Continuing thoughts on creativity…

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Kath

Creative Commons Creativity Poster

Somewhere along the line I’ve embraced the notion that a thing/talent/idea is only worth something if lots of people see it or appreciate it. I seem not to be content with affecting my immediate circle of friends and family and yet it is these people I laugh with, cry with, eat with and more. I wonder where this has come from?

Is it a result of the craving for fame? Our celebrity culture? A 6 year old child declared to me that he was famous the other day, I asked – what for? Famous for what? – his response was – for being famous. The weird loop our culture has got into has affected my thinking as well. Is this what paralyses me? Is this what stops me writing, composing poetry or  drawing? If only my immediate circle read or are encouraged by these things surely that is value enough?

When did I buy into the idea that big equals success, that the amount of consumers of the creativity I produce mark it’s value? Even the language of that last sentence makes me shudder. Consumers of creativity? Is that really where we have got to?

I stop creating when I focus on the size of the audience. I become paralysed by thoughts of quality and how many people will think it’s amazing. I’m not an amazing talent, I may not write a best seller. But I am a creative creature and I can express some of my maker through that to the people around me.

That’s a thought that sets me free to enrich the lives of those around me rather than worry/demand/obsess over whether I’m being heard on a wider level. Creative expressions of life don’t have to be dramatic in scale, just full of impact in the lives of the people we see, eat, laugh with and enjoy each day.

 

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On creativity.

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Kath

It was the last section I looked at in the bookshop, having been told to shhhhh my overly loud cynical comments about the vast throes of Joyce Meyer books on offer I mooched around and tried not to get too annoyed at the vast amount of Christian Tat within my gaze. Not even the epic amount of Eugene Peterson books could brighten my mood. The title caught my eye, “The Hidden Art of Homemaking”, I picked it up with amusement expecting to find more Americanised cultural baggage of how I should don make-up and not wear ‘sweats’ (whatever they are, they seem to be the most cardinal sin that American wives can commit.) when my husband returns home from work. (yes I was in a very cynical mood that day…).

Instead I found a nicely subversive book on creativity by Edith Schaeffer. A book that started to dissipate my cynicism as I opened it’s pages. It’s all about creativity in the everyday, about reflecting the Creator in all we are, reflecting who he’s made us to be in the space we live in, in art, music, writing and more. It’s about how those of us who know this Maker should have the most unique and creative lives and expressions of that creativity in our lives. (which could nicely bring me back to the blandness of much of the Christian subculture which seems to be about taking music and remaking it in monotone, or exalting something because it says the word Jesus rather than for expressing something deep of the experience of being human in this world… but that might be for another day…)

I’m loving the book because it’s also about how anyone can do this kind of stuff. It’s talking about being creative to enrich the lives of those around us, rather than aiming to be a famous artist or even thinking about creativity in terms of having a skill and making it into the job you do. I find it so crazily freeing to ponder how to be creative in the small details of life, from fresh flowers in the kitchen, to growing tomatoes on the balcony, to decorating our blackboard with pictures, to writing an email or letter, to blogging, to taking pictures of cool stuff. All this stuff doesn’t have to be made into a profession, just in and of itself it reflects and dances with our Maker.

to quote: From the chapter on ‘Hidden Art’ (the stuff that is found in the everyday life rather than a career or profession)

“A Christian, above all people, should live artistically, aesthetically, and creatively.  We are supposed to be representing the Creator who is there….. There should be a practical result of the realisation that we have been created in the image of the Creator of beauty. Whether you are married and have a family, whether you share a house or a flat with one or a number of people, whether you are a man or a woman: the fact that you are a Christian should show in some practical area of a growing creativity and sensitivity to beauty, rather than in a gradual drying up of creativity and a blindness to ugliness.”

“We are all in danger of thinking, “Some day I shall be fulfilled. Some day I shall have the courage to start another life with will develop my talent”, without ever considering the very practical use of that talent today in a way which will enrich other people’s lives, develop the talent and express the fact of being a creative creature.”

We so often fear that we lack talent, believing the lies we are told that creativity is only for certain ‘types’ of people. I love that my Mum rejected the declaration she’d made in her life that she wasn’t artistic because she couldn’t draw. I love that she took the step of getting paints and pastels and going for it, I love that she went to a mosaic making class and ploughed through the despair of ‘not being creative’. I love that she expressed her emotions in a creative way.

