A Note on Integrating Creativity, Sexuality, and Faith
One of the hardest parts of walking with Christ is figuring out what to do with my desires. Not just sexual ones, but all of them.
As Christians, we’re often told to manage our bodies and longings by suppressing or ignoring them. Between purity culture, which teaches shame, and a hypersexualized world, which encourages indulgence, it can feel impossible to know how to navigate them. And if you’re like me- a naturally open-minded, passionate, creative person who is long past virgin status- you might wonder, what does holiness even look like for someone like me? The usual advice tends to be prayer, bible reading, accountability, removing temptation, and waiting faithfully for your God-given spouse. This matters, but it never told the whole story for me. My needs as a full, creative and a person trying to walk with Christ began to feel like they were in tension. Over time, I began noticing that my creativity, my sexuality, and my spirituality weren’t separate.
This made me realize: as Christian creatives, we can transmute desire into creative expression that glorifies God. Desire itself isn’t the enemy; it’s part of the energy God wired into us for life, intimacy, and creation.
Observations in Creative Spaces
There’s one problem I’ve noticed in my own life: my creativity, sexuality, and spirituality all seem to come from the same source. When one rises, the others usually aren’t far behind. In the creative spaces I’ve been part of, I began to see a pattern. Some of the most deeply creative people were also the most open in their sexuality and naturally spiritually aware. Passionate poetry flowed from skilled tongues while bodies moved effortlessly together in dance. Painters laid their souls bare on the canvas, and singers pulled listeners into their hearts during the climax of a song. Without even trying, I could feel the sensuality radiating from the artist, sometimes strong enough to awaken something in me, too.
I have always felt a sharp pull toward people like that. I would have a sudden urge to explore parts of myself that I usually don’t have space to. Temptation rushed in, uninvited and untamed, and my undisciplined creative mind would act impulsively just to experience it. This is something that I could never figure out how to stop or manage. These feelings are inconvenient because they can happen at any time, to anyone, for anyone, regardless of status, relationship, gender, or social position.
I remember sitting in my loctician’s chair, talking about the wild ways artists chase people and experiences. He said creatives need that fuel for their work. Then it clicked for me: maybe what I was feeling wasn’t just lust, but the overflow of the same energy that fuels both intimacy and creativity.
As I dug deeper and formed relationships in creative spaces, I began to notice the diversity of spiritual practice around me. I met people from well-to-do, Western backgrounds practicing Buddhism or Tao, ancestral venerators, people who adopted their star signs like name tags, those holding tarot cards closer than their grandmothers held their Bibles, witches and wickens of all varieties, Hoo-doo and Voo-doo practitioners, and those proudly “spiritual but not religious.”
As a creative learner trying to get solid in my faith walk, I struggled to feel at home in creative community. Eventually, I began to have a hard time reconciling my faith with my art practice.
“Maybe what I was feeling wasn’t just lust, but the overflow of the same energy that fuels both intimacy and creativity.”
Personal Struggles with Faith & Creativity
For Christians, navigating creativity, desire, and faith creates a unique tension. Paul reminds us to “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Early in my walk with Christ, I took these instructions seriously. I interpreted Paul’s warnings and the idea that “bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33) as a cue to leave creative spaces quickly and dive headfirst into what I thought was a good biblical life. There is wisdom in that approach, and in that season, committing fully to my faith drew me closer to Christ and shaped my understanding of who God was calling me to be.
But over time, my creativity and artistry began to take a back seat. I noticed myself retreating from the parts of me that didn’t look “neat” or presentable. I turned off my vulnerability, afraid others would see how “unholy” I felt outside of prayer and Bible study. I retreated from the passions that had once fueled my zest for life, adopting a more demure, reserved appearance to fit what I thought God and others expected of a “good” Christian. I began living split into three selves: my creative self, my spiritual self, and my sexual self.
As I dug deeper into what I believed church required, I developed a shame-based, almost Stockholm syndrome-like relationship to scripture, the church, my sexuality, and even my creativity. Rather than helping, this only intensified the struggles I had with lust and desire. Feelings of shame ran deep, unchecked attraction drained my energy, and I had little capacity left for the things I loved.
For a time, the only creativity I felt safe expressing was “acceptable” Christian art: pictures of Jesus or tidy stories of faith. That wasn’t me. My inner world was and is messy, imaginative, unruly, and sometimes dark. I could quote scripture, appear faithful, and follow the rules. However, my relationship with the Holy Spirit felt dry, I remained sexually and emotionally stuck, and the paintings I longed to make never came. This tension led to a deep spiritual misalignment and depression.
