid feeling part of any specific academic community.

5. [Be the boss] Avoid working for anyone, and that includes a granting agency.

6. [Data] Don’t publish without data.

7. [Sloth] Avoid all but the simplest experiments, and avoid building complex tools.

Mark Changizi, author of Harnessed: How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape to Man, on the 7 requirements for all effective scientists. (via explore-blog)

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.