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Twenty years ago, I lived in London and worked teaching music with churches and further education colleges. Most of my work was with underprivileged young people living in areas of deprivation and poverty. Wealthy, salubrious neighbourhoods bordered these city areas, yet for most of the teens and young adults I worked with, this lifestyle was out of reach. They had become accustomed to accepting that their career path would be crime. Shootings and violent attacks in the area happened with alarming regularity, gangs and drugs became an easy option for a living. 

As I reflected on this culture, I wondered how I would express the Gospel to young people who had never heard of Jesus. How would I explain the cross and resurrection to them? As I discussed this with my church youth group, the breakthrough moment came when one of the young people said that the highest honour in gang culture was to take a bullet for a friend. That was the way in for me to explain to an unchurched community what Jesus did for us through his death on the cross and the resurrection: he took the bullet for us, so that we can live with him forever.  

Sometimes we need to understand the culture we are living in so that we can explain the Gospel using a vernacular that our community can relate to; a contemporary example that connects people with the divine. As we go about our week, perhaps we should ask ourselves, in what ways do my community need to hear about Jesus? 

At thirty years old there were words in his head 

He didn’t know where they would lead to 

The burning words, well they all signalled red 

But somehow he had to see it through 

He took the bullet for me, He took the bullet for me 

At thirty years old he took a trip out of town 

He knew he had to speak the truth 

The scholars and vagrants, they branded him a clown 

They didn’t want to see the living proof 

He took the bullet for me, He took the bullet for me

At thirty-three years they put a gun to his head 

They knew they had to end his reign 

What they didn’t know when they left him for dead 

Is that he’d come to reign again 

He took the bullet for me, He took the bullet for me

Copyright 2007 words & music by Helen Sanderson White 

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I wonder how many of us long for a miracle? A breakthrough moment for ourselves or someone we love. Maybe you don’t believe in miracles or maybe you have never seen one. Sometimes we get out of the habit of asking for miracles because we rely too much on modern life; the convenience of science and technology creates obstacles for our belief that God can help us. Equally we can get sidetracked wondering whether God cares about situation enough to do something about it.  

Recently my thinking has been challenged on this topic. In John 20:30 we’re told that 

 “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” 

This made me wonder what the other signs and miracles might have been? What did Jesus do that isn’t recorded in the gospels? It stretched my imagination as I pondered on what else Jesus may have done to restore people’s lives and bring hope. For us, this verse is an open invitation to dream with Jesus and to ask him for his vision for our lives.  

It’s often the case that we have no idea how Jesus will solve our problems; if we knew what he was going to do, there would be no element of wonder and awe at his authority over the situation. Handing the issue over to him, removes our control and leads us into a deeper level of trust with him. Our faith grows and our relationship with Jesus deepens as we surrender to him.  

There are personal miracles that I have waited decades to see happen, and this invitation to imagine how Jesus might work to bring restoration has reignited my hope and trust in him. It also involves opening up to possibilities and changing my mindset so that I’m allowing God to work in my life. Obedience also opens doors for Jesus to do more in lives; our “yes” to something unusual or even mundane can lead to far greater things.  

So my challenge to you is: what miracle are you going to imagine today? 

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Amazon has released a new film called You Hurt My Feelings starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as an under-confident couple who struggle with finding fulfilment in their work. Julia’s character overhears her husband (Menzies) telling her brother-in-law that her latest book isn’t her best artistic work, and the revelation shatters her. The film details how the couple explore being honest with each other and learning to let go of their co-dependent affirmation.

Should it be a given that our closest loved ones like our work? Before I get into this topic, I want to say that there are no clear answers to this question. When God calls people together it is holy and sacrosanct. Each relationship is between those people and God. 

I meet creative people all the time who are surprised or hurt by the fact that their partner or friends and family don’t like their art. Thinking back over my relationships and previous partners, some were supportive of my creativity while others were not. Needless to say, the relationships where there was little or no support did not last. Why? Because we weren’t united in the same vision. To my cost, I learnt that we need to be running in this same direction, having the same ambition for the things of God. Without this, there will always be compromises that lead us away from God’s vision for us and the things he is asking us to do. If we’re called to serve God together, then we need to be moving in harmony together, and there needs to be unity in our God-given vision and mission in life.

