The Making of “Creative God”: Behind the Scenes of Our New Book
It started as just a small idea, maybe an Instagram post. I felt the nudge to write, the one where I have to find something to write on immediately.
I love this feeling, and it has often found me scrambling for paper, or even sitting at the beach tapping into the notes app on my phone.
I started writing about imagination, how children have it and adults seem to lose it. I started remembering the vivid imagination I had as a child, I had an imaginative friend, I loved playing house and school –caring for my imaginary class and family.
And yet now, comfortably into middle age, as a mom of young adults, I noticed my imagination felt dry-possibly even completely missing.
I started writing. The short post turned into pages. I began to dig deep into the realm of imagination and how, if nurtured as an adult, it can be a precious part of our lives.
I began to consider how imagination and creativity are vital to not only our play, but also our prayer, our discernment, and even how we can live each day to make the world a better place. In talking to friends and reading, I realized how often adults think of all things creativity and imagination as frivolous and even a waste of precious time. I am guilty of that too - watercolor painting definitely comes after dishes, work, driving kids to activities, etc, etc, etc.
But I couldn’t shake off the feeling that creativity and imagination are not frivolous- it’s so much more than that. It is so much more because we are made in the image of a maker. We are created in the image of a Creator.
Imagination, creativity, and making are our Imago Dei.
This idea continued to grow and I continued to write. I remember so clearly exactly where I was sitting when I sat on a Google Meet call with Kara. We were scheduled to talk about a few other things LTW related, but at the end of the call I mentioned this idea I had, and that I wondered if it could be a book.
Kara began her role that day as the midwife of this book. The gentleness with which she held my baby idea, the enthusiasm that she showed to this little project, the way she smiled. It was beautiful, and exactly what I needed to keep going.
Most of the book was written at home, in small bits and pieces between life, and work. Usually with a mug of creamy earl grey tea nearby. We spent weeks trying to create a cover painting from scratch that felt right, and one day, I sent Kara and Mary (the amazing graphic designer behind Creative God) a picture of a canvas I had painted last summer that kept catching my eye. Immediately we all agreed, that was it.
Part of the editing was done overlooking Lake Michigan at a beautiful retreat center that allowed me to spend a day on their grounds for only $15! Another part of the editing was done at my local Dominican Center. Some days it was hard to keep going and imposter syndrome crept in, but I always had my faithful midwife Kara and close friends praying, cheering, encouraging and loving my book baby.
The experience of writing Creative God has been absolutely amazing. I have learned so much about myself, my God, and why God places amazing women in our lives. It has been a great reminder to me to, “practice what I preach,” and an encouragement to keep creating even on the busy days, because it is not a waste of time, it is how God made me in His Image. Which is exactly what I hope you feel when you hold her in your hands.
I hope you hold her and realize the imposter syndrome, the “I don’t have time,” the “who am I,” that went in to her, but also the, “yes, I can,” the support of amazing women, the lifting of the spirit, the strength of doing what God created me to do.
It is all in here, and so much more. I hope you read her for the words written and the idea of holding something that I did not think I could do so that if you feel the same, she can remind you that you can too.
Meet Anna Bonnema
The author of Creative God: Awaken Your God Given Imagination, Anna Bonnema is an open-armed Catholic and a lover of words and nature. Anna is a wife to a man with a contagious laugh and a mom to amazing teenage triplets. Though she calls herself an introvert, she loves to gather around the table or the fire.
Fueled by tea, lattes, and dog snuggles, Anna loves small celebrations and glitter. Fill your favorite mug and join her on Instagram @annabonnema.