DLGP

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives: Crafting Ministry in an Interconnected World

Thou Shalt Not Steal…Unless You’re An Artist

By: on March 9, 2023

I don’t watch a lot of movies these days, but several months ago I had some time and felt the urge to watch the new Elvis movie with Austin Butler. Austin ended up winning the Golden Globes Award for Best Actor in his portrayal as the “King of Rock”. I had a new appreciation for…

13 responses

Marrying my Board of Directors

By: on March 9, 2023

Born in Circleville, Ohio, in 1983, Austin Kleon’s work focuses and rambles around non-fiction and “motivational” niche. Being a millennial himself, Austin realizes the cursory attention span of the internet generation and therefore, he keeps it short and hurls doodles and illustrations frequently just to make sure that the focus stays intact. [1]. This millennial…

8 responses

What Can We Steal From Each Other?

By: on March 9, 2023

Liz H.  Just seeing her name on my screen floods my mind with the “Things nobody told [me]  about being creative.”  In 2014, I received a phone call from my publisher announcing with joy how she secured Liz H. as my editor for my next book. Wanting to share in her excitement, I quickly chimed…

3 responses

Emulate Great Teachers!

By: on March 8, 2023

Không thầy đố mày làm nên. When translated this Vietnamese proverb means: No one can accomplish great things without teachers.[1] For 13 years, I had the wonderful privilege of living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Walking along Dong Khoi Street was a favorite past time. Located in the heart of District 1, it is…

13 responses

Why travel is good for this homebody

By: on March 8, 2023

Several years ago I was at a conference and came across a book by Ken Wytsma titled Create Vs. Copy[1]. It explored the value of copying others as a learning tool but warned against relying on it as you progressed – especially if you were seeking to copy something purely for personal gain. I picked up a…

14 responses

Creative Kleptomania

By: on March 7, 2023

Okay. . . confession time everyone. When you read the title, Steal Like an Artist, did the word “steal” entice you to read more?  Or for a quick minute did you wonder if you were being led on a path to breaking a commandment? Confession, I wanted to read more. The book convinced me that…

4 responses

Faked It Til I Made It

By: on March 7, 2023

“Pretend to be making something until you actually make something.”[1] That’s exactly what I’m doing in this doctoral program. I am pretending that I am writing a dissertation on mental health and the Church. Maybe in a couple of years and some change I will actually have written it! “Fake it until you make it”[2]…

13 responses

Thank you, Austin Kleon!

By: on March 7, 2023

While studying music education in my undergrad, I had become quite fascinated with the jazz genre.  In my quest to learn more about complex jazz chord structures, I signed up for jazz lessons with a well-known jazz instructor in the Philadelphia area on one of my summer breaks. I thought there would be a wealth…

14 responses

Some Creative Content…

By: on March 7, 2023

It feels a little ‘tone deaf’ for me to write yet another boring blog post about a book that is seeking to stimulate creativity (and justify the means through which we all become creative: theft). So…here are a few somewhat random thoughts with creative titles stimulated by the somewhat random book, “Steal Like an Artist.”…

11 responses

Stealing All The Good Stuff!

By: on March 7, 2023

Oh, so much good stuff in one small book. Steal Like An Artist was the perfect feel-good read for me. I am convinced that Austin Kleon and I would be best friends if we met, and please be advised that from this point on I will refer to him as my best friend in my…

9 responses

Be the architect of your own experience

By: on March 7, 2023

I’ll start today with a confession. I love art in all its forms, but I didn’t know this about myself until recently. Growing up in a rural community with parents in medical and business professions, I’d never visited an art museum. My dad’s hunting trophies were the decor that graced the walls of our home.…

9 responses

Walk Like An Egyptian

By: on March 6, 2023

I have a robust, running list called “My Life Goals.” It has a wide variety of bucket list-like items that I am excited to accomplish at some point in my life. It’s exhilarating to check the box “done.” I can feel the endorphins rushing through me. Some of My Life Goals, in no particular order,…

11 responses

From whom am I stealing? Who is stealing from ME?

By: on March 6, 2023

Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist[1] was a fun read. It was not the most intellectual content we have had this term, but I am thankful for a week that did not require a lot of what I call “thick” reading. A review I found describes the book this way: “It’s just filled with quotes…

8 responses

It’s a magical world!

By: on March 6, 2023

For academic, professional, and personal reasons this school year has been moving at breakneck speed for me; so fast at times that I’m often afraid I can’t keep up. I genuinely enjoy reading, but lately I’ve felt like I’m reading to save my life—like the bus in the movie Speed, if I let my pace…

17 responses

10 Things

By: on March 6, 2023

I’m so glad Austin Kleon highlighted Ecclesiastes 1:9: “There is nothing new under the sun”[1] in Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Therefore, in the spirit of Kleon, I’m going to follow suit. Here’s 10 things that stood out to me upon a thorough, every-word-read reading of the book.…

6 responses

Cut Once, so Measure Twice!

By: on March 5, 2023

During my carpentry apprenticeship years, I heard the phrase so many as it was repeated to us (the newly hired or apprentices), “cut once, so measure twice.” When you heard something repeat and repeat so many times, it becomes annoying, but it becomes part of you. In my first year as an carpentry apprentice, I…

4 responses

Happy Cow Trails

By: on March 3, 2023

Have you ever heard of the concept of Cow trails?  When looking at a field where cows often graze you’ll begin to notice trails that there is no longer growth possible.  This is because Cows take the path of least resistance.  Day after day they follow this easy trail because it requires less work.  “That…

8 responses

Thinking about thoughts…

By: on March 3, 2023

Have you ever thought about your thoughts? Thoughts can live in the present, then suddenly think of the past, or dream of the future. They can wander to distant lands and then focus and shut out distractions[1] Well, no doubt, noted psychology professor and esteemed scientific thinker, Daniel Kahneman, has thought much about thoughts. Reading…

7 responses

Living and Serving with Templates?

By: on March 3, 2023

The illusion that we understand the past fosters overconfidence  in our ability to predict the future. -Daniel Kahneman-   Becoming a pastor and church leader who is successful and liked by the congregation in the long term is a dream for many ministers. I also hoped for it and fought hard to achieve it. Therefore…

12 responses