If we constantly need the affirmation of other people, we are driven by our insecurities rather than our faith in God. The need for admiration and love gets in the way of why we are creating. Our focus should be on following Jesus as looking for affirmation will only lead to building our ego and not our faith. Accepting encouragement is good for our wellbeing, but an unhealthy need for validation can distract us. 

There are some positives about negative criticism: someone not liking or “getting” our work gives us the opportunity to evaluate and analyse the piece and learn from it. We can see the project from a different point of view, learn more about our audience and how to communicate with them, as well as analysing the message or media used. Our work isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and this is a good thing because a small group of strong supporters is better than a large group of apathetic followers. Negative criticism from our closest loved ones is more challenging because it is hardest to hear from those we love. However, if the message is delivered to us in love and grace, we can benefit by reflecting and learning from it. We need to distinguish the difference between an unhealthy relationship that is hindering our calling and healthy criticism which sharpens and refines our work.  

Whenever we’re offered feedback, it’s important not to be dismissive but to filter what’s relevant and what’s not helpful. Finding a mentor or trusted colleague to review our projects with is a good way to gain perspective and grow in confidence. If your partner does not like a piece of your work, it’s not the end of the world but an opportunity for discussion. Loyalty is not superior to honesty, the two should work in harmony. 

Balance is a key factor to relationship stability. You’re never going to please everyone all the time. Learning to filter and reflect on criticism can lead to greater maturity and working relationships and helps us understand more about ourselves. Maturity is accepting that others are entitled to their opinion, whilst being secure in our own viewpoint. So should my partner like my creative work? If you’re depending on the praise to boost your confidence, then no, but if you’re settled in who you are and what you do, then any praise is a bonus. My personal feeling is that it is better to surround myself with people who will support and encourage but also be honest about my work, than to be with someone who always agrees, or worse, someone who discourages and is moving in a different direction. As artists, it is important to become resilient and use criticism to better ourselves, so that we can persevere and endure in our creativity. 

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A few weeks ago, Paul Gibbs from NoteSpire radio interviewed me about faith and being creative. We discussed using life experiences in our songwriting in order to help others, the post creatives blues, creating the Thaw painting and the role of music teaching. We also talked about my song I Won’t Rush You which you can find here.

NoteSpire radio is based in the USA in York, Pennsylvania, so we had challenge with the time difference, and the interview was recorded at midnight here in England. However I was wide awake!

The interview is being broadcast live on the radio station from Wednesday 7 June, however it is also available as a podcast to listen to now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all main podcast sites. Grab and a cup of tea and enjoy!

Listen here

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You’ve finished a piece of work that you have loved creating. A real passion project that has been a dream come true. You’ve given your all to making this work and now it has finished. You’ve had lots of amazing comments and feedback on your creation, and it feels good, it feels amazing. Yet underneath it all, you feel drained and slightly down. How can this be? It makes no sense; your brain tells you that you should feel amazing but secretly you feel exhausted. 

Recently, I was speaking with a friend who is experiencing the post creative blues, that space within the past project and the future project. A mixed space of joy and depression that leaves you confused by the paradox of both emotions. A space that leaves you exhausted wondering if you can do it all over again. She was mainly confused by how tired and drained she felt from giving herself to a long, demanding project. Her questions ranged from, “is this normal?” to “will I feel like creating again?”. And the answer to both those questions is yes. 

The post creative blues are real. To be realistic, you’ve just given birth to a project that you have been nurturing for a long time. You’ve taken care over every detail and carefully grown an idea from a small seed of an idea into a beautiful baby. Now that baby has been born you need to rest both your mind and body before starting again. We forget this and presume that we are capable of continually producing work, that we can always give to others, but before we can give, we must receive and replenish ourselves. You can’t pour out of an empty vessel.

We are more than artists; we are human beings. Being an artist doesn’t define who we are, it adds to who we are. Learning to care for and nurture ourselves before we create is essential for our daily living, our survival. If we look after ourselves will ultimately create better more defined work, and more importantly we will enjoy what we are creating. If we’re so tired that the joy of creating has gone, then there’s no point creating. 

Part of the creation process takes us beyond ourselves and our capabilities; we channel the divine in order to create. Those artistic eureka moments bring both ease and exhaustion as we battle with our inadequacies and rejoice as we achieve our goals. The ease and exhaustion come as the divine pushes us beyond our capabilities, and we create something far greater than we imagined. The Bible tells us that God created the world in six days and on the seventh day he rested. There’s a good lesson in this, that even the supreme creator took time out to rest. 

