by Matt Conner

Sadie Robertson seems quite young to command a crowded room with her charisma and calling, but she possesses far more experience than you’d believe. Ever since she was old enough to go to school, Robertson says she’s stood on her parents’ kitchen countertops and preached to the family, an early sign that she was destined for a future platform.

These days, Robertson is preparing to take her Live Original Tour on the road for another year, and she’s bringing along some great special guests like Social Club Misfits, Mosaic MSC, Hollyn and Chris McClarney. We recently asked the actress, author and speaker about the other creative plates she’s spinning and where exactly the phrase “Live Original” came from.

 

CCM Magazine: Where did you first really get behind or start to use the phrase “Live Original”? Did that come from somewhere?
Sadie Robertson: It stemmed from a nickname! When I was 5 years old, I used to preach on the countertop to my parents, which is kind of wacky and weird for a 5-year-old to do.

During that same phase in my life I was super frustrated because all of my friends had a nickname and I wanted one! I asked my dad why I didn’t have a nickname and he just responded—with my sermons and quirkiness in mind—“because you are The Original.” Throughout my life, my dad would remind me of that, that I was The Original. So when it came time for me to write a book, I thought of the word original. I want to encourage people to Live Original, and that’s how it happened.

CCM: What are the challenges you find that keep people from embodying or embracing that phrase?
Sadie: I think the biggest challenge is comparison. There is insecurity and a lack of confidence that we have in ourselves and in our world. Whenever you’re an original design, the silly thing is you really can’t compare yourself to anyone around you because there is no other! There is no copy. There is no imitator. You’re never going to find your original creation around you; you have to look within you. And so I think the biggest challenge is that distraction of the comparison game, the insecurity, the lack of confidence, and that’s just something you have to look inwardly for.

CCM: For those coming to the Live Original tour, what should they expect to find that might surprise them?
Sadie: I think people coming to the LO tour might expect to meet me or the artists performing each night, but what might surprise them is that it’s not about the people on stage! I think that feeling disappears in the first minute. The surprise is a truly life-changing night that is not about anybody else but themselves and what God wants to do in their heart.

CCM: You’ve done these tours before. Do you have a favorite part of going on the road like this?
Sadie: I love touring. It has kind of become a lifestyle. I love being with my friends on the road. But I think my favorite part is just getting to be in an atmosphere of worship for five weeks in a row, which is super amazing for my life. I also love getting to have some face time with the people that follow me and really get to invest in a heartfelt way. I like to have a deeper moment with them, instead of just an Instagram or blog post. On social media, I really don’t get to talk with them one-on-one in a sense, so that’s really cool.

CCM: How do you go about choosing the musicians and guests who go out with you?
Sadie: It’s personal! The artists are who I have been worshipping to, whose music I love, and really just who God puts on my heart. We spend some time in prayer of asking the Lord, “What do you want this night to be? Who to you want to be on the road with us?” It’s been very cool, because each year that we’ve done this, the people that God has put on our heart have said yes. It reminds us that God is in this, even in the line-up. So I’m always super excited to be on the road with these awesome people.

CCM: Besides the upcoming tour, what are some other things you’re working on these days?
Sadie: Well we have some fun stuff cooking in the oven! We are working on another LO Box project. We launched the first box, Live Original: Volume 1, back in the spring. It is a Bible study and resource for girls and young women who want to grow as leaders. It’s one of my favorite projects we do and completely heart-crafted with the LO Team. It’s been awesome to see it ship to several different countries and all over the U.S. It is really cool because the people who purchase LO Boxes are choosing to say “Yes!” to finding a group of people in their hometown to lead.

We’re also launching a podcast, relaunching the website and blog, creating a YouTube series with Awesomeness and I’m also writing a new book. It’s all super exciting!

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