How Creative Pruning Shaped Jon Well's Storytelling

DescriptionJon Wells is a writer and filmmaker following Jesus. From church tech volunteer to filmmaker, shaped by watching over 100 films with a mentor: We talk about his daily writing practice, the challenge of showing up when the work feels mediocre, and his philosophy that guardrails only matter if they get you to "do the dance."Jon shares about his current season of creative pruning—where outcomes disappoint but showing up brings unexpected peace. He opens up about how God provided before revealing the pregnancy, preparing him to trust through uncertainty. We explore the entrepreneurial tension between ambition and presence as a father, why mysteries are fun rather than threatening, and his powerful insight about letting dreams die so they can be resurrected into something bigger.Timestamps(00:00:04) - Podcast introduction(00:01:07) - Opening banter about nonprofits and bivocational pastors(00:03:06) - Why Jon and Matt's conversations always go longer than planned(00:05:52) - Jon's origin story: from tech team volunteer to filmmaker(00:14:49) - Watching 100+ movies during COVID with a mentor(00:16:48) - How movies make the intangible tangible(00:19:17) - The decision to become a writer-director, not just a director(00:22:36) - Jon's daily writing practice: six days a week, staying in the gym(00:26:32) - Guardrails only work if they get you to do the dance(00:28:19) - Creative decisions that surprised him: pruning season(00:32:29) - "I am not enough alone"—learning reliance through exhaustion(00:36:17) - What fills Jon up during seasons of pruning(00:37:23) - The three-day fast that began a new season(00:39:01) - God's provision before the pregnancy announcement(00:42:59) - The open-handed life: giving up to gain more(00:44:34) - Matt's season of transition and budget discipline(00:48:05) - The hazy window: mysteries are fun and force you to live present(00:49:37) - Movies about fatherhood: The Iron Claw and wrestling with provision vs. presence(00:52:35) - The entrepreneurial bent and the struggle to be present(00:54:44) - Ambition vs. contentment: the lifelong tension(00:58:54) - Making friends with the questions you can't answer(01:01:41) - Question from last guest Jordan: What belief did you hold confidently but now think is wrong?(01:02:37) - Jon's answer: Religion doesn't have to be so structured; God is radically interested in humanity(01:05:25) - Jon's question for the next guest: What would come from letting your dream completely die?(01:06:42) - Resurrection vs. resuscitation: death that leads to new life Get full access to Matt Heisler at mattheisler.substack.com/subscribe