BE A CREATIVE PIONEER

Why is it so hard to produce? I find the pain of producing something new gets harder with age. It really would be easier to just sit back and let the younger guys do it…let someone else with more energy…with more knowledge create.

But all at once I’m struck with the truth that God has made me unique and has done unique things in my life and I need and should express just that.

Our lack of art making could be robbing the world of a God inspired expression that points people to a loving God… A God who longs to connect to us. It’s an expression that gives humanity a glimmer of hope in the human condition.

So…why is this hard to remember? And just knowing this is somehow supposed to motivate us to create?

In thinking back to times when I have been most productive a few things seem to be present and maybe in this order…

1.   Inspiration – this comes from many sources: music, a photograph, graphic design, architecture, a painting, an experience, nature, theatre, film, a book, and God’s truth. We have to expose ourselves to things. Things outside our area are even better. I can’t count how many creative people I come into contact with - all telling me they are only interested in what’s going on in their field. No wonder all their work looks alike.

2.     An idea – this starts with a thought that wont let me go. It burns in me. It’s new and excites me. In the moment of inspiration capture it; write the idea down. I get great ides when im doing menial tasks i.e. shower, driving etc. I always have a notebook handy.

3.    When stuck for solutions… sleep on it. Write ideas down as soon as you wake up. The subconscious does wonders while we sleep.

Our training can’t get us there but at times it helps channel our inspiration. Steven Nachmanovitch says, “ knowledge of the creative process cannot substitute for creativity, but it can save us from giving up on creativity when the challenges seem too intimidating and free play seem blocked”.

I don’t believe creativity can be taught nor is it just for a select few. We are all made in the image of our creator God. We are creative…just accept it and then tap into it. I’ve stated it before in another post. As we grow older we are made to believe that creativity is for children. We are told to stop being creative so we can move on to more mature endeavors. Go back to being a child… do something in a new way and watch the possibilities open up.  When’s the last time you laid on the floor and looked up? Something up there might be your next idea. The world desperately needs creative solutions and ideas. Where are the artistic pioneers? Be brave and explore new land.  

Forced To Jump

What would life be like if we were able and encouraged to be whom God designed us to be? What would the world look like if uniqueness were celebrated?

I know as teens we thought we wanted to be unique, but did we really? Weren’t we really looking to “fit in”? The music and style we wore were more or less just like the group of peers we hung out with. Uniqueness was obtained by wearing the same brand of popular clothing in a different color or maybe, if you were slightly daring, you combined with other articles of clothing, all popular brands of course, so that you were “original”. But the reality was we really didn’t want to be truly unique - those kids were considered freaks. And on the lesson goes - in an effort to be unique we conform.

From our earliest education we are taught to be like everyone else. Our first art lessons were taught by non-artists who instructed us in how to paint, what to paint, and what colors to use. God forbid we get it wrong or forget what color something is supposed to be. One of my acting teachers, Mr. Wells, tells a story of a conversation with his son’s teacher. The teacher gave a red check to many of his son’s paintings. Upon questioning the negative mark given to a painting of the ocean, where his son painted the water black, the teacher responded, “come on now Mr. Wells, we all know ocean water isn’t black”. Mr. Wells said it’s black to him. The painting was a response to a fieldtrip the students had taken to the pier in Pacific Beach on a gray and cloudy day. Mr. Wells said depending on the time of day and the weather conditions the water can look black…so who is more accurate…you asked him to paint what he saw.

As someone who thinks creatively I fought against the voices that started in kindergarten and continued through high school – “Color inside the lines”, “Accurately represent the thing you create”, “Be like everyone else”… Then at some point in college, if you’re lucky, you get a professor who challenges you to be creative, to be unique and dare I say, to be “different”. There it is again, only this time if you copy you will be met with declarations of protest…“Why did you steal my idea” or “he’s not original” or worst yet “You have no talent”. But this is only in the study halls of the art world. Get outside that and you would swear everyone sounds like your kindergarten teacher.

Leave the safety of that quasi-real world of the art department and walk into the hard light of a performance-based world where conformity is valued and expected and before long you find your creative mind has shriveled up. Your soul has been replaced with pleasing the hand that gives you money. And you fight, you fight, oh how you fight! Art becomes a battle and yet you somehow know if you give in that expression that is uniquely yours and God placed will be crushed. If you’re not careful you will wake up feeling violated…raped – all that you stood for, your aesthetic, your vision, your artistic integrity ripped from your very being.

