EP 034: Creativity Is for Everyone: Finding Beauty, Joy, & God in the Everyday with Sarah Simon
Creativity Is for Everyone: Finding Beauty, Joy, & God in the Everyday with Sarah Simon
What if creativity isn't just a talent reserved for artists, but a gift God has placed within each of us?
In this episode of Crafting a Beautiful Life, Amy Howard sits down with Sarah Simon (the artist, author, teacher, and founder behind The Mint Gardener) to talk about faith, creativity, and learning to embrace the gifts God has given us.
Sarah's path to becoming a full-time artist wasn't what she expected. After studying economics and working in the corporate world, an unexpected season of slowing down opened the door to a creative calling she had carried for years. What began with painting during a season of transition eventually grew into a thriving creative business, published books, and art retreats that help women rediscover their own creativity. But Sarah's story is about much more than art.
Through her husband's diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, her daughter's type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and the unexpected challenges of life, she has continued to discover how faith, creativity, and joy can coexist with uncertainty and suffering.
Together, Amy and Sarah explore why we sometimes dismiss our own gifts, how fear and self-criticism keep us from creating, and why making something beautiful doesn't have to be profitable to be valuable. Whether you paint, garden, cook, arrange flowers, set a beautiful table, or simply want to bring more beauty into your everyday life, this conversation will encourage you to slow down, pay attention, and give yourself permission to create.
In This Episode, You'll Learn
- How Sarah went from studying economics and working in the corporate world to becoming a full-time artist.
- Why slowing down can create space to recognize the gifts God has placed within us.
- How to move past imposter syndrome, fear of judgment, and the belief that you're not creative enough.
- Why creativity is about much more than becoming a professional artist or making money.
- How art, gardening, cooking, and other creative practices can become expressions of worship.
- What Sarah's family's health challenges have taught her about faith, perseverance, and finding joy in difficult seasons.
- Why unused creativity can affect us more deeply than we realize.
- How to practice grace instead of criticism when evaluating your own work.
- Why the small, beautiful things in everyday life deserve our attention.
- How creativity can bring order from chaos, restore joy, and help us reconnect with ourselves and God.
3 Key Takeaways
1. You don't have to be a professional artist to be creative.
Creativity can look like painting, gardening, cooking, organizing your home, putting together a beautiful outfit, or preparing a thoughtful lunch for your child. You don't have to monetize your creativity for it to have value.
2. Fear is not a reason to ignore your gifts.
Sarah describes the fear and unworthiness she felt when she first began sharing her art. Learning to create with grace rather than judgment helped her keep going. Sometimes, we have to take the first step before we feel confident or ready.
3. Slowing down helps us notice God's presence.
Busyness can keep us from recognizing what God is doing in and around us. When we make room to notice the small things, we create opportunities to experience beauty, gratitude, and joy, even in difficult seasons.
Books Mentioned
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
The Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt
Why This Episode Matters
It's easy to believe that creativity belongs to someone else: the sibling who was always the artist, the person with formal training, or the woman whose work looks effortless on social media.
But creativity is not a role that only one person in a family gets to fill. It's an opportunity to express the gifts, interests, and passions God has given you.
Sarah's story reminds us that a beautiful life isn't free from hardship, and a meaningful calling doesn't always arrive according to our plans. We can experience joy in the valleys, grow through unexpected seasons, and discover beauty in the ordinary things right in front of us.
You don't have to wait until life is less busy, your circumstances are perfect, or your work is flawless. You can begin creating right where you are.
So here's the question: What is one creative gift or interest you've been setting aside because you don't feel talented enough, don't have enough time, or don't believe it has enough value? What might it look like to give yourself permission to explore it?
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