Psychology of Libido
Little did I know at the time, this was actually a well-researched phenomenon. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two psychology powerhouses, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, explored the concept of “libido.” Freud defined libido primarily as a person’s instinctual sexual drive and appetite, the energy that propels us toward physical desire. Jung, however, expanded the idea, proposing that libido is not just sexual energy but a broader life-force that drives us toward meaning, creativity, and intimacy. In Jung’s words, “The libido is the living, conscious and unconscious energy which is the essential source of all activity” (Jung, Psychological Aspects of the Persona). According to Jung, disruptions or blockages in this life-force energy can manifest as depression, restlessness, or a lack of creative expression.
This lined up with everything I had been experiencing. I was functioning on the outside, but inside, I felt no pull to live the life I had spent so much time trying to build. God’s design for me—to create, feel, and worship through my whole being was present, but I was cut off from accessing it. This reality was frustrating because I would hear people around me constantly say that God wanted us to have full and happy lives, but I couldn’t understand why that wasn’t happening for me.
Beyond Skin-Deep Spirituality
After years of trying and failing at what I thought it meant to be saved, spiritual boredom, disappointments, heartache, and the Lord snatching me up several times, I started to realize that I was going about things the wrong way.
I want to state clearly: innate creativity, a high sexual appetite, personal circumstances, attraction, and even research-backed psychology do not give you an excuse to sin.
The Lord designed our bodies, and He knows the best way for us to live. Even if sexual sin seems harmless or without immediate consequences, it can have both obvious and subtle impacts. These might include disease, pregnancy, or emotional and relational entanglements. For instance, you might become overly attached to someone you would normally recognize isn’t meant to be in your life long-term. You might experience intense dreams, unexpected emotions, or sudden chaos in your life. Even if a relationship continues, it could be riddled with contention, discord, and strife (Galatians 6:7-8).
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life
– Galatians 6:7-8 ESV
That being said, I don’t believe churches do a great job of teaching about sexuality or even spirituality in nuanced, practical ways. Purity culture often frames sex as something to avoid out of fear of punishment, rather than offering tools for wisdom and discernment. For creative minds (and most people actually) the immediate rush, pleasure, and experience of sexual desire can feel more tangible and compelling than the abstract idea of potential consequences.
Myself, along with many other creatives tend to quickly get turned off by the dry structured formats and rigid teachings of religion. It begins to feel like pointless rules that seeks to dull the essence of life. This, along with harmful theology, is where many people get into situations where they begin to reject God and religion entirely.
This is where the church often fails: members of the body of Christ are rarely taught deep spiritual disciplines that help them experience God fully. Without this, it is very difficult to convince someone why they should opt to learn and apply biblical wisdom to real-life situations (Hebrews 5:14). I believe that being able to experience the “mystical-ness” of God is where creatives would actually thrive.
Becoming Spiritually Disciplined
This is why learning intentional spiritual practices is so essential. As Christians and creatives it is very important to allow for time alone with God. I truly believe that he Lord is always ministering to us, but we need to be in position to hear Him. Slowing down and making space for God allows Him to meet you where you are. This can include sitting in silence, prayer asking God to reveal and remove blocks, long-form journaling, and solitude (Psalm 46:10; Matthew 6:6). Once we are able to fully listen, this is where consistent Bible reading, is key (Psalm 119:105).
How can you know if what you are hearing is truly from God?
Sometimes it is obvious, but other times His response may be subtle. Studying the scriptures allows you to recognize God’s will, understand His character, and test experiences and temptations against biblical truth (1 Thessalonians 5:21; Isaiah 8:20). Then, you can go to God in prayer, asking for clarity and guidance. Over time, the things you’ve read and learned become a lens through which you can interpret life (John 7:17).
Meditative practices without scripture reading may provide temporary peace or mental clarity, but they leave you vulnerable to your own imperfect thinking and unable to fully discern spiritual attacks. For me, Bible reading without vulnerable prayer left me with intellectual knowledge but also intense fear, shame, and no real personal experience of what God’s love actually felt like. If you’re struggling, its okay to just start small. I committed to meditation and solitude long before I opened a bible.
If you don’t like reading, try to find videos of bible stories and explanations on YouTube, listen to a sermon or the audio version of scripture, or invite someone out to hear their story. It’s a journey, so it’s okay if it doesn’t happen for you all at once.
If you are still struggling, I also recommend incorporating regular fasting, as seen throughout the stories of Israel. Fasting was a way to seek guidance, humble the flesh, and open the mind to hear God more clearly. For example:
If you are struggling with navigating lust, fasting could be an effective way to build discipline and reliance on God. I have struggled with surrendering my sexuality to God for years, but building a practice of fasting, that was the first time I felt like I could actually have a chance in successfully battling my lust. Fasting allows us to intentionally kill the flesh and open ourselves to God’s guidance.
- Esther called for a fast among the Jews before she approached the king (Esther 4:16).
