Author: Janice Elsheimer
Located in: Winter Park, FL
Submitted: June 12, 2001
Tell us a little about yourself. I think of myself not as a "Christian writer" but as a writer who is a Christian. As a consultant and teacher
who specializes in helping people understand and nurture the creativity within themselves and others, I
appreciate the undeniable connection between artistic and spiritual development. I've taught creative
writing, language arts, and gifted studies for almost twenty-five years, working with people from
kindergarten through college. I also work as a consultant with groups of adults who are interested in
rekindling their artistic abilities as part of their path to spiritual maturity. I hold a masters degree in gifted
education and work part-time as a teacher of gifted students. Since beginning to reawaken my own talents
as an artist, I have won awards for both my poetry and my essays, have begun to once again resurrect my
talents as a musician, and am excited to discover new talents that are only just emerging. I practice my art
in Winter Park, Florida, where I live with my husband, Seth, who is a chemistry professor, and actor and a
singer.
What was your motivation behind this project? While working through "The Artist's Way," by Julia Cameron with a group of Christian artists, I became
aware of the need in the Christian community for a biblically based guide for reawakening one's artist self.
Although many Christians have written on the subject of creative renewal as a means for spiritual growth, I
could not find a study guide that could be used as a course in artistic revival. I wanted a book that could be
used in a group or individually, and I wanted it to be clearly targeted at the Christian artist.
More than anything, I wanted a book that spent emphasized positive movement toward a more arts-driven
life rather than a book that dwelled on all the reasons we tend not to be productive artists.
I chose not to make this a "recovery" or a "feel-good" book, but rather a work based on what the Bible and
the great Christian minds throughout the ages have had to say on the subject of using one's artistic talents.
Through leading numerous groups from every range of the Christian spectrum, I have seen what "The
Creative Call" can do to change people's lives.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope that what people will gain from this book is a belief that God didn't give us artistic talents in order
to frustrate us and make us feel guilty for not using them (or guilty and irresponsible when we do!) He
wants us to become co-creators with him. By using our gifts and talents, we not only will become more
fulfilled people, we will also grow in our relationship with him.
What people who have read the "The Creative Call" report is rediscoving the joy of living a more creative
and artistic life. They learn to quit feeling guilty for taking the time that they need to work on their art.
They learn how to simplify their lives and make the time and space they need to become the artists God
created them to be. And most of all, they discover that the more they turn to the Holy Spirit as their muse
and seek to follow God's guidance in taking their talent where he wants it to go, the more content, fulfilled
and spiritually mature they become.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? The writings of Madeleine L'Engle, whom I quote extensively throughout the book, have been a source of
inspiration for me. Other authors whom I admire are are C. S. Lewis, Joanne Laufer and Kenneth Lewis,
Anne Lamott, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Natalie Goldberg. Julia Cameron's groundbreaking work in the
area of connecting artistic renewal with a more New Age definition of spiritual growth influenced me to
attempt a Christian book on the same subject. The Bible as a rich source of encouragement to artists was
indespensible in the creation of this book.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: I am available to lead workshops and retreats based on the concepts put forth in "The Creative Call." I can
be contacted through Harold Shaw Publishers, or through my e-mail address: jelsheimer@earthlink.net.
