03/06/2026
This passage is from my latest book, When Nothing Makes Sense: Finding God in the Gap Between Prayer & Answer, and I want to share the story of what led me to write this piece.
Last summer, I went on my first solo-trip to Saint Remy de Provence, a small town in the countryside of France, a place where God led me in mysterious ways, a part of the world where Vincent Van Gogh spent a few years living at a monastery as he was battling his mental health challenges.
I entered the room in which he slept in, I peeked out of the window he looked out of, I paced through the gardens he walked across, I sat in the church in which he prayed, I observed the landscape where he wrote tons of letters to his brother—expressing the ache in his heart, the frustrations in his spirit, the chaos in his mind.
Somehow, I felt his lasting energy there. As though his presence never quite left.
But I also felt a strange feeling of borrowed grief—the realization that Vincent Van Gogh died feeling worthless, as though his art didn’t matter, believing he wasn’t good enough.
The irony is that his work is the most celebrated art today.
The art didn’t change—it was the world’s ability to see it that did.
It was after that experience that I made a promise to myself—to measure my success by my devotion, not the outward “success”, so that I can enjoy the fruits of my labor while I’m still alive.
Despite our world changing by the second, something I really do believe is that the artists of this generation are truly lucky. To have the platforms to share our voices, to have spaces to connect with like-minded individuals, to have tools that enable us to express ourselves authentically and on our own terms.
Sure, the algorithms are constantly changing, the definition of “art” seems undefined, but I don’t believe the cards are stacked against us. If anything, we are blessed that our art can reach eyes across the world, instantly, and that we can touch souls, feel it’s impact, and witness how our creations transform the world we live in, moments after we release it.
If this resonates, comment BOOK and I’ll send you a link to grab a copy of my book so you can embody this as you create 🤍