- The Israelites fasted when seeking deliverance from enemies (2 Chronicles 20:3).
- Moses fasted before receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28).
- Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry (Matthew 4:2).
Biblical Portraits of Creativity and Desire
One biblical creative who always challenges me is David. David was the same man who played the lyre for King Saul, killed Goliath, and yet also misused his power to sleep with Bathsheba, and have her husband killed. I appreciate David’s story because not only does it fully represent his humanity, but it shows that the same energy that inspires great creativity and leadership can also lead to downfall if left unchecked. Passion, desire, and talent are gifts, but they require discernment and surrender to God’s will, or they can manifest in destructive ways. When we look at his story, we can see that the lord gave David both his creativity and his position, but it was up to him to steward them well. This is the same for us.
It is very interesting to me that the first person to receive the Holy Spirit in the bible was actually an artist. In Exodus 31, the Lord filled Bezalel with the gift of the Spirit in order to construct the Tabernacle. We could think of this like God giving us permission to view our artistic skill as a holy vocational calling.
Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
Bezalel’s work reminds us that artistry itself can be an act of worship. It is an extension of God’s own creative nature expressed through human hands. The Spirit didn’t just inspire sermons or miracles; it inspired design, craftsmanship, and beauty meant to dwell in God’s presence. Our sexuality and desires (when stewarded well) could be looked at in the same way.
When I think about desire in Scripture, I can’t ignore the Song of Songs. It’s erotic, poetic, and unapologetically present in the Bible. This book invites us to see desire not as something shameful, but as a reflection of divine intimacy and longing.
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
7 Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
9 and your mouth like the best wine.
God did not edit this out of Scripture, which means He is not embarrassed by sensuality, passion, or beauty. Instead, it declares that passion is not something to hide but something to celebrate when rooted in love and his design. For me, that is deeply affirming, because if love poems and sensual imagery have a place in God’s Word, then my own authentic expression has a place with Him too. David teaches us the danger of ungoverned passion, Bezalel shows us the holiness of inspired creativity, and the Song of Songs reveals that even desire itself can point us back to divine love. Together, they paint a picture of a God who meets us in the full spectrum of our humanity: body, soul, and spirit.
So when we finally move into a place where we can surrender our sexuality to God, then what?
Toward Wholeness as a Creative in Christ
I would like to imagine that the liberated Christian and the actualized artist is someone who can effectively transmute their natural desires into dynamic action and creativity. Not lending themselves to sin, but using their libido and natural lust for life to fuel a stronger, bolder sense of passion and purpose. This means fully living out or creativity and expression as a way to keep those inner drives focused somewhere. Without it, the creative mind will wander and could get hooked into things that are ultimately unproductive. As creatives in Christ, it is necessary to be bold and expressive because the Lord gifted us with skills and talents meant to be shared. When we use our gifts boldly and express ourselves fully, we honor the One who put them inside of us.
Maybe, for the Christian creative, we could think of using our creative gifts could be our unique offering to God as worship, or (if needed) an intentional practice of avoiding sin. We could use our vulnerability and expression as a way to move energy that might otherwise stay locked in our minds and bodies. This doesn’t mean watering down our craft to fit some mold of what a “Christian’s” art should look like, but rather offering an honest expression of who we are and what we experience. At the end of the day, the Bible is full of people and testimonies in progress, showing us the full messiness of life.
And yet, as artists of faith, we wrestle with the same questions:
Is all of me okay for the Lord? Is my passion too much? Is my work holy enough? Can God handle the intensity of my imagination, my desires, my voice?
The answer is no, neither you or your art are too much. He can handle it.
Conclusion
When we let our creativity, faith, and even our sexuality flow together, we stop living split lives. We also stop silencing our own voice. We begin to create art that not only reflects who we are but also points to the God who made us whole. I am still on this journey myself.
I am not perfect, and I still mess up in the worst of ways sometimes. However, the biggest break through I’ve had is when I started trying to shift my view of God from a cold, heartless manager waiting for me to fall short, to a loving coach who runs with me and helps me grow into the best I can be. This simple change in the way I view God has done wonders for my mental health and my self compassion.
Today, I can flow in and out of both creative, and religious spaces with ease. I am able to freely engage in both communities because I have done the work to allow myself to be surrendered to God in a way that allows me to be the best version of me. I know what my internal temptations are, but more importantly, I know how to respond when they come up. This has allowed me to explore my faith and creativity with more confidence and freedom. I used to think that following Christ was boring or limiting, but now I am continually amazed by all the fantastic ways the Holy Spirit moves in my life. As a person who loves all things wild and mystical, this excites me deeply. My hope is that creatives of faith can move into a deeper, more liberated relationship with their faith, creativity, and sexuality without shame or worry. The world, and our art, depends on it.
Confessions In Color 