The other issue is the loss of purpose after a project ends; suddenly we have time on our hands and we don’t know what to do with ourselves. All the drive and passion are laid down as we step back from the projection completion. It’s in these times that we need to remind ourselves of the ebb and flow of life, there are always busy and quiet times, and they follow a natural cycle. It’s important to recognise that these seasons will pass and a time to create will come around again. You haven’t lost your purpose; you are in the process of redefining your purpose whilst you wait for the next project.

The post creative blues should remind us that we have just achieved greatness in our creativity. They are signal to remind us to rest and recuperate, and to take stock of everything that we have achieved, but also that there will be further opportunities in the future. This is just the lull before we get back up and try something new, it’s not the end. If anything, the post creative blues remind us that the best is yet to come. 

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Some days starting a new creative project is really hard. Creativity can be as difficult as it is pleasing. If I’m not in the mood, distractions become attractive. My head tells me that other options are available, but my heart wants to create… 

  1. Food. Yes really, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve settled down to work and my stomach has decided that food is more important. A sandwich, crisps, a biscuit (I don’t even like biscuits!), anything to stop me doing some work.  
  1. Neighbours. Suddenly the activities of my neighbours become far more interesting than writing a song, blog or doing some artwork. Who knew that next door’s Deliveroo delivery could be so entertaining?!  
  1. The box set. I’ve seen Sex And the City 8000 times, I don’t need to see it again, yet hours on the sofa seem more attractive than getting started on a blog. Also don’t let me crack open the Ghostbusters box set… 
  1. Cleaning. Suddenly I have a desperate urge to clean everything and get on top of the housework. This is partially linked to the fact that I find it hard to be creative in a messy room. For me, a tidy room means a tidy mind. Coincidently I have no urge to clean when I’m not creating. 
  1. The phone. This is a dangerous problem. Hours can be lost doom scrolling and checking out other artists and what they are up to. It can be a door to depression, so don’t go there. Don’t look at their accounts, concentrate on what you are doing. Also, whatever you do, absolutely do not look on Amazon, it leads to stupid purchases.  
  1. Old work. Looking at unfinished projects and suddenly thinking that they are more important than the piece I’m working on now. I also look at pieces I have finished and past successes (and failures!!!) and waste a lot of time analysing how I would have done things differently. 
  1. Emails. Messages from clients, friends, shops that I once bought something from in 2015…. These all become very urgent when I’ve got a creative project to start.  
  1. The need to go outside. As soon as I’ve got to sit down and focus, my brain tells me that I need to be outside in the sunshine. Or, even worse… that I will work better in a coffee shop. I’ve learnt to set times or targets for working and then the reward is a wander outside.  
  1. Tea. I have come to the conclusion that a cup of tea has the same danger as a mythical siren; the kettle is so alluring and takes me away from my goal. It all starts with “I’ll just have a quick cuppa…” 
  1. Teenage music. And by this, I mean the music that I listened to when I was a teenager. Hours of time lost to listening to Adamski and the Prodigy.  

PS. I wrote this blog instead of composing some music that desperately needs finishing. I was listening to Killer by Adamski. You’re welcome. 

What makes you procrastinate and not be creative? 

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Painting: Thaw by Helen Sanderson-White (Copyright 2023 Helen Sanderson-White. Do not reproduce without permission). 

A few months ago, I was asked to create some artwork for an exhibition that my church is hosting in Holy Week entitled The Journey. Over the last ten years I have been on a journey. It has taken me through many low valleys, difficult circumstances and tested my character to the hilt. I survived domestic abuse, divorce, the loss of a career, the death of many friends and the list goes on… What kept me going was the fact that at some point this season would come to an end. The Lord made me a promise in the autumn of 2013, that if I walked with him through this difficult time, the new season of singing for joy would eventually come. That new season has taken a decade to materialise.  

Just before Christmas I was sat at the piano working on some new song ideas, when I sensed that the Lord was saying the word “thaw” and he gave me the verses from Song of Songs 2:11-12: 

See! The winter is past; 
    the rains are over and gone. 
Flowers appear on the earth; 
    the season of singing has come… 

I immediately I had an image of a garden thawing out after a freezing season covered in snow. Everything changed from frozen to flourishing, and there was a vibrancy to the new colours that were shining through in the spring sunshine. A new season has begun after a long, dark winter; life is sweeter in the newly revealed season. I wasn’t sure about the image so asked the Lord for confirmation that I really was leaving the long, dark season and that change is coming. Twelve hours later I got it! I was in a prayer meeting later the same day when someone had a picture for me of a winter snow scene that suddenly turns to spring and a beautiful garden is revealed! 

