What's Your Input? The Revelation of I/O That Changed My Creative Life

Why art is an outlet—not an inlet—and what that means for walking closely with God.

The inlet feeds the outlet—what you receive shapes what you give.

For months, I had been feeling a quiet yearning inside me—a gentle tug toward deeper intimacy with God. I was reading Scripture, praying, and showing up for my devotional time, but something in my heart still felt unsettled, as though I was missing the closeness I once knew. I could feel the marked difference between doing devotion and living connected.

Around that same time, the Lord was speaking to me about what truly matters in life—not in terms of accomplishment, but in terms of relationship. I sensed that something in my priorities needed realigning, but I didn’t yet understand what He was preparing to reveal.

One morning during that season, I woke up with a very distinct realization. It was so clear that I wrote it down in my journal without fully knowing what it meant:

“Creating art is an outlet, not an inlet.” This is the simple revelation that changed my creative life!

At the time, it felt profound but mysterious. I tucked it away and went on with my day.

Weeks later, when I became unwell and was forced into a place of stillness, those words resurfaced with a clarity that pierced me. Suddenly, the meaning unfolded:

    •    Art is the outflow of what God has already poured into me.

    •    But art itself can never be the source.

As artists—or anyone creating, working, or serving from a deeply spiritual place—it’s easy to assume that the creative process is what nourishes our souls. Creativity feels invigorating. It aligns us with our calling. It feels like breath. But it isn’t an inlet. It doesn’t fill the heart.

I realized that I had inadvertently been treating my creative practice as a form of spiritual replenishment. I didn’t lack inspiration or momentum, but I expected productivity to feed my soul. I looked to my accomplishments to give me clarity, peace, or connection.

But output—no matter how meaningful—can never replace input.

Only intimacy with God fills.

Only His Word feeds.

Only His presence nourishes.

Only relationship is the inlet.

Everything else—including art—is the outlet:

The overflow.

The expression of what He has already placed within me.

Here’s the connection that brought everything into focus:

    •    Walking and talking with God—the inlet—is the true metric for success.

    •    Your art, work, and accomplishments—the outlet—reflect what comes from that inlet.

Success is measured by how full you are at the inlet, not by how much flows out.

This shift in understanding brought incredible freedom:

    •    I no longer needed my creativity to carry weight it was never meant to carry.

    •    I no longer needed my productivity to tell me how successful I was.

    •    I no longer needed my art to validate the condition of my heart.

Instead, I could create from fullness, not for fullness.

Art became what it was always meant to be: a beautiful outpouring of what God deposits during my time with Him. And strangely, this realization has made the creative process even more joyful. When I stop expecting my art production to sustain me, I am able to enjoy it as worship, expression, and overflow.

The inlet is Him.

The outlet is the art.

Everything I create now comes from that simple, life-giving truth. And by focusing first on being full at the inlet, every day—even every piece of art—becomes a reflection of what truly matters.

So what's your input?

I’d love to hear how you experience input and output in your life. Share your thoughts in the comments, or subscribe to receive weekly reflections and art-inspired insights and stories straight to your inbox.

Subscribe For Weekly Emails