Show notes
Join us on Make It. Share It. as we sit down with Donna Stuart, worship leader, songwriter, illustrator, and author from the Washington DC area, for a conversation that will change how you think about your creative delays, your hidden seasons, and the projects that won’t let you go.
Donna has been making and sharing things for decades: touring with a band, leading worship, co-leading a church with her husband Ben, and quietly working on a poetry project called Growing for the last ten years. Growing explores seven seasons of the soul, told in verse, from the darkness of a buried seed to the rise above the ground, through pruning, storms, death, and everything in between. And it finally landed.
In this episode, Donna walks us through the creative odyssey behind Growing—from its origin in the idea that Dr. Seuss’s “useless” waiting place was actually anything but, to the five iterations it took before it could finally be held in someone’s hands. She shares why it became a coloring flip book (because publishers didn’t get it and self-printing cost $10,000), how QR codes saved the project, and why she now believes the decade of waiting wasn’t delay; it was formation.
“Everything I create is out of the overflow of the love that I’ve received. And when my reception of love was broken — my creativity was broken too.”
🔑 Three Key Takeaways
The Waiting Place Is Not Useless. Donna rejected Dr. Seuss’s characterization of the waiting place as useless, then spent a decade proving it wrong. Every chapter of Growing required her to actually live through the season she was writing about. The hidden years were the content.
Misplaced Love Stifles Creativity. During COVID, Donna experienced a personal revival centered on one realization: she was receiving love from people who didn’t have the capacity to give it. Reorienting her loves: putting God first and right-sizing everything else gave her a new capacity to create.
Your Market May Not Exist Yet. Create Anyway. From QR codes that didn’t exist when she first imagined Growing to Canva, which made her book possible years later, Donna’s story is a reminder that technology and audience often catch up. Your job is to keep making.
Something Unexpected
Donna wrote a Hallmark movie song in 40 minutes in a parking lot, while waiting to pick up her son from boxing. She had just prayed over her journal, asking God to let her take a swing at something she’d always dreamed of. The song went to the top of Hallmark’s list, and it was eventually performed by two Broadway stars: the actress who played Glinda and the actor who played Fiyero in Wicked.
Listen to the Full Episode For:
* The full story of Growing — ten years, five iterations, one coloring flip book
* Why Donna called out The Giving Tree for codependency
* What resilience actually looks like in the creative “cave” — and why she’s grateful for it
* The Mercy Me bus story — self-promotion, humility, and the lesson she learned the hard way
Resources
* Growing by Donna Stuart — on YouTube
* Growing Book
* Donna Stuart Creative
* Instagram: @donnastuart
* Anonymous: Jesus in His Hidden Years by Alicia Britt Cholé
* Books by David Benner
* The Critical Journey by Janet O. Hagberg & Robert A. Guelich
Chapters
00:00 - Welcome and introduction to Donna Stuart's creative journey00:20 - Donna’s nostalgic story about "A Smoky Mountain Christmas" and childhood influences01:45 - The significance of seasons and waiting in creative growth02:58 - Personal revival during COVID and the impact on her understanding of love and creativity07:14 - The power of naming emotions and key turning points in spiritual and artistic journeys09:19 - Reflection on long-term projects, patience, and trusting the process13:09 - Donna’s latest project: a 10-year journey and the metaphor of seeds in darkness15:34 - Insights from children’s books and the importance of waiting on the “Useless Place”17:00 - The poetic process of her upcoming book about the underground seasons of growth18:29 - The story of creating a song for a Hallmark movie and trusting divine timing21:22 - The surprise of God's orchestration in unexpected collaborations and opportunities23:00 - The analogy of building Cowboy Stadium and technological breakthroughs in creative work26:34 - Embracing the cave as a place of renewal and deepening faith during difficulty29:58 - The journey of songwriting and the mystery of creative catch and release31:53 - The story of a chance connection leading to a meaningful project and unexpected moments of blessing40:16 - Finding resilience in the cave, understanding the seasons of life, and divine patience44:03 - Elijah, Ahab, and the small whisper—trusting God in the cave's quiet moments45:52 - The metaphor of underground roots and the rise of creative potential47:52 - The art of sharing: natural, organic, and rooted in love—overcoming the discomfort of self-promotion51:15 - Personal stories of youthful ambition, mistakes, and growth toward humility55:33 - The beauty of divine stories in our creative journey—trusting God's storytelling from seed to harvest58:44 - The modern realities of music industry and trusting divine timing59:44 - The importance of just saying “yes” and embracing the open unknowns60:53 - How to follow Donna’s work and stay connected through Instagram and her website61:24 - Closing thoughts—keep making, keep sharing, and trusting in the seasons of your creative story
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