Our Maker’s stamp is there in all of us. We just need courage to take note of the details and enjoy the wonder of making and appreciating beauty in our lives, be it the cool drink on a hot day, the pretty painting on the wall, the joy of a spherical shape, a film where the character really expresses what’s on your mind, playing music with friends, the artistry of a good meal, the taste of chocolate with tea or the way the sunlight plays with shadows in a pool of water.

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Psalm 112

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Kath

What does it mean to live a good life? Read Psalm 112 here.

This is another one of those tricky to negotiate Psalms, the righteous vs the wicked, the kind of polarization that leaves us squirming a bit in our seat going: ‘umm, isn’t it about grace? If we are a little bit righteous does that mean we’ll get some health and wealth going on? No wait, that sounds wrong, but that’s what it says…’ until we burst into little theological balls of smoke.

Ahem. Important questions to ask, and I’m not going to pretend I know the answer to them. I think it’s something to do with the righteous way of life being the best way. I think it points to the only truly righteous man, Jesus. I think it’s something to do with God’s ways being the best way to live, I think it’s something to do with the eternal life in the kingdom of God that awaits us, I think it’s something to do with God stepping into our lives and us living in fear of him.

I don’t know what to do with the stuff here that makes it look like if we are only righteous and life will work out fine, there is too much else in the Bible that persuades me that sometimes it just doesn’t work like that. Psalm 73 seems a good place to go to see how the wicked seem to prosper. But I’m not sure we can just plump for the this is about eternity/Christ option.

There is big lovely truth to be gleaned from this Psalm.  Read it through again. This Psalm tells us what a good life really is- it’s life as it’s meant to be lived, a life that starts with fearing God, delighting in his commands. Life with God should lead us to this kind of life. It might be worth looking at what that life looks like. It’s a life of compassion, graciousness, generosity, a life of righteousness and justice. Are these the things that we are longing for in our lives? Do we seek these things?  What do we think a good life looks like? Is it about the externals or the internals of our heart and attitude? What legacy do we want to leave?

This Psalm offers a life where the internals affect the externals. Where our treasure is will affect how we live this life, the things we value will affect the choices we make and the places we go to.  Here is a life that values the right things, that looks for the way of generosity, compassion and trust in the Lord. There is a confidence in this way of life, a steadfastness, no fear of bad news, trusting in the Lord.

Tim, who I wrote about here, was a member of our church, when this Psalm was preached in church at the end of last year he’d just received the grim news that he had pancreatic cancer and had months to live. If ever I saw someone who came close to these words it was Tim. I’m sure he had his terrified moments in the following months, but through his illness he exhibited the kind of peace that stems from trusting God and knowing his destiny was secure. He exhibited the qualities of a righteous man.

The weird thing about all this is that we read this Psalm and almost write it off as unattainable or fanciful that we could live in such ways. However, we follow a man who did walk such ways here on earth, and we walk in his footsteps. I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to suddenly become like this overnight but I am sure that these are the kind of characteristics I want to ooze out of me as I live this life. I want to live this kind of good life.

I know I can’t do it on my own but I know that I have one who is at work in me transforming me from clinging to my way of living, to my sense of control to someone who fears the Lord, who trusts in him and has no fear of bad news. He is working in me to give me a steadfast heart and I’m starting to want that more than I want the perfect job that fits my skills and experience, more than my dream of a family life, more than 2 holidays in exciting locations a year, more than being surrounded by friends who love me and think I’m erudite and interesting. There is more to the good life than these externals and I want to explore that land.

What does it mean to delight in God’s commands?

What things do I want in my life? Am I willing to exchange them for a life lived like this?

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Starfish

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Kath

I’m sure that you will have heard the story of the man on the beach which was covered in starfish, he starts throwing them back into the sea and an observer of this strange phenomena asks him why he’s doing it, surely it will make no difference? The man replies, it will to that one…

The rather crude point being that we can’t change the world but maybe we can change one persons life. It’s a story I’ve heard wheeled out everytime I’ve expressed being overwhelmed by the issues and problems in the world.

I was on a beach in Norfolk last week. There were lots of starfish out on the shore. I was reminded of the story just told, now was my chance to prove myself, I could save a starfish, next stop I can make a difference in the world… But… I did nothing. I didn’t fling a starfish back in the sea delighted to have saved just one of them. I thought about it, I reasoned that my throwing arm was not great, I wasn’t sure if they were dead anyway and if throwing it back would help. I moved on down the coast ignoring the starfish. What does this mean? What does this say about me? I can’t even save a starfish let alone a person in this world. I genuinely felt some guilt about ignoring a possibly dead starfish. Blimey.