So why has it taken so long for the season to change? Firstly, the Lord is always working on our character; we need to be God-built so that we can carry the new things he has for us. If he promoted us before our character is strong enough, it would crush us. Secondly, sometimes the Lord has to position us for the new to begin. This may mean stepping out and doing something scary or leaving things behind that are no longer fruitful. All of this takes time and obedience before we are in the right place at the right time. 

In the painting, I wanted to reflect the ice from the last season melting away to reveal the new season’s beautiful garden with new, fresh flowers and fruit to enjoy. Although we can’t see what the future holds, we know that God’s hope does not disappoint and that he is always moving in our lives. Difficult seasons come to an end, and bright futures begin.  

The best is yet to come.  

The exhibition is free to view at Gold Hill Baptist Church, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks from Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th April 2023 from 9am-8pm and Wednesday 5th April 2.30-8pm.UPDATE

UPDATE: In 2025 I released a piece of music to accompany this painting. To find out more, click here.

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Some prayers defy logic. Our lives are full of situations that need the impossible, in short, a miracle. Our reliance on modern life with all its perks and assistance, often gets in the way of us asking God for the miraculous. However, a decade ago, a friend of mine sent a text asking me to pray as she was late for a meeting. The meeting was in an hour, but she was two hours away from the venue. I have to admit that I didn’t think there was much I could do except pray that the meeting time could be moved to later in the day. For various reasons the meeting couldn’t be moved so the only option was to pray for the impossible. And that’s when I remembered the story of the Lord making time stand still… 

My first prayer was to ask the Lord to bring the situation into alignment with his will, secondly, I whispered “if there is a way you can stop time to make this happen, we are willing to receive.” Over the course of the next hour, my friend regularly updated me that against all odds, the traffic seemed to be moving and that she was making progress. However, she noted that something strange was happening, every time she looked at her watch, the hands hadn’t moved far or at all. It was as though time was standing still. There was no logical explanation for what was happening, but it seemed time had slowed down to help her progress twice as fast.  

To our contemporary minds, these kinds of stories seem ridiculous, yet we know from Joshua 10 that this phenomenon has happened before. The Lord delayed the sun going down for a full day so that the Israelites had enough daylight to defeat their enemies. The question we should be asking ourselves is “why aren’t we asking the Lord for greater miracles in our lives?” Not just in the big issues, but in the mundane problems such as not having enough time to get to a meeting. The Bible is littered with examples of daring prayers that give us hope that the Lord can do anything we ask. There is always a Biblical principle which is a prayer key to unlock the answer. 

Perhaps our reliance is in the wrong place, and we should be looking to God first for answers rather than a last resort. Perhaps we’re too scared to ask for God’s help. Or perhaps asking God hasn’t occurred to us. But what I can tell you from my experience, is that if you ask, God will always answer.  

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During the last few weeks, I’ve spoken with a number of musicians and songwriters who are seeking to promote their music; many of them believe that the only way to do this is through radio airplay. I have had some success with radio play having had number one singles across UK and Europe and other singles in the top 10, however I’ve found that there are other ways to promote my work. Diversity in your promotion is important if you want to create longevity in your career. So how do you build a lasting platform? 

Longevity comes from having a vision for your work and the opportunity to promote your artistry through a variety of different avenues. Longevity also comes from having a committed, loyal fan base who support new, exciting ventures and want to see you grow and develop as an artist. Before you venture into a plan, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions:  

  • What does success look for me? 
  • What do I want to get out of my music?  
  • How long do I want to work in music? 
  • Am I looking for something more long term than a string of number one hits? 
  • Do I want my fan base and listeners to interact with my music and with me?  

In 2016 the way I released music completely changed; a change in circumstances meant that I had to review my work and promotion pattern. This meant that I stopped producing albums and EPs and went back to releasing one single at a time. I had less capital to invest in the music than before and therefore needed to simplify the whole process. I had found that radio airplay didn’t always bring in a committed fan base who were interested in the work. 

