Making something beautiful in a broken world can be harrowing work, and it can't be done alone. Andrew Peterson believes that God calls us to proclaim the gospel and the coming kingdom using whatever gifts are at our disposal. He's stumbled along the way, made mistake after mistake, and yet has continually encountered the grace of God through an encouraging family, a Christ-centered community of artists in the church, and the power of truth, beauty, and goodness in Scripture and the arts. At the intersection of songwriting, storytelling, and vocation, along with nuts-and-bolts exploration of the great mystery of creativity, Andrew describes six principles for the writing life: serving the work, serving the audience, selectivity, discernment, discipline, and community. This book is both a memoir of Andrew's journey and a handbook for anyone interested in imitating the way the Creator interacts with his creation, written in the hope that his story will provide encouragement to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ. - Back cover.