FIRST IN LAST OUT
WHEN THE PAGE IS EMPTY | Todd Elliott
Photo by Thomas Vena on Unsplash
There’ s nothing quite as intimidating as a blank page staring back at you. It doesn’ t matter if that page is literal or not, every church creative knows that moment. You’ ve got a new service to plan, a mix to build, a lighting cue to design … and suddenly, your mind goes silent.
Then come the questions: What if this idea doesn’ t work? What if no one likes it? What if … I don’ t even like it?
For me, I tend to want everything to come out perfect on the first try, fully formed and ready for Sunday. But creativity rarely works like that. It’ s a process. A journey. And when the weekend deadline looms, that process can feel like pressure.
THE TRAP OF PERFECTION In The Creative Habit, choreographer Twyla Tharp warns about the mindset that“ everything has to be perfect before you can take the next step.” That one hits home.
Perfectionism has a way of dressing up like excellence. It convinces us that waiting will somehow make the idea better. But more often, it paralyzes us. It stops us before we even start. And when we do finally start, it keeps us trapped in endless tweaking instead of creative momentum.
I love editing. Refining. Making things better. But that obsession with getting it just right can quietly become procrastination in disguise. Tharp even calls this kind of perfectionism“ a form of procrastination.”
BUILDING THE MUSCLE The only way to overcome the fear of the blank page is to keep filling it. Creativity is a muscle. It grows stronger when you use it, not when you wait for inspiration to strike.
So make it part of your rhythm. Create when no one’ s asking for it. Experiment when there’ s no pressure. Build something new just because it reminds you who God made you to be.
When you turn creativity into a habit instead of a reaction, you start developing a library of ideas— thoughts, sketches, test runs— ready to go when the next project hits. Maybe that means trying out a new plug-in, learning a new lighting sequence, or writing a set of values for your tech team.
THE FREEDOM TO CREATE Not every idea will make it to Sunday. In fact, most won’ t. And that’ s okay. Every“ bad” idea gets you one step closer to the ones that matter.
So don’ t be afraid of the nothingness. Fill the
page with something. Start small. Dream freely. Trust that God can work through what begins as nothing.
Because the best ideas often don’ t show up under pressure, they show up when you finally make space to simply create.
Interested in joining a community of other Church Technical Artists trying to create healthy environments where we can work together, encourage each other, and help us all thrive in this church production life? Join the Community!
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer, speaker, technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO, which stands for First In, Last Out. FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people, to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered. The more FILO-type people he met, the more convinced he was that these are things we all need. That’ s why FILO exists: to equip, encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves. Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church, he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective.
FILO’ s flagship event happens yearly: Our next FILO Conference will be May 5 + 6, 2026 in Chicagoland, IL. Register now for best pricing options!
Follow us on Instagram Join the Community
Sign up for a very special FILO Advent Devotional Series coming in December.
112 November 2025 Subscribe for Free...