On a more sane day I reflected that maybe Jesus calls us to love the people in front of us and didn’t start with starfish as a practise exercise, he probably doesn’t have a grading of things you’ve helped so you can reach the next stage. Imagine if he did. Right, you’ve saved a beatle from being squashed, lets see if you can help a cat out of a tree, great, next up see if you can save that horse from the river. Brilliant, now go and help that old lady across the road, and now you are ready to go to Africa to help in an Aids clinic.

I’m pretty thankful that I didn’t just fail the first test in my saving the world exam. I’m also sure that I now have to get on and obey what Jesus did tell me to do. Love my neighbour, not my starfish.

 

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Psalm 111

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Kath

Read Psalm 111 here.

I find it very easy for my mind to slip through this Psalm without it stopping at any connecting points. As I skim down the passage my brain takes in the big concepts with almost too much ease. It is too simple to let the incredible statements pass me by, familiarity breading a sense of knowing it all and therefore not being surprised or encouraged or rebuked or more by what is going on in the Psalm. I think there is also another, deeper, reason for this Psalm skimming over the surface of my head. A darker reason lurks. I think it’s because this Psalm isn’t really about me.

I don’t know what you are like when someone else gets praised in your life. I imagine you are ok with that, that you think, ‘ah yes, that person was very deserving of praise, I’ll join in the thankful fest’, I imagine you are a better person than I. Just in case you are swimming along down here in the murk with me, I have a confession to make. I’m really not that cool with other people being praised most of the time. I want the glory, I want the limelight. I want to be noticed, I want to be adored. I want people to notice me. Not all the time, thankfully sometimes I have known the all too fleeting joy of celebrating in others success. But lets face it, on the everyday level I’m pretty much a glory hogger. If someone is going to praise someone I’d like it to be me. If someone starts a prayer saying thank you for…. I’d even like the end of that sentence to be me, I get a bit disappointed when the answer is someone else or something that God has done. Urgh. That’s how deep and icky my pride can get.

That’s why it’s hard to break the surface of this Psalm and get on the praise bandwagon. This Psalm is about God, the one whose works are great, who is described with big words like majestic and glorious, words that conjure up images of vast cathedrals, awesome natural sights, Grand Canyon upon Grand Canyon of wonder. This Psalm is firstly about the one who set this world going and who remains working in it today. It’s all about Him. The rather strange thing is that we are involved in this Psalm, this God isn’t an abstract wonder, His wonder has a focus. He’s a deeply personal God. He’s a God of compassion, a God of provision, a God of grace, a God who helps us remember who he is, a God who buys his people back from slavery, a God who doesn’t forget us and who wants to help us walk with him through this life.

I sometimes wonder if I shoot myself in the foot, if I’m so concerned about living for my glory that I forget to bask in the wonder of the One who is really glorious. If I miss the wonder of the One who knows that my best is found in Him because I want to claim I’ve made some of it happen. I’d love to be able to charm myself into the kingdom, be clever enough to earn such love and grace, be pretty enough to make someone fall in love with me. The truth is I can’t, and the brilliantly freeing thing is that I can’t. I am a recipient of mercy and grace, I can stand tall today and everyday because of that, because the One who has done great works knows about my pride, my desire to make everything about me and he gently comes and raises my head to see something so much bigger and better, I am caught up in His eternal purposes. I can know wisdom as I once more stand in awe of the King of kings, as I fear Him. I might not be able to claim any of the credit but I can take my place as the daughter of the King. It’s a bit like my Dad and his tunnel, a great work, a work that I can take no credit for, done by someone else, I have no part in it, and yet I do, because I am his daughter, I know the one responsible, and I am known by him. I can delight in others seeing what a great work has been done. I can be free from any worry over why I’m not being praised in the light of something so much better.

To ponder:

How do you react when others are praised?
What aspects of Gods character bowl you over in this Psalm?
How does it feel that you are a son/daughter of the King of kings and always have a place at his table?

END NOTE: As I was reading through this again I realised I love these kind of posts because there are 2 people working on them, I love that Jason’s drawings are awesome and give depth to the text and I love that when people comment about these Psalm posts in appreciation that it’s shared, it’s not an ego trip but a combined effort to bring to life the Psalms. I love it when people comment on how much they love his drawings and I can join in on that… Oh for more of that kind of appreciation of each others gifts and talents going on in our lives. As The Message puts Romans 12:

“So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.”

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