Today, we’d like to introduce you to Chandra Torres.
Hi Chandra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born and raised in Harlan, Iowa. My mom was an art major, and my dad was a contractor – so creativity was encouraged in our house. I have an older sister and a younger brother. I have many memories of the 3 of us making movies on the camcorder in our basement. We had created actual “sets” to film and even had a “backstage” area where you could find a vast array of costumes, wigs, and props.
I remember my family driving to “the city” and regularly stopping by the the art store where we’d stock up on various art supplies- oil pastels, paints, chalks, charcoal, sketchbooks, etc. I even tried sculpting once (failed terribly, but then again I was like 7). My mom encouraged us to exercise our passion for art so you could find the 3 of us at the kitchen table creating often. In elementary school, I was a part of an after-school program called Destination Imagination.
We’d be given a prompt and have to create a skit with fully developed characters, set design, and costumes to perform with our team. We also were judged on Improv. My mom was our coach, so when we’d get together, she would actually plan creative exercises for us to sharpen our creativity and quicken our thinking.
Music was also big in our home. My parents were praise and worship leaders at a local church, and I, too, had a love for singing and wanting to learn instruments. I took violin lessons up until I was a freshman in High school, took piano lessons until my junior year, and started guitar lessons as a sophomore. Over the years, I sang and played at various county fairs and also participated in pageants.
My sister and I were both part of a traveling ministry band called Faith Sound in High school, where we’d visit different churches in Iowa and perform a set list with about 15 or so other students. (We had a brass section!) I was one of 3 altos in the band while she was the pianist. When I graduated in 2011, music was my dream.
I moved to Des Moines, Iowa, and started to do a couple of open mics. Then eventually got connected with a church where I became the Worship Leader & Creative Director for the youth ministry. In 2014, I had the opportunity to be on NBC The Voice. While I made it through several rounds to The Blinds, I did not get a chair to turn.
After that, I decided to make the move to Nashville to follow my sister, who had already moved there to pursue photography. Did a couple of open mics and songwriting nights here and there. I worked multiple jobs- Barista-ed at Dunn Bros Coffee downtown (which is where I met my husband), taught piano and voice lessons at RockZone School of Music in Mt Juliet, and also worked at Savant Vintage in the 12S area.
Sometime in there, I got connected with Pastor Bill at Impact Church in Murfreesboro, TN, and I started attending his church and singing on the worship team. This leads me to where the story really begins lol…. At the time, the current worship directors were commuting from Clarksville and couldn’t commit the time to actually develop musicians and create a worship team culture. Pastor offered me the position, and I reluctantly accepted. I felt super underqualified and knew I had a lot to learn – both musically and spiritually at just 22 years old.
Originally, the team had been playing with tracks, so they didn’t even have a full band. I recruited my sister to play keys, my boyfriend (now husband) to play guitar, and our friend, Meg (who had never played an instrument but liked to bang on the steering wheel) to play the cajón. We started leading worship together on Wednesday nights and then eventually took over the Sunday morning services as well.
At this time, there weren’t many young people attending. And there was not a well-established place for the arts/creativity in the church because there had never really been anyone to spearhead it. My sister was and is a phenomenal artist and also was passionate about photography. I was into video editing, graphic design, and, of course, music.
We decided to start a small group called “Genesis.” Alysha (my sis) has always been the visionary, and I have always helped with the execution. We make a great team. She wanted to create a space where people could learn how to use a camera and be part of creative projects. After a couple of years – Genesis morphed into an actual Creative Team.
Out of that group we now had a team of photographers, decorators, and writers that were using their gifts throughout the year at services and church events. Rather than meeting weekly during the small group semesters, we moved to meeting monthly throughout the year for what we call “Creative Nights.” We still wanted to incorporate fun, creative projects, and hands-on learning- but we wanted to place a greater emphasis on the Word and His presence.
In April of 2022, my sister got married and moved to Norfolk, VA and I became both Worship & Creative Director. It was very overwhelming at first because I was not my sister. My strengths and abilities are different than hers, but I decided to tap into that. I am big into prop “building.” Some of my favorite projects I have worked on with the help of my awesome team are The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, a brick fireplace made out of styrofoam, a tapestry mural of a feast sanctioned into 50 squares that multiple artists painted, and three murals at a local daycare.
I’m still very much into music/songwriting, and there are many others within our community who share that passion. I love to promote and participate in collaboration for worship, special music, and songs just for fun! We also have worship & painting nights every couple of months at INFUSE (which is our worship team development night), where team members practice being led by the Holy Spirit in their worship through music and creativity.
With the help of some other amazing leaders on my team- we have truly created a life-giving culture where people love to work with each other and the Holy Spirit. We have high school students who are taking photos, a growing worship team with newbie musicians who are advancing fast, and amazing props and decor for things like Christmas, Vacation Bible School, Easter, Conferences, etc.
Impact Creative still meets monthly. We have hosted events like a Performance Art Night, Art Show, Crafthouse (like speed dating but for crafts), writers’ rounds, photoshoots, etc. All are open to the public. A “regular” Creative Night looks something like this:
-Group creative exercise
-Individual creative exercise
-Word
-Worship
-Prayer
We have done anything from drawing with shadows to kitchen utensil rock bands. I love all the creative stuff we have gotten to do in the church, but my desire for this year is to not only help others sharpen their skills and grow closer to the Lord but also to inspire/encourage/challenge them to take their gifts to the community. To write the book! Sing the song! Start the business! Post the video! To bring life-giving creativity to be LIGHT where it is dark.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Having to get out of my head, stop comparing myself to others, and not be afraid of looking stupid as I step into new things.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My official title is Worship & Creative Director at Impact Church.
I arrange and write out all our music, train our musicians, direct video shoots and do all the editing, do all the graphic design, run the social media, head up the props and decor team, edit all the photos our photographers turn in, help with building updates (like repainting and redecorating, etc. lol), help plan and host events. It’s a big job, lol.
On the side, I also make earrings out of recycled jewelry pieces and do mixed media art.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
I have learned there are four different types of creating:
1) For others/ministry – these are songs, projects, and pieces that are for the purpose of blessing others. Whether that be something created to be on display in a public space, something created to give as a gift, or something for your church congregation.
2) For growth – these are songs, projects, and pieces that are for the purpose of challenging you creatively and growing your skillset. Whether that be using a medium you normally don’t, writing with randomly selected prompts, or purposely doing something you haven’t mastered just so you can practice.
3) For God – these are songs, projects, and pieces that you may never show anyone. You created them in a moment of vulnerability as an expression of love and gratitude unto God. These are secret place creations.
4) For you – these are songs, projects, and pieces that are simply for fun and/or used as an outlet to get something off your chest and experience the freedom of surrender. You may create something because you’re excited about a new idea or technique or because you need to express something you’ve been bottling up.
When you realize these four different types of creating- you won’t see failure. You’ll see investment. You’ll see growth. You’ll see generosity. You’ll see history. You’ll see a breakthrough.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chandraknudsen/ and https://www.instagram.com/impactcreativecommunity/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChandraKnudsen
Image Credits
Alysha’s Photography
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