This past week, I’ve been sharing excerpts from a book I published a few years ago. It’s called The Artist’s Suitcase: 26 Essentials for the Creative Journey. It’s a short, fun read for all kinds of artists, particularly for writers.

Here’s today’s excerpt from the chapter, “Z is for Zither.”

Have you ever seen the 1949 movie The Third Man, starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles? If not, you definitely should. It’s fantastic.

The music for The Third Man is certainly unique. The movie’s director, Carol Reed, was scouting locations for the film and happened upon the music of Anton Karas, a local zither player. He liked it so much he asked him to score the entire movie with zither music.

It was quirky. Different. And totally awesome.

Audiences loved it as well. The main theme, called “The Harry Lime Theme” (after the main character), was a hit and went on to sell millions of copies.

There’s a simple lesson here. Be yourself. Be unique. Be different. Be who you’re created and called to be. Don’t worry about the critics and naysayers. They are motivated by jealousy and the disappointment of their own failed dreams.

There are two reasons you should pursue your own path and be yourself instead of conforming to others’ expectations:

1. When you’re authentic, you honor God. God is the one who created you. The best way to honor his intentions for your life is to pursue art that gives you fulfillment and springs from your true gifts.
2. When you’re authentic, you serve your audience well. You do your best work when you’re passionate and engaged in your art. It’s hard to be passionate when you’re stuck in a role that doesn’t fit you. You can’t make great art trying to be a square peg in a round hole.

That’s exactly what I felt like when I graduated from college. I attended a small Christian school in St. Louis and chose preaching as my major. I didn’t feel a strong pull toward preaching, but I felt a call to vocational ministry. I grew up in a small rural church and we only had one pastor, so that’s the only type of ministry I knew.

During my senior year of college, I preached at a tiny country church in southern Illinois. I loved the people but I struggled to feel excited about preaching. I was more excited about music and the arts, but there weren’t many church staff openings available. (This was in the mid-90s, when full-time worship leaders weren’t as common.)

I resigned myself to the fact that I would never be a great preacher, but I felt stuck.

Just before I graduated, one of our college professors visited a church that happened to be looking for a worship leader. My fiancé and I were excited to hear about it, and I interviewed at the church a few weeks later (after we were just married).

I got the job and spent eight fantastic years at the church. (And in a sign of God’s great timing, my wife also interviewed for a position there and was accepted.)

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a rut . . .

If you’ve ever set your passion aside so you could do something more “practical” . . .

If you’ve ever resigned yourself to settling for less  . . .

If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit in . . .

If you’ve ever let others cast you in someone else’s mold that doesn’t fit you . . .

It’s time to step out on faith, make a change, and become the artist you were created to be. It may take some time. You will pay a price. There will be moments when you feel like throwing in the towel. You will probably disappoint some people in the process. (And that’s OK.)

But when you consider the alternative—living a mediocre life of regret and half-remembered dreams—how could you settle for anything less?

Don’t let your life pass you by. Take responsibility for your destiny. Be unique. Be bold. Be different.

Somewhere in the world, a story is waiting that can only be scored with the music of your life and art. It’s time to break out your zither.

Go ahead. The world is waiting.