You will be creating for the rest of your life. You might as well do it on purpose.

Everyone was an artist, once. But somewhere between kindergarten and now, we lost the confidence to create. We’ve crumbled under the pressure to find our place in the “real, grown-up” world and now see the art room as a happy memory with no real value.

Instead of approaching the world with childhood freedom and peace, we fear unmet ambitions. We fear that our lives have little meaning, purpose, or value. We fear that God has a plan for us, but we’re missing it.

Yet if we travel back to our seats in the art room, art teacher Matt Appling reminds us of lessons we’ve forgotten, the joy of creating, and the freedom we had to succeed or fail. We can relearn these lessons and practice them to lead the contented, joy-filled, and productive lives that God created us to live.