279: Through Art's Open Door: Sarah Westfall

Well, hello friends! I'm back from a summer hiatus with our quarterly roundup episode. I'm reflecting on our whirlwind summer book tour, unexpected moments of joy, and the big and small things making my life richer right now. For all the photos and links mentioned, plus a full read-along version of today's show, click here to read on Substack. Other Resources Mentioned: Join our updated Patreon Community Join us live or watch the replay of the CRAFT Goals Workshop Listen to the Art's Open Door Podcast Trailer on Apple, Spotify, or Substack Read my book, Art Is How God Loves Us I'd love to hear what's bringing you joy this season—come connect with me on Instagram @artistsforjoy or leave a comment on today's Substack post!

Today on the podcast, I welcome author Sarah Westfall, a writer, perpetual question-asker, and contemplative at heart. Her work explores communal life, the intersection of faith, belonging, and, as she says, "being a human person."   Sarah and I talk about belonging, creativity, and the courage it takes to show up as your true self. Sarah shares her journey of moving from the broad, often noisy online space into the "smaller circles" of deep, local community.   We discuss what it means to practice "soulful attention," how writing functions as a conversation with God, and why our imperfections and wounds are actually the source of our most powerful creative offerings.    Sarah shares how a Georgia O'Keeffe painting has become a spiritual gateway, helping her navigate the wild, unknown deserts of her own vocational calling.   I hope this conversation is an invitation to pause, pay attention, and trust your authentically human voice.   Resources & Links: Sarah's Website: Sarah E. Westfall Sarah's Book: The Way of Belonging Previous Conversation: Listen to our past episode, 178, Joy for the Long Haul Art Mentioned: Rust Red Hills by Georgia O'Keeffe Book Recommendation: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner Music Mentioned: Jon Batiste and Jess Ray (Album: Born Again; Song: "Place to Land") Join our Summer Check-in on Patreon   I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

Artist and writer Kristin Vanderlip joins me to explore the intersection of creativity, spirituality, and healing. Kristin shares her deeply personal journey of using journaling and oil pastels as tools for tending to the heavy, messy reality of loss, and why she believes the blank page can be a safe place to land when the world feels overwhelming. We discuss the importance of "quiet community" in grief, the symbiotic relationship between her writing (prose) and painting (pastels), and the challenge of resisting the urge to produce for the sake of results. Kristin also shares a deeply meaningful work of art from her own family history—a watercolor painting by her great-grandfather—that serves as a "thin place" and a reminder that our creative work often has an impact we may never see. Whether you are a multifaceted creative or simply navigating a season of "waves," this conversation is an invitation to listen to your spirit, honor your humanity, and find rest in the process.   Resources & Links:  Painting: Ed Snow, 1974, Untitled watercolor: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C72JvbnSc2Y/  Books referenced:  Listening to Your Life by Frederick Buechner  Steal Like An Artist  by Austin Kleon  Connect with Kristin Vanderlip:  Website: kristinvanderlip.com  Instagram: kristinvanderlip  Substack: kristinvanderlip.substack.com Virtual events and community for those interested in writing as a healing practice: penandmend.substack.com  Fall Writing Retreat: https://kristinvanderlip.myflodesk.com/retreat Join our Summer Check-in on Patreon

My friend Ryan Webb is not a full-time creator, but that doesn't mean he's not creative. Ryan is a full-time marketer, husband, and father. He shares his journey of spending ten years writing his debut novel Saving Will, which was born out of loss and a hyper-realistic dream, using the writing process as a decade-long space for therapy, healing, and spiritual reflection. We discuss why you don't need to make 100% of your income from your art to call yourself an artist, how to weave creativity into a full life, the spiritual tension between human willpower and divine grace, and the beauty of finding "happy accidents" in both photography and life. We also touch on the power of finding a support network, the necessity of giving yourself grace, and why we should never keep our creative pursuits a secret. Listen to the end for an update from the final leg of the summer book tour! Resources & Links  Book: Saving Will  by Ryan Webb Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZD-52HSA0J/?igsh=MTA5M2JtcWtxNTV1ZA== Email: [email protected] Leave a review of Art Is How God Loves Us on Amazon and Goodreads   Book Launch Events   I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

Maria Bowler—author, coach, and host of the Make Human podcast–is back for the third time! This time our conversation focuses on creativity, embodiment, and the sacred work of becoming more fully human.  Maria shares her journey of launching a new medium, the transition from writing books to podcasting. She also reflects on the difference between creating from the mind and creating from a place of deeper presence, sharing how movement, conversation, and community have become essential parts of her creative practice. Maria introduces a poem that met her during a season of heartbreak and spiritual upheaval. Christian Wiman's "And I Said to My Soul, Be Loud" became a companion that invited her beyond fear, control, and self-reliance into a deeper awareness of God's presence.  Together we remember how works of art often find us exactly when we need them most, becoming unexpected gateways to healing, hope, and transformation. Resources & Links: Podcast: Make Human Book: Making Time by Maria Bowler Poem: "And I Said to My Soul, Be Loud" by Christian Wiman Website: www.mariabowler.com Leave a review of Art Is How God Loves Us on Amazon and Goodreads Book Launch Events I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor  

