Profess Creatives

‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ Jeremiah 30:17. (NIV) 

Prophetic artists often face rejection in the context of both their spirituality and creativity. For the sake of this blog post we will define rejection as “a state of being disapproved, discounted or ignored (by others)”

---

Rejection is inevitable for the prophet 

Prophetic people usually see and hear a lot of spiritual revelations which can often be dismissed as them being overly spiritual. Additionally, exhortations and warning words can be perceived as too insensitive.

In the Bible, we observe where the prophets in the scriptures lived lonely lives and were persecuted, for instance, Jeremiah. Though today’s context of the prophet differs, the concept of prophets being rejected still holds truth.

Regardless of the rejection and pain that follows the prophet and the prophetic call they are guaranteed a reward Matthew 5:

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Rejection is inevitable for the artist

Artists dress eccentrically, sometimes exhibit quirky behaviors and execute out-of-the-box ideas. They tend to have crazy dreams, particularly regarding their career that may seem unpalatable or nonsensical to more conservative individuals.

Friends and family may express disapproval or even disdain of their creative lifestyle. The artist overtime throughout his or her life can wind up feeling misunderstood and undervalued and this can spiral into deep-rooted symptoms of rejection.

Some symptoms of undealt with rejection:

• Fear, anxiety or depression
• Self hatred and insecurity
• People pleasing and failing to set boundaries 
• Inability to form deep, meaningful relationships with others
• Self sabotage: discounting in yourself from opportunities, due to the fear of rejection

All these symptoms and more hamper the prophetic artist’s spiritual and creative confidence and prevent them from fully embracing the call.

Some advice to heal from rejection as a prophetic artist 

1. Develop your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Your identity in Christ is foremost and is not in the validation of others. (John 15:5-8) 
2. Seek wise, godly counsel and/or professional help to help you better understand and work through the rejection (Proverbs 11:14 ) 
3. Develop your relationship with yourself and work on your confidence and intrapersonal skills.
4. Practice to develop deep, meaningful relationships with others. 
5. Develop your craft and pursue opportunities to get your creative work out there: pop-up shops, sales, conferences, exhibitions, et cetera. 

Break free

To recap, the prophetic artist will face rejection that if left undealt with will spiral into a plethora of nasty symptoms. In order to embrace your Identity in Christ and walk in your call as a prophetic artist you must take the necessary steps to break free of the chains of rejection.

Here’s a spoken word poem to remind you that your validation is in Christ!