Life Creative
By Wendy Speake and Kelli Stuart
Find it on:
First Person
Non-Fiction
196 Pages
About the Book (Back cover Blurb):
A celebration of motherhood, creativity, and the faith that binds them In our Pinterest age of handcrafted children’s parties, artistic Instagram photos, tutorials for renovating old furniture into new treasures, and blogs filled with poetry, prose, and other creative expression, it is clear that a brand-new generation of creative women is rising up. It is a renaissance born not in Italian cathedrals or Harlem jazz clubs but in kitchens and nurseries and living rooms around the world. But when Christian women become mothers, they often feel expected to lay down their creative pursuits in order to properly parent.
Wendy Speake and Kelli Stuart know that struggle. While they acknowledge that some seasons of mothering require setting artistic pursuits aside, they also argue that these seasons don’t have to last until empty nest time. Instead, mothers with creative gifts are called to actively use them in order to bless their families, their communities, and everyone they encounter.
Inspiring and encouraging, Life Creative celebrates the ways mothers can live their art in the midst of their mothering. They tell the stories of women such as author and speaker Angie Smith, recording artist Ellie Holcomb, and jewelry designer Lisa Leonard who do just that. By following God’s leading to embrace His gifts, renaissance moms can model the joy of obedience for their families.
Why I Choose this Book:
Life Creative. I see nearly everything in the world through the eyes of creativity, and the title of this book promised to do the same. Besides, the back cover blurb sounded amazing, despite the fact that I’m not a mother.
What I Thought About this Book:
Where do I even start? How do I even go about reviewing a book like Life Creative? It was beautiful – every single aspect of the book was simply and incredibly beautiful. From the formatting to the page designs to the different fonts, to the dividers… The words flowed like art, flinging images into my mind, and creating wings that carried me away in my own imagination and inspired me and made me want to do more.
The scope of the topics that Life Creative covered was also amazing. The book was written in such a balanced and thought-provking way that multiple times I just wanted to shake my head and say “Wow, their insight is incredible.” I was extremely impressed by how well-rounded and Biblically based their points were. It was clear that the authors not only *really* studied God’s Word and listened for Him, but that they also took council from other Christ-followers.
I was delighted by how their view of art was extremely uplifting. I’ve been blessed for years at the thought that God is creative, and He’s created me to be creative, too, and Life Creative really highlights that. God has given us each gifts and talents and it’s our privilege to in turn use those gifts and talents to bless Him and point people to Him. Life Creative offers so much practical advice on how to do that, why it’s important, and how busy moms can play the juggling act while staying accountable. I felt like clapping when they even included a section about how important it is to communicate with your family about art, because communication rocks.
Conclusion:
There were a few minor things I didn’t agree with, but mostly I was blown away and impressed by the book. It will most assuredly be a re-read. The fact that I enjoyed and gleaned so much from the book when I’m not even it’s target audience is a huge testament to how fantastic the book is. I can only imagine how much more I would have gotten from the book if I was a mom. Way to go, Miss Wendy and Miss Kelli! I hope you write more books together in the future. =)
Rating:
I’m giving Life Creative 5 stars out of 5, and 10 stars out of 10. I highly, highly recommend it to any mom, or even non-mom, who has a creative bend. (In fact, I took a break mid-review to email a friend about the book and ask her if I could buy her a copy. It’s *that* good.)
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
P.S. I liked this book so much I wrote this post while in the middle of reading the book.
Noveltea 
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