“Enjoy your obscurity while it lasts. Use it.” – These are amazing words by Austin Klein the author of Steal Like An Artist, a book that all artists should read – in my opinion. Over the last two weeks I’ve had a number of my artistic friends asking for advice about how to handle the ‘slump’ or their period of ‘hiddenness’?

What is ‘hiddenness’? It is the property or quality of being hidden. Basically, the time when no one really knows about you and you’re in-between anything happening in your life – or so you feel. If you’ve been through this or are going through this, then know that you aren’t alone.

I normally listen to my audio Bible in the morning while going about my morning routine and I was greatly encouraged by King David while going through 2 Samuel. There were about thirty years that went by after Samuel, the priest, told him that he was going to be king until he actually became king, and even then, there were so many things/circumstances (i.e. his son Absalom etc.) that tried to take away his throne, even though it God had given it to him. If David didn’t understand ‘obscurity’ and ‘hiddenness’ then I don’t know who did.

For a lot of us, we can see what God has called us to, but can’t see how we’re going to get there and that can get extremely frustrating. Frustrating because we have to first go through years of ‘obscurity’ and ‘hiddenness’ before we can reach ‘the palace.’

It’s very important for us to remember a few things when we feel like nobody is watching us or noticing us for our gift:

  1. No matter what happens, God is always good;
  2. This is only a season – right now you might not have people around you, or money, or things, but there will come a time when you will have all of that (learn to be content and patient (!!); being content means to suck this season dry for all that it has to offer);
  3. Develop your ‘staying power’ – the longer it takes for you to get to the top, the better. This process develops character in us and makes us better people. It also helps us become stronger;
  4. Stay positive – don’t allow yourself to stay ‘inside your head’ for too long. It’s unhealthy;
  5. Put in the work – You may not be there, but you’ll never reach there if you don’t work like you’re already there.

So, enjoy your obscurity or your time of hiddenness. Use it to your advantage. Quick fixes never helped anyone in the long run! Encourage your soul with Gods word and stay connected to a healthy community! You can do it!