I have books, websites and podcasts I return to often. My aim here is to share what I am finding helpful each season.
As this is my first in this new rhythm, I have a few gems to share.
The writings of Makoto Fujimura have been very inspiring for me. I have read several of his books and have another waiting to be delved into. My latest read of his was Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life. https://makotofujimura.com/about
Some quotes I resonate with :
“as his (Christ) follower, I needed to acknowledge Christ’s claims, to hold them up in this public sphere as something we can test. I wanted to reclaim beauty and to frame it for our time as a gift given to use by the creator. I wanted to help recover a view of beauty as a gift we discover, receive and steward.” pg26
“Beauty is notoriously hard to pin down, and it is often spoken of together with other ultimate concerns, particularly the true and the good. Dallas Willard has even defined beauty as ‘goodness made manifest to the senses’. How deeply intertwined these three core qualities are is debated but experience shows that alack of either truth or goodness (whether in quality of workmanship or in the moral sense) detracts from the beauty of a given artifact. Similarly, a lack of attention to beauty in presenting a truth hampers its appeal and adoption."“ pg 48
“Art is ultimately not ‘useful’. it serves no practical function. this is why it is indispensable, especially in the modern age. Dana Gioa has rightly said that we ‘do not provide arts education to create artists, though that it is a byproduct. The real purpose of arts education is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society’ …. Arts are not a luxury but a path to educate the whole individual toward thriving.“ pg 81
“I see God as the ultimate Artist and us, still bearing God’s image even in our fall, as artist writ small. The Bible is a book written by the creator God, spoken through God’s creative if sometimes broken people. It is designed to recalibrate our worldview and reconnect us with God. Only then can God’s power work through us as we fill-creatively and lovingly- roles that contribute to God’s work toward new creation, which is a part of the purpose for which we were made and by which we thrive.” pg95
When I discovered this book it became a focus in my classroom, and it continues to be one that I recommend and discuss with regularity. Why Art Matters: A Call for Christians to Create has been written in 10 readable, relatable chapters and I connect with so much of it. https://www.alastairjohngordon.com/
I am currently working through each chapter with a small group of artist friends, to think redemptiveley about how our Christian faith connects with our artmaking.
Gordon’s premise is that creativity is a fundamental aspect of being made in God's image, designed to reveal His beauty and punch holes in the darkness of the world's grief.
I listen to the podcast “Be Make Do” from Soulmakers in my studio, or when driving. https://www.soulmakers.org/bemakedo It is casual, encouraging listening that I have found gives me real food for thought in the area of how to work and grow as an artist. I often listen when I am alone creating in the studio.
Become who you were created to be. Make what you were created to make. Do what you were created to do.
