Review: Welcome to the Shivoo!

“Why do Christian creatives struggle to find belonging?” This is the first question asked by author Laura Bartnick in “Welcome to the Shivoo! Creatives Mimicking the Creator.” It’s a question I’ve struggled with as I navigate my way through blogging and now wading into the waters of fiction writing. Laura explains, “the term Shivoo is borrowed from Australian lingo meaning a boisterous party.” My first reaction was “Yes!” I want my writing to be like a party, a celebration, a fun thing I get to do to glorify God with the talents and opportunities He’s given me.

“Welcome to the Shivoo!” is unique. It’s friendly and conversational, more like a walk through a garden than a step-by-step self-help book. At times the writing meandered but always came back to the main point of ways to live a creative lifestyle as a Christian. Creativity itself has so many forms and outlets, but looking at creativity from a Biblical perspective helps us see how creativity can put us in touch with God’s Spirit and how God’s Spirit can and should inspire our creative pursuits. The book is full of scriptures related to creativity, and also life examples in personal stories.

11 chapters lead us to 11 “Rules” for healthy Christian creativity. Some people portray creativity as an abandoning of rules, but the rules Laura posits are more like guardrails for a great creative experience. These are not the only rules a creative can live by, but they are all proposed in good fun to help creatives think critically about what their literary, visual, or performing art aims to accomplish.

Laura states, “The purpose of this book is to help us integrate the revelations of the triune God with our finite creativity.” Some of my favorite quotes were:

-From her Chapter on Communication: “Perhaps when we mimic His creation, our best communication is that we return to Him the complement of a child’s adoration… Other times, we offer bits of our child-like awe… as a window to God’s world. This fallen world needs windows open to God’s wonders.”

-From her chapter on Breath: “Experiment with the power of our senses, with a jolt of fresh juice in your tale. If the only symbol or image you use in your writing is the cross, people will peg you and assume they already know your subject matter, and where you are going with it. Surprise your audience. If you only want to write on the theme of redemption, try using the same divine experiment under different conditions. Use different time frames, different characters in your world or imagination, different temptations, different twists. Dare to push your story beyond the expected.”

-From her chapter on Nurturing Creatives: “He is pleased when we wield any form of art for any purpose that does not rebel against His goodness.”

I would recommend this book to any Christian involved in any kind of creativity, be it writing, art, music, theater, or dance. It will give you fresh eyes to see creativity from a perspective you might not have considered. This book will inspire you and lead you to consider God as the source of your creative impetus and make you feel like your Heavenly Father is inviting you to the creativity party. In the words of Laura, “Welcome to the Shivoo!”

I was given a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. You can purchase ebooks and paperback at Amazon.com. This is not an affiliate link and I make no money from the sale of this book. Amazon link: “Welcome to the Shivoo!: Creatives Mimicking the Creator”

Connect with author Laura Bartnick:
Twitter and Facebook @CaptureBooks
Instagram @laura.bartnick.7
Pinterest @BooksForBondingHearts
www.capturemebooks.com