You may be wondering how you can use your love of artistry with helping people. Are you inspiring, patient, a good leader, intelligent, practical, mature, honest, sensitive, able to persevere with humility, motivation, and apply your knowledge about literature and scriptures? Are you wise?  It is a steep climb!  No one is completely capable. Rest assured there are licensed therapists out there, but YOU are totally and completely able to share your gifts in the arts to help others express their emotions and thoughts through art.

Paraclete means Comforter/Advocate/Bringer of Glad Tidings

What are the areas you’re vulnerable to overreaching or stretching your limits?  Are you willing to submit those areas and get some help?

Once you identify your weaknesses, it’s a good idea to create a plan for strengthening those areas.  Partnering up with a trustworthy colleague is the least amount of effort while taking some courses and setting up some accountabilities are worth investigating. 

This primal SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis, you’re ready to jot down a commitment to yourself.  Which is essential because some days are going to suck….real bad.

• I am willing to trust the Lord for the legitimacy of my calling to be a people-helper.  This will keep my confidence in Christ alone.
• I am willing to submit my finances to the Lord and be cautious about volunteering too much.
• I am willing to lay down my working habits before the Lord and be engaged with how long I am helping others.
• I am willing to set good boundaries with volunteer organizations and clients.  I know the Lord will help me.
• I am willing to trust the Lord with the details of connecting my talents with my ability to make money.  As I learn more about helping people, I trust the Lord will show me people who will guide me.

Expressive Art Facilitators and Teaching Artists are generally self employed. This provides it’s own set of challenges. Just remember that whether you’re full time helping people through art or bi-vocational…you wouldn’t be doing this unless there was a call on your life!

Design that program. Help those people. I’m praying for you today!