Last week the STORY conference came to Chicago. It’s an event for creatives, a chance to recharge and be inspired.
My favorite part of the event was watching creatives show off their projects. This energy was no more apparent then when Isaac Rentz ran out of time to show a video he was talking about and the crowd wouldn’t have it. He offered to show half the video. Not good enough. The crowd demanded to see the entire video (“Invincible” by MGK) and then let Isaac keep talking and show one more video (“Aberdeen” by Cage the Elephant). Though perhaps the most chill-inducing video he showed was “Shake Me Down” by Cage the Elephant.
Another moment I enjoyed was spoken-word poet Micah Bournes sharing his stirring poem, “Who Broke Africa?” One of his works that might be more fitting for us is “Church Is…”
It was also encouraging to hear all the music. To be honest, I’m a cynical jerk and I don’t enjoy the worship fest at these kind of events. I’m not there to worship and it always strikes me as awkward. However, the creativity that was on display was great. I especially enjoyed “All the Poor and Powerless” by All Sons & Daughters and “Turning Page” by Sleeping at Last (for all you Twilight fans).
In short: It’s inspiring for creatives to gather together and be creative.
Speaking of creative, Mitch Bolton put together an incredible collection of illustrated notes. Grab the PDF. It’s awesome.
Our own Justin Wise put together a free 78-page PDF summarizing the event. The PDF is a collection of quotes from each speaker, linking to more detailed notes. You can snag the free PDF here (email sign up required).
Here are a few highlights:
“What if we live into who we are and stop living up to other people’s expectations? What if we just let our creativity flow?” –Bob Goff
“The person who loves the process has a much greater chance of success than the person who loves the outcome.” –Erwin McManus
“The reason we create is because we have no other choice.” –Isaac Rentz
“I’m an agnostic when it comes to Christian art. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of art that has accepted Jesus.” -Isaac Rentz
“If you say to yourself, ‘I don’t have time,’ you need to look at what your life is really going to be about.” –Anne Lamott
“Always be creating and writing something in secret that is not for some specific purpose.” –Makato Fujimura
“If I only feel as good as my last piece of work or art, then something is wrong.” –Kyle Idleman
“God is not calling us to work for him. He is calling us to walk with him.” –Phil Vischer