The biggest promotional tool for an artist is the story behind the song. When planning the promotion of a song I ask myself:   

  • What do I want my listeners to gain from my song?  
  • Do I want to challenge people’s thinking?  
  • Do I want people to ask me questions? 

Music can be more than making a commercial track. If we think about the music we return to again and again, it is usually music that has great value to us, that holds memories and helps us process or understand a situation. For me, that is the type of music I want to create. 

Here are some ways I have found that I can promote your music for free and gain interest from a potential fan base: 
 

  1. Write a blog to feature the song. I usually write a blog about the story behind the song; I publish this on my newsletter and across social media. If you want to gain loyal fans, this is a great route because they can immediately understand why you’ve written the song, comment on the blog and they can share it with their friends. It also gives them some insight into who you are as an artist.  
  1. Create a mailing list and email your fan base on a regular basis. Update them with news, interviews, your thoughts on issues that are happening in the industry and further afield. Your fans want to get to know you! Make sure you are consistent in your communication with your fans. 
  1. Join as many music groups on Facebook as you can. This is a great place to post your music and blogs and to gain your followers. It’s a good idea to post in the group using your band or artist Facebook page rather than your personal account. Interact with other musicians and get yourself known.
     
  1. Community radio stations love to work with local artists; this is a fantastic way of getting airplay. It’s not the same as commercial radio so you’re not going to get any royalties from it, but you will get some airplay and they like to interview artists as well. I’ve gained new followers by appearing on community radio shows.  
  1. Partner with a local organisation with the view to producing music for them.  In 2018 I worked with the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies to create some songs that commemorated the centenary of World War I. I then wrote a blog to go with this song and sent it to our local BBC radio station. The radio station then asked to interview me and played my track live on a lunchtime show. 
     
  1. Collaborating with other artists is an excellent way to grow a larger fan base; this is also opportunity to try different genres. When you release a joint project, you get the benefits of two sets of promotion. You can learn from the benefit of each other’s experience. 
  1. Do you have other artistic skills? Many musicians also write books or create artwork that goes alongside their music.  You can establish a whole new audience by trying a new artistic pursuit.  
  1. Patreon is a great way of gaining new fans and supporters. It also gives the patrons an opportunity to be personally involved and to own a piece of the work too. You can pull all your artistic work from different avenues under one umbrella. 

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. The current musical climate means we can be as creative as we like with our promotion. There is a real opportunity to make your mark and do something different for catches people’s attention. I’d love to hear if you have had success with an unusual approach to music promotion.  

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Listen to A Homely Blessing here.

At the end of 2021, Ruth Carlyle asked me to arrange one of her poems, A Homely Blessing, as a song for her new album. Excited by the challenge, I began work on creating a setting that was jazzy and inspired by popular music, knowing that this would be a departure from Ruth’s usual style. From an artistic perspective, this was a challenge in that the poem only has 3 stanzas, each with only 4 lines, however this gave room for greater scope with the harmonic progression and interpretation. This was an exciting composition project as it’s always a pleasure to collaborate with other artists. The recording features David Barton on the piano.

A Homely Blessing has been released today and the profits from this project will go towards the Faith in Action Homeless Project.

Ruth’s husband, Nic Carlyle, had the following to say about the project:

A Homely Blessing has been a special commission for Ruth and myself, for we have seen how important a sense of home is. We were very happy that Helen Sanderson White agreed to set Ruth’s words to music. Between 2011 and 2016, Ruth and I were both volunteers with a south London charity formed by local faith groups, Faith In Action Homelessness Project, who provided support to homeless and vulnerably housed people in the Merton Borough area. While Ruth acted as a trustee, I helped with the running of the showers and the laundry. Twice a week, in a local social hall, the group cooked a hot meal, with supplementary breakfasts and hot drinks, a warm social space, washing facilities and showers, a laundry service, as well as advice and referral services. For a few hours a week, something like basic home comforts were available to sixty to eighty people. For these people, home was something that had been lost along the way, ripped out of their lives, and now a struggle to regain. The second verse was something the group aimed for, the basics of food, shared together, extending a warm welcome, and finding friendship in a cruel, uncaring and unforgiving city. Ruth and I earnestly hope that home in all senses of the lyrics are found again within the lives of the people we met. It is to them we dedicate and sing this blessing, and any profits or donations go to Faith In Action Homelessness Project.

You can listen to the song here or make a donation to the Faith In Action Homeless Project here.