Recently I found myself awake at 1am frantically writing down and idea I had while trying to sleep. While I have this happen on occasion, it is rare that I feel that it is God waking me up with something. However, this time I think it just might have been. While I have been struggling to rework my job description to include a more rounded use of my strengths and to use my strengths for ministry to be more effective at my job, this idea might just help with that. Until recently I would never have called myself an artist, in fact most of my life I have been either classed as a “geek” or a “jock” as I played a lot of sports in high school and college (still play ultimate, it rules, anyways), as well I have always been a computer junkie. However, I am finding more and more that graphic design is art. Yes, I know it seems like a no brainer, but for me an artist is someone who goes to school and majors in art and minors in italian (sorry Crystal) and does lots of painting and talks abit difference than the rest of us. But everyone is really abit of an artist. Think about Kindergarten and Grade 1, everyone in the class loved to draw, sculpt, paint, and create. We are born with this innate desire to create. So what happens to us when we get older? Art becomes uncool, geeky, and boring. This is a shame. I only wish that I had learnt more about art as I feel very uneducated as a graphic designer and artist.
Then I begin to think about ministry, the church, and art. In our western evangelical churches we have removed much of the art. Much of this due to the reformation and the iconoclastic controversy, but I won’t get into that here. While we have art in the church it is mostly limited to music. Remember that I am being very general in that statement, there are plenty of churches that use the arts to a more fuller degree. The point is this: many new young musicians who grow up in the church can use this gift for service and worship in the church, but many new young artist will struggle to find a way to use their gifts for service and worship. If they do they have to be very creative and often stick their necks out. Take for instance a venture started by a youth I know. He decided to make t-shirts to benefit Corwin’s adoption process and is giving all the profits away, through his online store called Provadenic. It is truly amazing that this student is doing this, however, if he didn’t have it in his means financially to be able to do this where would he have taken his idea and his art too? And it is for exactly this reason that I came up with the idea below….
It is still very much a work in progress and much of the heart of the community will most likely change as it grows, but take alook at the raw data I wrote down late one night and tell me what you think, tell me if you are interested, tell me young people that I should talk to, you name I am looking for feedback and connections from local Artists.
Artist Community
To come up with a real name. Ideas Anyone?
Vision:
To see local artists, designers (film, fashion, graphic, etc) spur one anothers
passions through a sharing of ideas, with open dialogue and meaningful spiritual
discussion.
Goals:
1.To reach out to other artists by providing a safe place to gather, share ideas, and
discuss relevant issues
2.To see more Christians use their gifts in this area for service and worship
3.To encourage and inspire on another
4.To give people a place to dialogue about spiritual issues without being a “Church”
Practical Ideas
>Forums to discuss ideas or concepts artists are working on
>Profile Nights – to share work and to share spiritual conversations
>Groups – the use of small groups in homes within the larger network
>Shows
>Teaching – both spiritual teachings as well as practical teaching. ie. FCP Training,
Painting Classes, etc
>Use these gifts/passions to raise funds for local and global initiatives/social actions as
our service.
