Cabin fever has officially set in. I am ready to get out of town. Where do you go when this happens to you? What do you do if budget, time and distance are slightly limiting? When I lived in California, my favorite thing to do was drive to Carmel and walk into all the great shops there. I would enjoy art, delicious food and then walk down to sit on the pristine white sand. The view of the water and sunshine on my face are a bit distant in memory now that I am in cold and snowy Colorado. It is about time for a family camping trip me thinks! Any suggestions?
 
 

Last year just about broke me. A dream I had for over ten years ended in heartbreaking disappointment. Also, a retinal disease I've had since childhood was stealing my peripheral and night perception. I was literally developing tunnel vision and not able to see the big picture around me. The loss was expected. The choice to stop driving added a sense of despair to the grief. With all the fabricated maturity I could muster, I prepared to attend a training program for the blind. The icing on this bitter cake? The only bus route nearby had to cut most of its trips. I had to walk or carpool anywhere I wanted to go and my son did as well. My Provider was generous, but my spirit felt numb.
 
Solitude, depression and confused prayer followed. Then the Light pierced my darkness and called me out of that disillusionment into victory. I needed a mountain moved, so my will yielded, and my prayers got much bigger. I implored that if He wanted me to serve Him legally blind, I would. If I was to travel, speak and be active in the community, He alone could move my Everest. Through a steady diet of Scripture, His comfort, and a healthier lifestyle, my vision and heart condition improved. To drive again is to spread my wings anew, to desire to encourage others is my new mission. You see, my perception was wrong due to my perspective. Oh, the power of perspective over perception! It is a vision of a different kind entirely.
 
 

I'm chasing my artistic self around the ole calendar again. First, I set aside Sundays to paint, pray and get refreshed. My art time was displaced by much needed sleep or the motivation eluded me.  Now it can't find a place to land. So I joined a local artist guild in hopes that this will help me nail down that slippery thing called discipline. Perhaps it will have to be a two-four day a month Renaissance Recluse Retreat at home. That is what our crock pot and freezer are for, me thinks. My spirit longs for visual expression. I crave color, texture and the sound of the brush on canvas, the familiar pungent scent of my acrylics. My new water-based oils stand by for experimentation. There are some things words can't express. Please get me there, Lord! Put the world on hold and let me pray with paint.

Life has become a bit more complicated lately, and it has become necessary to streamline my blogging here. I see some of you are stopping by to read the posts, but since no one is commenting, it is hard to gauge the benefit. My intent is to take a break on the book discussion for a month and let some of you give feedback as to whether you would like it to continue. Please write your name after your post, otherwise you will be "anonymous". Thanks.

Sometimes, it only takes one divine appointment, one perfect conversation or even one aptly spoken word to show us which path to take. The Master Conductor picks up His baton and allows the first notes of a perfectly orchestrated moment to burst forth in a crescendo of confirmation. Indeed, when such a rare and precious thing happens, the heart is liable to want to give Him a standing ovation of adoration and praise.
Turn it up.
 
 

The following quotes are so meaty that I will divide this chapter up into a few posts to allow for comments on each group. Pick your favorite to discuss or just mull it over..

 
“...even when we one denies God, to serve music, or painting, or words is a religious activity, whether or not the conscious mind is willing to accept that fact...all true art is incarnational, and therfore 'religious'”. (p. 25)
 
“...a God who allows no pain, no grief, also allows no choice.” (p.25)
 
“We human beings have been given the terrible gift of free will, and this ability to make choices, to help write our own story, even when we make the wrong choices, abusing our freedom and the freedom of others.” (p.26)
 
“...to serve any discipline of art...is to affirm meaning, despite all the ambiuguities and tragedies and misunderstanding which surround us.” (p.27)
 

“It is impossible for an artist to attempt a graphic reproduction of Jesus in any way that is meant to be literal.” (p.28)
 
About the widow who gave the mite: “Her poverty was rich because all she had belonged to the living Lord.” (p.31)
 
 
 

