Thoughts on "Making a Living" by Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman is an amazing writer. He is also the lead singer of Switchfoot, a band that has inspired so many people throughout the years. A few years ago, Jon put out solo CDs that blew me away. The songs became some of my favorite songs ever. He also collaborated with Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek - they formed a duo called Fiction Family.

I have had the opportunity to meet and interview Jon many times and his insights always astound me. He is one of the most thought-filled people I have ever met. (If you care to see my interviews with him, you can watch the videos on HearItFirst.com/Switchfoot. Scroll through, some are light-hearted and some are DEEP.)

He just posted an article on Huffington Post about re-thinking the way we approach "making a living." I found it incredibly inspiring - here are some of my favorite quotes from the article, which you can read in its entirety, here.

A human being is most God-like when she is most creative: ingeniously crafting the true and the beautiful out of the confines of the present tense. Remixing tomorrow out of the raw materials of today. Re-appropriating a dream into reality... the outrageous souls who are willing to risk failure might be the only ones who are truly making a living.

---

You want to know the meaning of life? This is your highest calling: You are called into the dynamic co-creation of the cosmos. This breath is your canvas and your brush. These are the raw materials for your art, for the life you are making. Nothing is off limits. Your backyard, your piano, your paintbrush, your conversation, Rwanda, New Orleans, Iraq, your marriage, your soul. You're making a living with every step you take. So when you make a living, do not merely make money. Why settle for cash when joy is on the line?

---

Every moment is a canvas is waiting to come to life. The walls of this planet and the walls of your heart are still available to graffiti artists everywhere. There's still room for redemptive, honest, hopeful colors. You put your brush to canvas with every decision, with every breath. We are the human race. We are the re-appropriators. But none of us are creating out of nothing. Human creation is always re-appropriation. Trying to put beauty into form.

---

So when you create, never settle for making a living -- at least not the way that the world might define that phrase. When you make a living, you are speaking a new world into existence. You are creating grace within the confines, you are co-signing God's blank checks.

I am so inspired - both in my daily work and my outside creative pursuits. He explains the term "re-appropriation" and it just makes me think about re-appropriating the items that I sell. I give them a second chance, I give them a new purpose. So while I'm not creating them, I do feel as though I'm re-appropriating them in a way.

My full-time job is in transition right now and I find his words "the best stories often come from inconvenient and uncomfortable places" reassuring in a time of uncertainty. As we face challenges or doubt or creative roadblocks, let's remember that there is so much growth from the hard times. And as he says, "The knot in my stomach usually teaches me more than comfort ever could."

Step out of your comfort zone. Create. Make a joyful living.