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Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode: 

• What does the Performance Stronghold look like? 
  • Coming into something—an event, a job, etc.—and already feeling unworthy.
  • Imposter syndrome: “I’m a fraud and I don’t deserve this.” 
  • Comparison
  • “I’m not enough, so I have to really work at this.”
• The Enemy will use strongholds like these to take artists out. In any creative culture, there’s the 24/7 work-pressure that eats artists up. Mark describes it feeling like, “you’ve got a barcode on the back of your neck.” It’s this fear of being replaced that you compensate by overworking yourself.
• It comes back to identity. Having full awareness of who you are in Christ—that you aren’t alone, and that he co-labors with you—means you’ll be able to take pretty much anything that comes at you because your wellness is founded in The Kingdom, and not in the validation of your peers. Then, you’ll be prepared to respond out of love rather than defense.
• It’s not about the paychecks, comparison, or the promotion. Invite the Holy Spirit into your work, and have a dialogue with him about it. Ask him what you’re constructed to do. 
• Mark describes a time when he began working for LucasArts as an art director for “Battlefront”. He felt the stronghold of oppression and imposter syndrome walking into his office for the first time. “I’m six feet, but I felt like I was 6 inches.” He said he asked himself, out loud, “What do I have to offer this place?” And he felt the Holy Spirit warm his heart and dispel the fear. It can be challenging not to put on a stronghold of comparison when you’re working in a building with skilled specialists, but at this point your choices are either to break down, or to break through and grow. 
• There will be people who are horrible to you. When you feel those strongholds, turn to prayer. “Hey, you knitted this person together. You know their heart, I don’t. What would you like me as a vessel to speak into this person?” Submit back to The Father. Adapt to the situation, and bless the people you interact with. 
• There were times when Jesus had to go into the wilderness and seek His Father’s voice. We need that rest, and the patience to wait for God’s voice. Many times there isn’t an answer right away. It’s about a posture of submission to him. 
• Take off the pressure that we have to be the best to have influence. Instead, you just need to show up, show love, and share your story.

Resources mentioned:

• The Power of Vulnerability TED Talk by Brené Brown
• Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action by Simon Sinek
• War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Seth Godin
• On Moral Fiction by John Gardner
• On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King
• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 

Email us ideas, questions or suggestions at tempusdivum@somagames.com