being invisible vs. feeling invisible

As technical artists in the local church, if we are doing our jobs properly, what we do is invisible. It should go unseen.

Being Invisible vs. Feeling Invisible

 The technical arts should be so seamlessly integrated with the creative arts that nobody can tell where one begins and the other ends.

Invisible is what we do. What we do is invisible.

The problem is when things aren’t perfectly seamless and things don’t go according to plan, we become visible. This is pretty much the only time people see what we do. The only time I’m not invisible is when I’ve “screwed up”. Awesome.

Add to this all the effort that goes into what does go well, and now I’m feeling invisible. Nobody gives a rip about all the good that’s happening, because they can’t see it.

And they shouldn’t see it.

If you are a leader of technical artists, it is key for us to hold up the value of creating a distraction-free environment…for creating a culture of being invisible. However, because of this invisibility, it is super important to help your team not feel invisible.

Since you are the one who sees the good they do, make sure you say something about it. Point out the invisible good they are doing.

Among that, pull your pastor or worship leader into the mix to encourage them to notice something good your team is doing.

During a Christmas run, someone on my team had done some exceptional work…really they had done the job of two people. We all know that one job at Christmas can be enough, let alone 2.

I asked my pastor to write a short email to this individual as a way to help that person feel seen. I needed to supply some information to my pastor so he knew the hidden work that was done since he would never have known about it. It made all the work that person was doing feel seen.

I wouldn’t be surprised if after all these years, that the person who received this email still has it saved on their computer. There is huge power in making someone feel visible.

As an individual, do you feel invisible? It feels like a cliche, but God sees.

If you feel invisible, know that others around you can feel the same. Go out of your way to make someone feel like someone notices.

Let’s not diminish our commitment to having the technical arts be invisible, but let’s raise the bar on not making technical artists feel invisible.

Todd Elliott

Todd Elliott

Todd is a writer, speaker, technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO.

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