An Artist? No. Not me.
God has truly made us. He made us. We are His art, the product of His craftsmanship. This simple truth should dispel all lies of shame and disparaging victim mentality. When Genesis 1:27 really starts to settle in, that God breathed the God-breath into us and made us in His likeness in order to replicate HIS LIKENESS on the earth, we find ourselves in a posture of incredible gratitude. The sense of wonder overtakes as we discover our divine purpose to extend Eden and cultivate the ways of God in the world around us!
If Eugene Peterson is right, human beings are like kingfishers. We are at our best when we catch the sun. We are bells at our best when we are rung; like strings on a guitar, at our best when we are plucked. Much of life is about pointing ourselves to that place.¹ But it is God who works in us to bring about that alignment. It is God to brings about the song if we will simply let Him tune us and “play” us and work through us to bring about beauty in the world. Food helps us survive. Music helps us want to. The arts, the creative work of God brings meaning and joy to life.
The temptation however is to subtly move the motive for our creative work from glorification of God to glorification of self. This is the artists dilemma. It’s always been and will always be until Christ’ return. We must keep our heart’s desire in check especially when our creative work is praised. We must simply remember that it is JESUS, the Designer at work within us. We trust that He is doing that work. We trust that is why people are feeling the joy of our work and the impact it has made - not because we are special but because He is special. Not because of our work but rather because of His breath.
Whenever we do feel tempted to bring attention to ourselves, we must point it back to Jesus. Although when complimented, it can appear as false humility to say “Oh it’s all God” The truth is it isn’t. It’s God and you in tandem. It’s God’s Spirit working through your work - your hands, your mind, your effort. So next time someone gives you a compliment, simply say “thanks” and smile. Let it bless your heart but also bring a smile to God’s face, knowing you were faithful to do what He asked you to try, create what He inspired you to create or produce what He nudged you to produce.
Marketing
Some find this word disgusting. It’s not. Nor is the word money. Money is a tool. Marketing is telling a story - consider it the tool like that of a mouth communicating what’s in the mind of the one speaking. The tongue simply serves to communicate what the mind is thinking and heart is feeling. Marketing is a plan put in place to tell a story, the story of your brand or content or art or song or sonnet or sermon or book or boat you’ve built or … you get the idea.
Some in the church have vilified the very idea of marketing.
So is there a tension? Yes. And it’s one we should address and do so with a bit of measured humility. The question in the tension is this…
When a Christian creates something they feel is worth value and would point people to the beauty of Jesus, should he or she point people to that art/product/business?
Yes!
In one’s effort for minimalism and consecration, they can ironically place judgment on the one called to create and color outside the lines. But the Spirit of God has been given to humans for that very reason - the color and expression of His beauty - to bring Heaven to earth - to bring the sounds, colors and creativity of heaven to earth. I’m a fan of the Christian who has been asked by God to cut back, minimize, reduce spending, sell their home, give their money away and delete Spotify. I get it.
I’m also not a fan of that same person being critical to the woman starting her business, fulfilling the dream God gave her as a child and extending Eden in her little town. Each person is called to steward what was given to them and good stewards multiply what was given to them. We’re called to ask God in prayer “What is on Your heart for my life? What do you see me doing to build Your Kingdom and extend Eden in my town?” Then we’re tasked to “Think” through what we are responsible for as an expression of our faith. Faith is always active, never passive. Then we are to continue to imagine what it would be like for God’s Kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We’re to express the goodness of God to others using the gifts He’s given. We are to multiply His image on the earth. Sometimes that praying for a sick person. Sometimes that starting a business then treating customers like potential disciples and Jesus-followers.
You are a city on a hill!
You are a lamp on a lamp stand! Who lights a candle then puts a basket over it?
You are salt (in a world that is dry and dull and bland)
- Jesus
So then is it right to market (post to social media, place an ad” to the world to point people to a service or product that we Christians have made?
Answer: It’s not for you to say. It’s for God alone to judge.
God alone knows our hearts.
God alone knows if we are marketing our product or service (our art) for the express purpose of being rich (sales) or if we are doing so in an effort to steward what we’ve been given and multiply it. Good stewards do one thing: they multiply what they’ve been given.
Artists create art and too few Christians are creating and cultivating because they’ve been numbed by the Intruder. It’s as if their imagination has been zapped and depleted by the cares of this world.
Let’s connect the dots. How can a song be multiplied unless it is shared to streaming platforms or talked about on social media? How does it extend Eden if it’s sitting alone as an audio file on a hard drive? It can’t. It serves no purpose and brings about no good. In Jordan Petersons’ words, The goal of every person every day should be to simply do the most good.
For some, doing the most good is to share their song. For others, doing the most good is to market their ability to build, therefore attracting more clients, building more homes, praying with more homeowners on the job site, etc. For some, doing the most good and extending Eden looks like not only starting a hair salon but then spending money to market it by setting up a table at a local “bizarre” or “fair” or placing creative story-telling videos on Instagram attracting more clients. Those clients coming to that Christian’s salon to receive a hair cut and style is not just capitalism but also can be an expression of Kingdom-come, extending Eden. What if the hairstylist get the story of the customer? What if they earn their trust? What if after earning their trust in a genuine expression of love, they offer to pray with the customer and invite them over for a meal and conversation about God? Now we’re extending Eden! Now we’ve moved beyond Sunday 9 to 11 Christianity. Now we are stewarding the people and gifts King Jesus gave us! Now we are art, creating art, creating culture - Kingdom culture - cultures and towns that people want to live in, not run from.
I’m concerned over the number of keyboard warriors who know how to speculate how the punch should have been thrown but never enter the ring. They know how the flower should look and will tell you who’s wrong without every planting a garden. They’ll mock every Christian author without ever writing a book and criticize every musician without ever picking up an instrument. For the Sandbalots and Tobia’s of our society, the only ideas that are ever good or godly are their own. Christians must learn to ignore the critics and keep creating! Are you an artist? Maybe. Maybe you were but then you grew up on got a mortgage. What if this summer you tried something new, painted a picture, started that business, wrote that song, built that man-house, designed that car, what if you did the thing that makes you feel alive?
“Everyone is born an artist. The struggle is staying one.” - Picasso
This is an excerpt form a book I’m writing called Ask Think Imagine, Follow my author page on Amazon to stay in the loop as to when it releases. I hope it blesses you!