I woke up this morning to hear the news radio announcer describe the scene… a man has held up traffic on the Coronado Bridge (2 mile long 200 foot high bridge in San Diego spanning across the bay connecting to the City of Coronado). On this misty early morning he stopped his vehicle in the westbound lanes, opened the door and went to the bridge's northern edge. He leaped over the 34-inch railing without hesitation, according to a witness who called 911 on his cell phone. The man hit the San Diego Bay at a speed faster than the posted speed on the bridge. The devastating injuries he sustained from the impact with the water did not kill him. Instead, he drowned in the bay. The county Medical Examiner's Office put an identification bracelet on his right ankle, gave him a case number and noted his place of death as "San Diego Bay, N. of Pylon 19."

As I struggled out of bed after a restless night and began to get ready for yet another day my mind wouldn’t leave the thought of this man’s jump. A profound sense of sadness came over me. It was almost like I was grieving for him…or for the family he no doubt left behind…or was I really grieving for myself? As I went through my day my thoughts went back to this scene. I wondered if his life would have been any different if a teacher, pastor, family, friend, someone or just anyone, would have let him be uniquely him. Would he fine room for his place in this world? I’m aware the scriptures that tell us our gifts will make room for themselves but, what if, just what if no one in his life validated his “different ness”? Might he be here, and not only alive but ALIVE! Alive to the things God has placed within him. Alive to the very uniqunessness of himself. The self that is one hundred percent original. The self that God knew what he was creating before the epoch of time. It’s the result of an original God who made an original unique individual out of this man.

As we grapple with our own art making might this example make us take pause and ask ourselves: are we also forcing people to jump in the proverbial sense? In other words, are we requiring the unique around us to conform to our own ideas because we might not understand or even “get” what it is they are about? Or might we be the man on the bridge who indeed feels forced to jump because he has found himself in a world that no longer values the very “diffrentness” God was so proud to create in us?

Fears about our talent…fears about being good enough…fears about our work being accepted… fears about NOT creating the vision God has given you because it will be too weird…all the lament of the artistic soul and all fears I battle with from time to time. But somehow I know my struggle is not alone. I share the voice of the lone funky art student in a corner somewhere waiting for his or her voice to be accepted to be noticed and yet so desperate to be perfect and yes so desperate to be different, unique, weird, and original just as God has chose to make us all. Be reminded that we serve our creator who indeed made us just as he wanted us, not random, but specific with details. And though we often don’t think it – perfect.  The “perfect” that is in Him (not because of Him or in spite of Him). He sees us in our perfected state. He justifies our mistakes. He adds wisdom to our walk. For he is our Master creator and only by Him and through Him can the artist find joy and peace.


Please leave me your response.      

A Longing For Beauty

BEAUTY. What does it mean? Ask a group of women or men what they find beautiful in the opposite sex and you will get varied answers. All of us, whether we are an artist of some kind or just one who admires it, are enthralled by what we call “beauty”. The debate rages in aesthetics classes across university campuses and art criticism as to what exactly is beautiful. On one level beauty is usually understood as that which we can see - that woman’s beauty was stunning, that man is handsome, that painting is splendid, that photograph of the Hawaiian sunset is breath taking etc. Deeply planted within humanity is a desire to recover and preserver beauty.

God is beautiful. Everything about Him is perfect and glorious. God created this beautiful place called earth. In the beginning it was grand…better than an Ansel Adams photograph, or the early American frontier painters (Hudson River School). Earth was a living painting in 3-D. I wonder sometimes what it would have been like to live at the beginning before Adam and Eve screwed it all up. I imagine it to have that smell after it has just rained – clean fresh. It probably had the best of every natural wonder all packed into one vast greatness - Thomas Kinkade only dreams of it. You wouldn’t have to leave on vacation because all of it is paradise – perfect weather, water, natural resources, and breath taking scenery. It’s like walking through a live impressionistic painting by Monet with vivid colors and flowers all around.  Maybe it was much like the Robin Williams movie “What Dreams May Come”. As we walk we hear birds and butterflies everywhere…if we get hungry we just reach out to pick an over sized perfect fruit – no need to wash it it’s without germs or pesticides…yes perfect!        

Christ came to fulfill our longing for beauty, our longing for the perfect, the ideal. C.S. Lewis put it this way in his book Till We Have Faces, “It was when I was happiest that I longed the most…The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all the beauty came from”. Our knowledge of Christ fulfills our empty hollow attempts to bring meaning, happiness, and, satisfaction to our work. Because alone we are not perfect nor do we create perfect things; our efforts fall short. The more we allow our imperfections to show in our life and in our work the more God’s creative truth can shine and refract off the imperfection, much like the diamond, creating a shimmer that never before existed. Don’t cover up the flaws but reveal and heal - allow God’s light to shine on your imperfect works of art.

A diamond starts as a chunk of ugly stone on the outside. A pearl starts as a grain of sand caught in an oyster. So too, our beauty comes from our ugliness (our imperfection). Our flaws are made perfect in God not independent of him. As creative people it is our job to think on these things and give expression to them. An artist not in touch with his frailty is an artist who creates out of a self-centered fog. Clarity of self, of who we are in Christ, gives birth to original and authentic expression. 

We are made in the image of our creator. God is our master art teacher. When the artist comes to terms with the fact that he is not perfect, and he never will be, and it’s okay not to be, only than will God’s truth free us to create in a realm of Godly perfection. We creative people so desperately need to trust God in our art making or our expression will be no different then that of the unbeliever. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, “without faith it is impossible to please God”. I want God to "see that my work is good" just as He saw that his work was good in Genesis. We need to understand that God receives our “acknowledged” imperfect expression as pure and authentic praise. Our inadequate attempts at trying to be perfect will indeed be made perfect in him and to him. 

(original painting: "Till We Have Faces". acrylic on cold press paper)

    

WAKE UP DREAMERS

I was sitting in a coffeehouse recently making a list of things I needed to get done when my thoughts were diverted to the upcoming new year. I thought over the past year and even the past few years. What had I accomplished? Did any of it matter? Was I accomplishing any of my goals? Did I get any closer? I felt a bit of discouragement set in, as the answer seemed to be - No. I sat there looking out the window as the cars raced by returning home from a long days work. I didn’t even want to take another sip of my now warm mocha…I then asked myself the question – “What Do I Want”?

If we find ourselves in a state of discontentment or unhappiness then we need to get to the core or cause. Often times it's simply a matter of identifying what it is we want.

With this in mind my list began to emerge. I wrote down every thing I wanted to do. I did not sensor myself questioning, “oh I can’t do that” or “that will never happen”. I just simply made a list of my ideal world. It’s surprising what emerged in my list. Deep seated desires and lost dreams appeared I didn’t know were still there.

After I surveyed the list I began to devise a plan to accomplish it. Now I know if you are like me you probably know what needs to be done in order to accomplish it but may not be willing to do it. There may be extenuating circumstances that prevent me from accomplishing all of my desires but at least I know I can take action and work against discouragement thereby feeling empowered. Now it comes down to: am I willing to do the things necessary to get it done? When you see it this way the unhappiness and discontent lightens.

So what do you want…really think about that. Now get at making a plan and make the steps it takes to accomplish your hearts passions. God can give us the dream but we have to take the drive to get there. Wake up dreamers and work by the sweat of the brow in the day light hours, accomplish the ideas that have been burning in you for a long time. Passion came at a price – remember Jesus had to die to accomplish his. Will you die out to yours? What do you want? 

   

A Life Line

Joe struck up a conversation with me as soon as he got into the classroom. A large kid, somewhere between husky and fat with a very respectful tone in his voice you don’t often hear in teens these days. As he sat down waiting for the bell to ring signaling the start of class, I noticed he was writing in his notebook. I asked him if he likes to write? He says he writes poetry a lot. I threw a challenge to him by asking him to write me something just to see what he would say.

He brought this back to me and asked me to read it and to tell him what I thought about it.

(A rap by Joe a student in the 11^th grade, Winter 2009)

Hard times has me facing,

Trials and tribulations,

And every other day I strive but God

Is always patient.

So I take all that I learn into

Consideration,

And make sure all of my enemies stayed

Choked leaving no ventilation.

I gotta find a way to pursue my goal,

Will this thug life stop? Nobody knows.

From what I see you need to follow

The hourglass,

In order to look to the future you should

Know your past.

Hard times made me understand,

The reason for my past,

But I didn’t know what to do with

Blood on my hands,

Until I realized God really had a plan,

AND that plan was to be make me a better

Man.

I finished reading it at my desk and then called him over to ask questions. I said “thug life”, are you in a gang, of course I didn’t think he fit the profile. He answered, “yes” he and some relatives are in a Laotian gang called “TLC” in Linda Vista, CA. I was surprised! It sounds like you are talking about killing someone, “blood on my hands”. Joe says he and his relatives have killed people, his voiced trailed off – he was not bragging when he told me this. In a soft tone he added, "I've seen people shot and killed right in front of me... There’s not much hope for the kids who grow up in my neighborhood – you’re stuck". He told me he is doing everything in his power to keep his little brothers from going into the gang. He told his uncle to leave his brothers alone. He wants out so desperately. If you could see this student you would not see a gang member – no hardened by hate or revenge in him. He had a gentle spirit and a big heart. My heart was breaking just listening to his story. He genuinely wanted to share his work with me. He told me I could keep this rap, “It’s for you”. I asked him if he is a Christian he said I’m a Buddhist. I asked, “So what is your plan to get out of the gang life?” He said “My music, it’s my life. When I graduate I plan to move to L.A. to get my music career going”. He plans on going to a music school too. His notebook was full of poetry and rap – FULL.

If you could see in his eyes, the deep seeded desire to do something with his life and his talent, you would believe in him too. I told him I believe you will make it, don’t give up! Let that hate for the life you have right now drive you to pursue your talent. Don’t ever give up on your dream!

We all aren’t much different from Joe are we? We are all pursuing something. I often run into people who aren’t even aware they are in pursuit. What is your goal I ask, “Goal…just to get through life”. If you haven’t already, ask yourself what are my life goals? What passion am I not pursuing? What talent are you sitting on? For some, like Joe, your talent may be your only life source. His music is his way out of the gang life he has always known.

His talent is a lifeline from God. I believe that. God gave this chubby teen in Linda Vista a way out, He threw him a lifeline – our God is so good! Have you ever considered your talent as a lifeline from God? You know God has given us our gifts no matter how insignificant we think they are. What are you doing with the gifts God has given you? Your talent just may be the lifeline to pull you out of a horrible life situation. God cares about us so much He has thrown us lifelines for help. Is it music, acting, painting, sculpting, dance, design, fashion, writing, singing…what is it?

An Artist's Prayer

Lord, let me see you more clearly through your creation. Continue to strike me with awe and wonder over your artistic expression – the heavens and the earth and all that is within.

Lord, you remind me of your passion as you died for me. Help me to suffer so I might have passion. Help me to feel hurt so that I might help those who can’t express it.

Help me to not become so self-absorbed that I become my own creator.

Let me notice more that is wrong in this crazy-mixed-up-world so that I might speak out and create what is good. Expose me to all the wrongs so I can express the right. As you touch me Lord I am able to touch others through my work.

Lord, remind me to stay humble as others praise your gifts in me. Let me not steal your praise but receive it than pass it back up to you.

It’s not because of my efforts that I am good but because I am weak and inadequate that you come close to me. It is in my imperfection that you make me perfect.

Lord, bless my efforts and help my imagination grow through the expression of my faith in you.

Amen.

  

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Nothing Thoughts

The thought of nothing scares me.

How do you put that out of your mind?

Where does the heart go to be inspired?

Is there a process to retrieve it?

How are we to tap into the hidden experiences of the heart?

The unspoken unarticulated responses logged deep in the soul.

As an artist, this for me is a frustrating process

Some call it their “other” spirit. The Greeks had a name for it – the Muse

Others call it their latent, not yet actualized, self.

Does it come from inside or out?

The source of inspiration has two thoughts - as I see it. One believes it comes from within

the other says it comes from an outside source.

I tend to believe both.

The more holistic approach seems to emerge as truth for me.

If we believe there is a God who created us, and we ask Him to be our Lord, and we believe that God wants us to express our love – in all its forms, then we know it must be possible to tap into that God-placed creative expression.

God created us to be creative – like Him.

Listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit is a life long process.

It’s a direct influence felt deep within your spirit/soul.

There have been times when I was creating and I knelt down and prayed through a creative block. Okay I’ll admit I have only done this twice. We should all do this more. It’s a way of humbling yourself and removing ego as you create - ego is limiting.

This then comes from a God who IS and asks us to acknowledge Him in all of our endeavors.

The “god-thing” works both from within and without.

God is and always was = without

As a believer God/Holy Spirit now resides in us= within

At times other things “speak” to us.

Things form without (non-Spirit).

Things that we see, hear, feel, touch.

I overheard a fellow directing student tell a friend to start going through books of paintings and photography, and expose yourself to different kinds of music all for the purpose of finding that one thing that inspires you to create. I agreed with him. I do the same thing. Somewhere, some how, one thing will trigger a memory mixed with an emotion, mixed with an original solution. And now we see your unique original art.

The life long struggle as a creative person will be to find a steadier stream of inspiration; giving birth to more original thoughts and expressions.

But it’s sill a scary thought, if only fleeting, to think nothing. To have nothing new to create or say.