The Creative Calling: Recent Episodes
Brandon Mattingly
Resources and discussions for Christian creative professionals. This podcast is for those on the journey of integrating their faith and creative work. Host Brandon Mattingly interviews working creatives, authors, and industry leaders and offers tips for how to meaningfully live out the gospel in your life and creative work. Listen in and join the conversation at TheCreativeCalling.com
How do you deal with failure? How do you overcome the fear of failure? What does God think of my failures?
Whether you realize it or not, dealing with failure is ever-present in our lives. From past failures to current reactions to failure all the way fear over future failures, as creatives, we spend our days working through this reality.
In this episode, Brandon Brown, Founder and Creative Director of Plottwist Creative, joins me for a deep dive into the biting and beautiful realities that accompany failure.
We look at what causes us to fear failure, how to handle it once it's upon us, and how Jesus' example provides us with hope.d
Working at a top-tier ad agency sounds like a dream job for many – making creative for household name brands and rubbing shoulders with some of the best creative talent in the world. Livin' the dream, right?
But with such a large workplace comes with its own set of challenges and questions for the Christian creative.
How can I be a witness in such a large, secular workplace? What do I do if I'm assigned a client that produces a product I have a moral objection to? How can I use my opportunity and access to an elite company to love my neighbors?
In today's episode, we hear from Tuan Huynh, a Senior Art Director at Leo Burnett. He shares with us the ways he's using his faith as a lens for how he relates to his colleagues and his client work. Tune in to hear Tuan's story and fresh insight into how God may be wanting to use you in your workplace.
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If you’re a missionary going to the ends of the earth with the gospel of Jesus, it may be easy to view your life as a life full of worship.
But what if you are making an advertisement for a massive corporation? Would you say that is a worshipful, God-honoring experience?
Director and editor Corry Wiens shares how he views all of his creative life as worship to God. How he generates ideas, how he treats collaborators, how he dreams about his future goals – all places where Corry is seeking to honor God.
If you’re struggling to find significance in your day-to-day as a creative, this episode will help you reenvision your work and its divine significance.
You’ll hear about:
- Honoring God in both non-profit and for-profit client work
- Depending on God for your creativity
- Caring for others in your creative process
- Does making great work require you to be a bully?
- Setting your dreams before God in prayer
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How does your storytelling further God’s mission to restore the world?
Kate Schmidgall articulates her conviction that storytelling should bring people to life. Through Bittersweet Monthly, she and her team creatives tell stories that aim to find light in dark places. Their goal is to create a counter-narrative.
Listen in and hear how your artistic imagination plays a critical role to bearing witness to God’s work to the world around you.
You’ll hear about:
- The role creatives play in offering an alternative imagination
- The failures of the mainstream media’s stories
- The connection between listening and storytelling
- Fighting the temptation to not tie a bow on everything
- How to become a better writer by becoming a better “seeker”
Find full show notes here ->
As a creative, you are gifted with unique skills and talents. As a Christian, you are called to look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:4).
Professional photographer and founder of True Chicago, David Johnson shares with us how he uses his creative talents and resources to impact the under-resourced neighborhoods in Chicago.
As our country continues to reckon with its racial and economic injustices, it begs the question, "What role do I have to play as a creative?" This episode will help you imagine what it might look like for you to help provide dignity and promote justice in your community.
You'll also hear about:
- Revealing the beauty of others through visual storytelling
- The power of believing and investing in newer, younger creatives
- Counting the cost in creating opportunity and seeking justice
- The difference between pity and concern for the hurting and marginalized
- Creatively speaking truth in commercial work that deals with racial injustice
- The myth of "painless advocacy"
Show notes can be found at www.thecreativecalling.com/podcast/empowering-others-with-your-craft-and-resources-david-johnson
How can you use your creative gifts to communicate the word of God? Esteban Shedd shares the ways he has navigated this question as a musician and as the Executive and Creative Director of Streetlights Bible. He gives us a look into how he crafts his music with a message in mind for a specific audience.
Things we cover in our conversation:
- Implicit vs Explicit biblical messages in your projects
- The scriptures influencing the content, style, and depth of songwriting
- Creating art for a specific, local community
- Loving people through your process of creating
Shownotes can be found at www.thecreativecalling.com/podcast/how-to-creatively-communicate-the-gospel-esteban-shedd
In this episode, I share the foundational ideas that we’ll explore together in this podcast. You’ll hear how my personal story fuels my passion to help other creatives integrate their walk with Jesus into their creative work and careers.
Shownotes can be found at www.thecreativecalling.com/podcast/introduction-what-who-and-why