
This will be the last post in this series on my philosophy of beauty.
I have really enjoyed having this conversation with you all. We have talked about what art is and what makes for good art. We talked about my own Christian aesthetic and some of what the Bible has to say about art and creativity. In every area we have really only scratched the surface of what it means to engage the arts thoughtfully.
All of life is a work of art.[1]
In essence everything we do can become an opportunity to echo back to God the glory He alone deserves. We are all storytellers, but what story are you telling? Does your story reflect the beauty of God’s unending love, the beauty every heart longs for, the beauty that is so fearsome and glorious that it brings us to our knees? It might be impossible in the ups and downs of this life to be prefect in this endeavor, but let’s journey with one another in this important work, this work that calls for the devotion of every part of who we are. Wrapped in the reality of the gospel our stories become His Story, our lives pointing back to Jesus as the Spirit uses us to bring the beauty of the Kingdom into the realities of the everyday. Life as a work of art[2] is a call to, by the power and guidance of the Spirit, keep the gospel always before us in whatever we may do so that out work, our relationships, even our failures, may become echoes of His beauty.
It’s been my goal in this series of posts to start a conversation about the meaning and purpose of art and how we can engage with it thoughtfully and create with imagination, provocation, and truth. I hope you have enjoyed walking along with me on this journey, but it has really only just begun! I have a desire to write great stories that capture people’s imaginations, that take my audience to another world full of danger and hope, but I also have a desire for my work to be a signpost to the gospel, to speak of God’s grace. However, to do this well I need your help! I agree with Collingwood that great art is a conversation; it’s collaborative work, a mutual journey into deeper meaning.
So, let’s join one another in a journey deeper into the rhythms of God’s grace.
Be sure to comment or message me your thoughts about Christianity and creativity and if you haven’t yet, be sure to download my free e-book, Echoes of Beauty: A Study In Christian Aesthetics.
I like this series on creativity.
I was struck by the end of this sentence, "Life as a work of art[2] is a call to, by the power and guidance of the Spirit, keep the gospel always before us in whatever we may do so that out work, our relationships, even our failures, may become echoes of His beauty." For me creativity has to do with exploration and growth. Being able to face failure with grace and learning can with time transform the failure into something positive.