“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” ~1 Corinthians 2:9

Today’s quote comes from Creative Resources for the Christian Artist, from a page entitled Art for Healing. Whatever creative medium you enjoy - painting, sculpting, visual journaling, collage-making, quilting, beading, etc - I’m sure you’ll be encouraged.

“When I sit down to paint or sculpt, and I have something that I am grappling with, here is how I use art for healing. I find the verse in Scripture that I must hold fast to. When I have meditated on it and prayerfully talked to my Father about the situation, I settle down to play with my art supplies.

Most often by then I have already found my peace, but sometimes there is a part of me that stubbornly remains restless. A part of me that is plagued by doubts. The various ‘What if..?’ scenarios would play out in my mind, if I allowed them to. But I force myself to refrain. Instead, I apply myself to the creative process. My work then becomes a conversation with God.

To my surprise, in my anxious conversations with God, He brings healing through the process of creating art.”

Creativity
Art for Healing
Christian Poetry & Art
Relief Sculpture of Passion

“The artist is not a special kind of person. Every person is a special kind of artist.” ~ Eric Gill

Happy June, all you creative people! Here you’ll find some interesting resources for your perusal. Hope something inspires you to continue down the creative path. The article The Healing Power of Art especially moved me. The photo comes to you from Ann Hamilton’s art studio in Alabama, where she frequently hosts art retreats for the soul. I would love to go there, wouldn’t you?

First stop: The New Renaissance Rising: “The resources, materials and ideas on this site are designed to Equip, Connect and Inspire artists and churches of all denominations for their place in God’s renewal of the arts, and the art’s role in God’s transformation and redemption of the world.”

Other Resources:
Global arts initiative: StoneWorks
CIVA: Christians in the Visual Arts
ACT: Artists in Christian Testimony
Art Retreat: Art for the Soul Retreat
Arts & Media: Art Within
Books on art & imagination: Christian Imagination

Art sites/blogs:
Visual arts community:
Ascribing Artists
Experiencing God through the arts:
Vertical Creativity

Articles:
1. The Healing Power of Art
2. Stirring up Gifts: Christian artists seek place in church ministry
3. Faith Shared on Broadway

“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing… to find the place where all the beauty came from” ~ C.S. Lewis

“To learn to work with the Holy Spirit in your creativity, first pursue a relationship with Him.” ~ J. Scott McElroy, author, Finding Divine Inspiration

“Creativity involves a leap of faith and confidence – faith in the creative process: ultimately art is a journey not directed by product but by the passage of thought, vision, intensive observation, time, and commitment.” ~ Albert Pinkham Ryder, American Painter (1847–1917)

To encourage you today, here’s an interview with J. Scott McElroy, author of the book, Finding Divine Inspiration. I want this book! Have you read it yet?

About the book, Finding Divine Inspiration :
“For any Christian in the arts or even remotely interested in the arts, this is a must-read book. The author balances excellent biblical principles with practical applications from his own experience and the experience of others. The church desperately needs to recapture the creativity of true art as a reflection of God’s creativity, and this book will help it do that.” ~ Dr. Timothy Warner

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.” ~ Georgia O’ Keeffe

Combine journaling, collage art, and painting. . . with faith. . . and what do you get? A happy girl! With spring at my heels, I’m sensing a renewing of my passion for all things creative. Some of you know I struggle with seasonal depression. This past winter was the bleakest I’ve ever experienced. But all this glorious sunshine today is not going to waste! Thank you, Lord, for new seasons, new beginnings!

During the darkest of months, I daydreamed about art. I’d look at magazines, pictures, and the mess in my little studio, wondering if I’d ever do anything creative again. Sure, I was writing - just barely. I decided to store up supplies, on faith, that a new season of creativity was on its way. Yes, and God blessed me with a husband who supports my endeavors. He supplied me with journal books, acrylics, canvas, colored pencils, pens, pastels, and a whole lot of mixed media paper. No excuses now, huh? Guess I’ll send cake decorating on a vacation while I continue to write and dabble in jewelry design. But I most definitely need to make time for art.

If you’re artistic and interested in a group that offers encouragement to Christian artists (beginner to pro) from all backgrounds, join me at Create By Faith. Mixed media artist and teacher, Paulette Insall, hosts this Ning group, which I stumbled upon after finding her blog here. Check it out. It’s fun to be surrounded by so many of God’s creative children.

My art is about the search for connection…to self, to like minded spirits, to family, and to God. The reason that most of my work depicts a sole woman is because these are the stories of my own personal search and the emotions they invoke within my soul. My hope is that the visual stories I create with my art, touch people from all walks of life and let them know that they are not alone…and find comfort in that knowing. ~ Paulette Insall

So! Back to doodling. May the chronicles of my spiritual journey bless your heart, and His. Let me know what creative sparks go off in that head of yours this weekend! God bless you, friends.

“The kind of art that glorifies God is good, true, and, finally, beautiful.” ~ Philip Graham Ryken

Resources:
Create By Faith
Paulette Insall, Artist
Paulett’s Gallery

“But one thing true artists should never do is to abandon their calling.” ~ Philip Graham Ryken

With spring on its way, I hope to take us in a fresh direction - a little housekeeping here, a few changes there, maybe some surprises! While my primary focus is to spur us on to good writing, I’ve met many folks whose creative callings include music and various other art expressions. I’ve also discovered a few latent talents myself, and need to bring those to light. As a writer prone to paint with words, I realize that, whether our creative endeavors become our vocation or avocation, a little encouragement goes a long way.

This week I found such encouragement in a little book called Art for God’s Sake, by Philip Graham Ryken. Have you read it yet? Let me whet your appetite:

“Anyone who is called to be an artist should be an artist! God’s gifts are never to be hidden; his calling is never to be denied. And like everything else that we do, our art is to be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). The life of an artist - like the life of any other Christian - is a life of daily dependence on the grace of God, with constant prayer for his blessing.”

Never think your creative pursuits are a waste of time. If God planted His artistic seed in you, let it grow; nurture it. Let’s encourage one another. “The church can help in this pursuit by serving as a community of encouragement that affirms the calling of artists and nurtures the artistic aspect of every human soul,” Ryken says.

So stay tuned! I might even surprise you!

Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts

What new thing is God calling you to do this year that requires creativity? What about this week?

I think about this a lot lately. Your family and certain friends may not understand, but I understand. More importantly, God understands. And no wonder:

“The Spirit moves in us, giving us the mind of Christ that feeds our creative life. This abundance is scary; it is deeper than we can imagine. What would we do if we were epxeriencing God continually, available in every minute to use our abilities fully for him? It is too much for our little selves to handle. So don’t handle it. Do the thing God has put in front of you. Start there and be fully available to the new thing he will acomplish as you do it.” ~

The Creative Life: A Workbook for Unearthing the Christian Imagination