Creativity As a Cure by Jake Weidmann

by Rachael Adams | Aug 5, 2025 | The Love Offering Guest Blog Series

Have you ever considered that listening could be an art form? Listening well to someone is one of the greatest gifts you can offer another person. It recognizes and affirms that they, too, are made in the image of God and what they say has value—indeed, that they themselves have value.

Listening well also offers a cure to the self-centered impulse that assumes that my desire to communicate and connect—particularly as an artist—is the only one that matters. Yet within the reciprocity of conversation, where each actively listens to the other, a true creative partnership can be formed.

I would also invite you to listen well to the Spirit. Our prayers are not a one-sided conversation. Sometimes we believe God will speak to us only through great signs and wonders, as if He needs to shout over the noise of our increasingly hectic lives. But I invite you to listen for that still small voice (1 Kings 19:11–13). I pray you will hear Him in the midst of your conversation, your preparation, and—of course—your creation!

Listening well requires humility and a desire to put the other first, which is another key ingredient in my artistic process. It is also a virtue not usually associated with artists. I am entirely convinced, however, that art was made to serve. It was the first universal language and was thus made to connect others through the power of drawn symbols, whether in pictographic form, letters, or, in my case, both. The proud artist who alienates their viewer by being obscure or demeaning acts antithetically to their true purpose. And so, in seeking to be part of a cure, I have taken deliberate steps to ensure that the first gesture new visitors receive at my gallery is one of humble service.

It doesn’t hurt, of course, that Hannah and I love to host. I have a professional-grade espresso machine in our home studio and more than a few years of barista training under my belt—yet another experience from my past that God continues to put to good use. So when visitors come to experience and discuss my art, I love to make them a handcrafted cup of coffee—topped, no less, with beautiful latte art. I make every drink individually. The larger the group, the longer it takes, but it is entirely worth it. This simple act of service is like a palate cleanser for any preconceptions my guests might have about artists; it rightly frames my posture toward them as “servant.” So rather than be the one who shouts, “Look at me!” I seek to imitate my Creator who invites us to “Come and see!”

I speak, of course, as if I have mastered it all: patience, the art of listening, the virtue of humility. But even as I write, each of these values is being put to the test like never before; I pray that I am not found wanting.

Jake Weidmann

About the Author:

Jake Weidmann is a professional artist and is certified as one of only nine Master Penman in the world. Jake was certified through IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penman, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting) in July 2011. He holds the title as the youngest Master Penman by three decades and is the youngest to ever attain the title. A few of Jake’s peers (other Masters) have done work for the White House, Queen Elizabeth and even the Pope. His journey into calligraphy has been the “special sauce” for everything he now creates, incorporating the traditional calligraphic flourishing into his fine art. Jake is self-taught in each of his disciplines (calligraphy, painting, drawing, woodworking, and engraving). While he typically works with private clients, Jake has worked with Apple, Inc., Crossway Books, and Biola University and has spoken from countless stages including Tedx and Q and was featured on PBS Television.