Beautifully put as always. I have always wondered what pushes me creatively, that certain impetus - not necessarily the idea that a nice line or turn of phrase might become a good poem. but, what’s the end result? why am I writing this particular piece? what impact will it have on me or others? or, specifically, what’s the point of it?

what I was getting at with the “christian” genre as a whole is that I feel, much like your observation on school movies targeting the student, a certain over-saturation to formula. but that could be said of any genre, sure. I personally find the “christian” genre of music to sound poor within their formula. even when they metalled-up (ala Stryper) it wasn’t, to me, palatable. those colors would just stab my ears.

so, I look at my approach to creativity as being one that hopefully evolves. maybe an example would be this: to find an answer, one might open a book for explanation on a topic. but the truer seeker would open many books on the topic. that’s how my personal design, in theory, works. the more we consume the more we should be able to offer.

hope that makes some semblance of sense.