How to Trust the Messy Side of Creativity
Why loose threads and scribbled notes still matter
Hey deep thinker,
If this post hits home for you, here’s how you can keep the spark alive:
Grab one of my eBooks if you want to dig deeper or pass it along to someone who’s into this kind of thinking:
Forward this post to a fellow thought steward who might appreciate it too.
Hit reply and tell me what stood out to you, share an idea it sparked, or just say hello.
Recently at church, my pastor held up a stunning piece of stitch art made by his assistant.
It looked like a painting—but it was all thread.
Layers of color. Swirling textures. Shadows. Highlights.
I couldn’t stop staring.
Then he flipped it over.
And the back? Looked nothing like the front.
It was chaotic.
Knotted.
Distorted.
Messy.
And yet…
The front only existed because of the back.
The same threads. The same hands. The same stitches.
Two sides of the same story.
I haven’t been able to shake the image.
It reminds me of what it feels like to steward ideas.
You gather a few quotes.
Capture an observation.
Ask a question.
Make a note that doesn’t quite make sense yet.
The backside of thought stewardship often feels disjointed—scribbled notes, weird connections, creative tangents that don’t seem to belong. It’s not always clear where something fits.
But given time and intention, you step back and realize…
Something is forming.
And it’s beautiful.
That’s why I keep stitching.
Even when I don’t understand the whole picture.
Even when the backside looks like nonsense.
Because the act of showing up, capturing, shaping, and reflecting—it matters.
Maybe our job isn’t to make it look perfect right away.
Maybe it’s to keep pulling the thread through.
A Few of My Own Loose Threads:
Sometimes I catch a thought, scribble a line, and… that’s it. No immediate meaning. No clear connection. Just something that might become something.
Here are a couple I’m still holding loosely:
Baking bacon
Bacon cooks in the grease
Tastes better
More consistently crispy
→ Is this about patience? About being surrounded by what shapes you? I don’t know yet. But I like the crunch.
Bluebonnets in the front yard
Recognize that something special is growing
Let it grow
Don’t dig up the roots just yet
“He’s watering the ground.” —Danny Gokey
→ Something about timing. About unseen work. About not rushing transformation. Still waiting on this one to bloom.
I don’t need them to be fully formed yet.
I just need to keep showing up to them.
Keep pulling the thread through.
Field Practice:
Next time your notes or ideas feel messy or disconnected, don’t delete them.
Instead, flip them over. Ask:
What thread is running through these?
What beauty might be forming on the other side?
What if this is the backside of something sacred?
Keep stitching.
You never know what masterpiece is emerging.
Got any scraps of your own?
A scribble, a sentence, a lyric that won’t leave you alone?
Share one. I’d love to see your mess-in-progress.