Jenni Mickelson: drawing a page from Creation

A self-described, “model of impatience” with an overactive imagination. A romantic. A flawed, creative, emotional introvert, always interested in how and why a person feels the way they do. Susceptible to fear, prone to showing emotions far too easily. Saved. Meet our newest writer, Jenni Mickelson.

You’re very different from many of our contributors at Bread for Beggars. Will you give us a bit of your history? What were you like growing up?

When I was a child you could find me watching Disney movies on VHS tapes, exploring my “forts” (aka clumps of trees), or playing with toys at home or on the floor at my grandparents’ houses. I was also pretty fond of writing and drawing in blank notebooks. Even though the final results didn’t look great, I loved the time spent in my imaginary world.

I indulged my creativity a bit with theater in high school and the early part of college, and I enrolled in English classes, but I didn’t prepare myself to embark on a creative career. At school, I had a hard time figuring out who I was and what I had gift-wise. (I’m still trying to figure it out.)

It seemed to me that everyone else put themselves out there better than me and had it all together. Me, on the other hand — it just felt like the puzzle pieces were scattered everywhere.

Through it all, though — school, health, jobs in retail and journalism, family, life — God’s light always seemed to shine with the promise that He was leading me and would work things out. And, day by day, He is.

All of those traits contribute to being an observant, honest writer. What themes and passions run throughout your writing that set your voice apart?

One theme I like to express when I write is that pictures of God’s love are all around us. The Bible is our number one source to witness this love — it’s God’s very Word — but after that, many of the things we see daily can also be an expression of God’s love to us.

In the Bible, there are many cases in which God used His creation to communicate a spiritual message to His followers. He used the stars in the sky to illustrate to Abram the number of descendants he would have by God’s grace (Genesis 15:5). Jesus used the image of a vine and its branches to show the relationship between God and His children (John 15:5). I believe there can be many things said about God’s majesty and love by looking at His natural creation — as long as those messages are in line with and connected to God’s Word, and they don’t overshadow the Scripture He gave us.

Who created the trees and rivers and hills you might see on your way to work or on a trip? Who weaved the cosmos you gaze up at on a clear night?

I also tend to write in a more emotional language. Emotions rage heavily in me, and they can be a difficult thing to experience and master. However, at the same time, I think emotions can also serve as a blessing.

Overall I believe people appreciate honesty; if we can be open about ourselves regarding what we have felt or experienced, others might be more willing to be open about themselves with us. And that can be a great step in introducing Jesus to them, too.

What inspires, motivates, and frustrates you creatively speaking?

Pretty much anything that just hits a chord inside of me. Something I see out in nature, something I learn when I read about outer space — don’t get me started on outer space. (You would be listening to me for a while!) A piece of music from a movie soundtrack. A news headline. The list can go on.

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Reading a good story can also inspire me to create something. When a story speaks to the emotions I myself can feel and teaches me something about them, when it can take me to another world and provide the gritty details to make me feel like I’m actually there, when a story can haunt me long after I’ve read the last page — wow, I dream of writing something like that someday.

What can get frustrating, though, is when the inspiration and motivation to write just isn’t there. There are times I sit down at my computer or notebook and have nothing to put down. There are also days when I feel guilty about taking time to indulge my creativity because there are so many other things to do.

I think what has given me some motivation as of late is that in writing, God and His gospel can be glorified. If a written message inspired by God’s Word can affect someone’s life for the better faith-wise, isn’t creativity worth the hassle?