#assignedreadings

As I watched the Love the Art, Hate the Artist video my mind slowly swirled and spiraled into how exactly I view art in relationship with the maker of it. My ideas toggled back and forth on whether I would even want to consider liking a certain artist’s artwork if they had done disgusting things or said offensive statements. I thought about the ways in which information affects my eyes when I go back and look at art with some kind of newfound revelation of who the artist actually was or is. After much thought and consideration, I would say that it’s extremely difficult, and near impossible, to divorce the art from the artist. No matter how hard you may try, keeping these two elements separate is not going to happen. I think that there is a way, however, to appreciated and advocate for the artist’s skill, devotion, and creativity while also acknowledging that no one is perfect and everyone carries around flaws. God sees past our gross pasts and mistakes and still calls us beautiful. I think we should all strive to be a little more like God. 

The video, 'Love the art, hate the artists' is a very interesting video, beause it reminded me that different people's actions constantly change my perception of that person. Just like people judge others based on their actions, many people judge the art upon the artists. People may like something that the artists has created, but when they hear that the artists did something that was distaseful, that might change the viewers perception of that art they just looked at.

In the Imagine book, it was talking about our presepctives as humans rather than Christians. Before we are Christians, we are fully human, which means that we come with sin and assumptions. Since the fall of man, our vision has been warped to think and even question a certain walk of life, which has often led to sin. Sin is of the flesh amd are our earthly feelings conflicting with our spiritual feelings because we are not of this earth. Because sin clouds are vision, we should not be quick to label things as Christian art without making sure first. For example, a cross does not automatically mean that it is Christian art. It depends on how the cross is being protrayed or sold that classifies it as either Christian art or non-Christian art.

I found this week’s reading material fascinating and thought-provoking. I especially enjoyed the assigned chapter in imagine. This chapter got me thinking about the power and purpose that art has, specifically for Christian artists. And what about Christian musicians in the arts? How is their music categorized as Christian or non-Christian? How should artists use their music and creative endeavors for godly purposes? As I considered the text and these questions, this quote stood out to me. “It is possible to create work saturated with gospel insights without spelling out the plan for salvation, just as it is possible to demonstrate the joys of a loving marriage without showing off your wedding photographs”(Turner, 2017). With this in mind, Christian artists don’t have to shout the name of Jesus in every song or embed a cross in every painting, instead, they can drench their work with the gospel by simply being honest and real about their faith in the normal things, struggles, and relationships of life. And as I read this, I also got to thinking, “this doesn’t just apply to handcrafted artwork, it can also apply to shopping at the grocery store, sending work emails, cooking dinner, playing sports, hanging with friends, or washing the car. With everything we do, we Christians are called to transcend the ways of this world, look a little weird, and make the world thirst for Jesus. 

This week as I completed the reading assignments, a few things stood out to me. I felt like the questions of “What lies am I telling myself that are becoming barriers to my creative self?” and “In what ways am I wasting time instead of using it to be creative?”

Often times, personally, the lies of “Emily, you aren’t creative. You can’t make art, because you aren’t talented in that way,” creep into my thoughts and infect my actions, or lack thereof. But this can change, and it begins when I decide to EXCHANGE THE LIES FOR THE TRUTH. Discard what is not true and what is only creating a barrier. Drop it! Instead, grab hold of the truth and stretch yourself. Allow your talents to grow in new ways. The little creative endeavor idea shoved in the back of your mind, pull it out! Try it out in a kind of fearless, unhindered way.

Another thing that stood out to me was the fact that I need to be watchful of where my time and energy are being poured into! So much of my time and energy is being wasted on things that don’t really matter! And that’s an issue! Time wasting and creative productivity can’t coexist! And along with working on creative endeavors, I also need to be spiritually effective and fruitful. The question that Emerge asks is “What do you live for?” What has the throne in my life? What  gobbles up the most time? Have I become a complacent consumer or lazy playaholic?

As I reflect on this week’s material, a few concepts and ideas stood out to me.  These include Corita Kent’s 10 rules, the idea that creatives need a village and mentor support system, and that simplicity and the ability to wisely manage time create a productive and progressive artist.

I loved Corita Kent’s rule #2 which states, “General duties of a student: Pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.” I love this mindset because it helps me, as a student, refocus on the goal of learning. Whether the learning comes from my professors or from my peers doesn’t matter, because what really counts is the fact that I am gaining new knowledge and acquiring beneficial skills. I want to soak in as much as I can! Learning for the sake of learning is a beautiful thing too. I think for me, my favorite thing is when the stress of deadlines and grades is stripped away and curiosity and fascination take the reins on my desire to learn. I think that is one of the underlying motivations behind Kent’s second rule.

I also loved the quote from the book Emerge which says, “If we are to achieve our goals with any level of success, then we need appropriate levels of praise and criticism”(Perini, p.89, 2014). This is a great reminder to surround myself with people who are able to both offer encouragement and provide critiques for improvement.

This week’s material got me thinking about the creative processes that must occur before a product emerges. The development and evolution of a creative work is one that demands a few things. In order to finish an endeavor of creativity, one must conspire an idea, develop skills, establish productive habits, get a little messy, and just get started. 

I loved the statement, which the speaker in the video titled The Habits of Effective Artists quoted. He says, “Habit is deceptively simple. Daily work.” I completely agree with this statement. You’re never going to complete a project if you don’t create habits that you practice every single day. 

However, before you invest in habit creating, you have to construct an idea. Often, you have to intentionally cultivate an idea. This can occur by many means, but one that really stands out to me is that of action. In the book Emerge, the author writes, “Action is the spark for generagting ideas”(Perini, p.62, 2014). Sometimes, if you want to forge an idea, you have to get the hammer out and start pounding away till something arises from the hunk of raw material. Once your idea begins taking shape, you can start practicing and developing useful and creative talents to help you on your creative endevor. Also, just a side note, this idea building, habit forming, and skill sharpening, might get a little blotchy, muddled, and tangled. This is OK. “Messy is the recipe for success”(Perini, p.106, 2014). 

In in the end, the real key to accomplishing a creative undertaking is to GET STARTED. Place the pen on the paper. Dig your hands in that glob of clay. Dip the brush in that bucket of paint. Snap that first photo. 

As I read the article titled, “Exploding the myth of the scientific vs artistic mind” by David Pearson, I was reminded of the fact that having an artistic and creative mindset, actually helps you thrive and excel in multiple areas of life, including academic endeavors. Additionally, this article helped me break down some of my own stereotypical ideas I have surrounding scientists and artists. The truth is, both areas of expertise engage the entire mind. You need both logical thinking and wild creativity in order to reach your full potential.

Overall, I think one of the main themes interwoven throughout this week’s material was the thought of rethinking our mindsets and deconstructing our existing stereotypes, because, honestly, artists and their practice is almost indefinable and varies exponentially from artist to artist. In the article, “The Myth of the Starving Artist and Other Misconceptions about Creativity” by  Jeff Goins sums it up well when he writes, “...there is no such thing as a “typical” artist”(Goins, 2017). Additionally, the voices of “artists shouldn’t care about marketing” and “making money making art is bad” seem to continually seep in and skew people’s minds and views. We have to guard against these ideas and educate ourselves.