Heather Lanier is a writer, poet, memoirist, speaker, and professor. She is also my friend! Heather returns to the podcast to discuss the profound connection between creativity and spirituality.  From the meditative discipline of centering prayer to the "forgetting of self" that occurs in the flow state, Heather shares how writing can serve as both a craft and a spiritual practice. We explore the concept of "ultimate reality," the power of art as a spiritual "thin place," plus the intersection of motherhood, creative momentum, and the joys of the mundane. Whether you're a writer, an artist, or simply someone longing to experience more wonder in everyday life, this conversation is an invitation to slow down and step through art's open door.  Resources & Links Music: "White Horses" by DarlingsideArt Exhibit: Selected History of the Space-Time Continuum by Rachel SussmanBooks: Art Is How God Loves Us by Merideth Hite Estevez  Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier Psalms of Unknowing by Heather Lanier  Beyond Anxiety by Martha Beck Joyful Anyway by Kate Bowler Connect with Heather Lanier: Instagram: heatherklanier Substack: The Slow Take Website: https://heatherlanierwriter.com Upcoming Event: Join Merideth and Heather for a live event in the Philadelphia area! Date: July 25th Location: Chadds Ford, PA Details: This is a free event featuring lively conversation and a musical salon exploring creativity as a spiritual practice. Join us as we explore creativity as a spiritual practice and discover how being present to beauty can ground, heal, and transform our everyday lives.  Please register here to attend.  I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor   

Literary agent Don Pape joins me for a conversation about a lifetime in the publishing industry, the sacred work of shaping stories, and how creativity shows up in both the books we write and the ordinary rhythms of our everyday lives. Don shares what it really looks like to walk alongside an author as they steward their message from a rough draft to a published work. We explore the tension between the "striving" of the industry and the "stewarding" of a creative calling, and why art is ultimately an invitation to see God's love in the world around us. Don also shares a deeply personal "thin place" experience: simple pieces of artwork made by his granddaughters—pieces that have become a doorway into prayer, presence, and love. Whether you're an aspiring author or simply someone looking to reconnect with the joy of creating, this conversation is an invitation to trust the process. Resources & Links Pape Commons Order: Art Is How God Loves Us Leave a review of the book on Amazon and Goodreads Share your story: We are doing a call for guest-post submissions on Substack. You can learn more and submit your own essay about a time art opened a door for you by visiting: artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor I would love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. You can share them by submitting to our guest post series via the link above.   

It's officially launch day! Art Is How God Loves Us: The Sacred Beauty of Created Things is finally out in the world today. To celebrate this milestone with you, I wanted to skip the usual book-launch chatter and invite you straight into the heart of the book itself. In this special bonus episode, I'm reading an excerpt from the introduction.  Whether you consider yourself an artist or simply someone trying to keep a tender heart in a heavy world, this episode is an invitation to stop striving, open the door, and listen to the spiritual song all created things are singing. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Art Is How God Loves Us is available wherever books are sold today! Links  Order the Book (Hardback, Kindle, and Audio Available now) Grab the Pre-Order Bonus Audio Companion  Leave a review on Amazon Leave a review on Goodreads

Lisa Kloskin is the Editorial Director at Broadleaf Books and the editor of Art Is How God Loves Us. Lisa  joined me for a delightful conversation about the sacred work of editing. She shares how walking alongside authors through the creative process has become a form of accompaniment, listening, and care.  We explore the vulnerability of writing, collaboration, the art of shaping a book, and the stories that have the power to transform us. Through Art's Open Door, Lisa shares a novel that has profoundly shaped her faith and imagination: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Whether you're a writer, artist, or simply someone who loves books, this conversation offers a beautiful glimpse into the unseen partnership behind every published work. Resources & Links:  Preorder Art Is How God Loves Us  Mostly What God Does is Love You by Savannah Guthrie  The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell Broadleaf Books Lisa Kloskin I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor 

This week on the podcast, musician, songwriter, producer, and pastor David Gungor joins me for a conversation about creativity, spirituality, and the surprising relationship between craftsmanship and inspiration. Known for his work with The Brilliance and The Good Shepherd Music Collective, David reflects on art as a path of transformation, the role of play in the creative life, and why some of our most meaningful work emerges through community.   Through Art's Open Door, David shares Leonard Cohen's song "Suzanne," a work that continues to shape his understanding of beauty, patience, and the spiritual life. We explore what it means to slow down, embrace mystery, and trust that creativity is born not from necessity, but from love.   If you've ever wrestled with perfectionism, burnout, or the tension between making art and enjoying it, this conversation offers a refreshing invitation to rediscover wonder, play, and the mercy that meets us exactly as we are.   I also give you an update from the tour, so listen to the end!   Resources & Links Preorder Art Is How God Loves Us Suzanne by Leonard Cohen This Table is Yours by Good Shepherd Collective The Brilliance Good Shepherd Collective I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor