Wednesday, September 06, 2006
I was having an online discussion on art, quality standards of art and my life in art with a brother in Christ who is probably miles better than me and working in a much different part of this field. Here's what I had to say.
We are on vastly different wavelengths with this and that is okay. I've spent a great deal of my life making art, over twenty years. I took it to the point of idolatry, got convicted and gave it up. God called me to ministry and he gave it back with a purpose and a mission. Making art nearly ruined my life. Now it's fun and it's exciting and no I can't really define fun, it is what it is, and if I need to define that, maybe you need to look at priorities. (I'm not saying that because I think you do, I am sayingthat because at the "idolatry point in my life, I would have had a visceral hateful reaction to what I just said). It's all expression, love it or hate it. It's not mine anymore, I gave it away because I couldn't handle it on my own.
As to standards, as long as a keith haring and a jackson pollock and a rembrandt and a picasso can hang in the same museum, I will never again go for the idea of standards in art. As long as a three year old's picture brings a smile to a parent's face, I will never be for standards in art. As long as a sketch can help a frustrated hurting person feel and another person can see it and say wow someone understands, I will never be for standards in art. Art is too subjective. If the person looks at my work and gets the point, that's where I'm at. For me it's not about the art and it never will be again, it's about pointing to people to Christ. Why? Because all I will ever do is create things that will burn. The only reasonable direction I can take (for me) with it is to use what will burn to point people to eternity. If God sees fit to bless me financially for it, so much the better, but for me it can never be about that again. I still bear the scars from the last time.
Let's just do art as God leads and agree to disagree.
(0) comments
We are on vastly different wavelengths with this and that is okay. I've spent a great deal of my life making art, over twenty years. I took it to the point of idolatry, got convicted and gave it up. God called me to ministry and he gave it back with a purpose and a mission. Making art nearly ruined my life. Now it's fun and it's exciting and no I can't really define fun, it is what it is, and if I need to define that, maybe you need to look at priorities. (I'm not saying that because I think you do, I am sayingthat because at the "idolatry point in my life, I would have had a visceral hateful reaction to what I just said). It's all expression, love it or hate it. It's not mine anymore, I gave it away because I couldn't handle it on my own.
As to standards, as long as a keith haring and a jackson pollock and a rembrandt and a picasso can hang in the same museum, I will never again go for the idea of standards in art. As long as a three year old's picture brings a smile to a parent's face, I will never be for standards in art. As long as a sketch can help a frustrated hurting person feel and another person can see it and say wow someone understands, I will never be for standards in art. Art is too subjective. If the person looks at my work and gets the point, that's where I'm at. For me it's not about the art and it never will be again, it's about pointing to people to Christ. Why? Because all I will ever do is create things that will burn. The only reasonable direction I can take (for me) with it is to use what will burn to point people to eternity. If God sees fit to bless me financially for it, so much the better, but for me it can never be about that again. I still bear the scars from the last time.
Let's just do art as God leads and agree to disagree.