Chapter One: Cosmos from Chaos
 
"It is a frightening thing to open oneself to the strange and dark side of the divine; it means letting go our sane self-control, that control which gives us the illusion of safety. But safety is only an illusion, and letting go is part of listening to the silence, and to the Spirit." (p.15)
 
This is the first quote from L'Engle's book, Walking on Water that begs me to stop and let my eyes perceive each word to savor each one more thoroughly. This book is one of the classic, revered tomes on faith and creativity that, along with other such works as Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer, has been quoted from and referred to by hundreds if not thousands of Christians in the arts. Many of them view it as not simply a handbook and source of inspiration, but a invigorating validation and encouragement of their potential as well as their craft. It is truly a joy to now be able to share reviews on each delicious chapter and hopefully read some of your comments on each.
 
She writes that her thoughts about art and her thoughts about the Creator are inseparable. (p.16) The depth and complexity of the thought left me momentarily perplexed. It will take me a few days to let it rattle around inside my cranium and settle, much like a ball in a pinball game or roulette wheel. Do you feel the same way? Why or why not? How about her comment on Leonard Bernstein's thoughts when she writes, “And it is true not only of music; all art is cosmos, cosmos found within chaos.” (p.16) She goes on to write that some modern art forms are a result of the artist only reproducing chaos instead of discovering cosmos. Do you agree or disagree with this thought? Feel free to comment about her subsequent feeling: “As far as I can see, the reproduction of chaos is neither art, nor is it Christian.” (p.16)
 
What do you think about the artist being what she terms, “a birth giver” in that it is an act of obedience to serve the work and bring it to life just as Mary was willing to carry out the will of God as the mother of Jesus? (p.18) While in some ways, the two are inconceivably different, there is a weighty reality to the responsibility our calling as artists places on us. How does this make you feel about your art?
 
Along with “enfleshing” the work, L'Engle stresses that the job of the artist is to serve the work. (p.23) I love that she writes that she has never been able to serve a work as it ought to be served, as if there is a higher, almost unattainable standard to it. (p.23) “When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist...When the work takes over, then the artist listens.” She does add that this takes work. “Until I have worked through self, I will not be enabled to get out of the way.” (p.24) My own experience testifies to this truth, though many a time, I walk to the altar with the offering of my own will, only to be amazed by the fire of inspiration that God sends down as “the things of man” are consumed. The resulting piece is refined by this Holy creative fire and the result? Beyond any human effort or expectation.
 
Yes, Lord, let me be wiling to serve the work you call me to enflesh, rather than serve the empty shell of self.
 
Please feel free to share thoughts or a prayer about any of the above.
 
 

At this time of pressing circumstances, it is hard to even think about simplifying. It may not be an option. Yet it is so vital to streamline in order to survive. As a creative person, it is crucial to cling to our faith and art amidst a swirling vortex of demands, information overload and clutter. We are officially the most over-informed and communication saturated generation yet, so it is no wonder our creative time is ever-decreasing. In chapter seven, Janice Elsheimer gave us insight and advice about reclaiming our time as artists. While the book was written some time ago, the next chapter still offers valuable guidance on simplifying which may be more important than ever before if we are to keep our spiritual sanity and guard our craft.
 

 
While the verse she quotes seems like a ridiculous suggestion at this time in our history as a nation and world, the Truth of Scripture is ageless and always applicable. “Jesus taught us that, in order to have an authentic relationship with our Creator, we must trust God and not get caught up in the worries and busyness of life.” She is alluding to Luke:22, of course, as it was uttered by our Lord Jesus in simpler, yet not dissimilar times.(p.140)

 
Since the book was written, the majority of Amaricans have gotten into thousands of dollars in debt, many out of necessity. Yet there is still some truth to how she cuts to the chase with, “We need to step off the materialism treadmill and start trusting God to meet our needs.” Indeed, many of us don't just need our deisres satisfied, we need to return to a deep place of faith which informs our every-day mindset. Many need miracles in this economy and so their thoughts finally turn back to Him as the Giver of all good things. If at all possible, she encourages us to simplify by making life less complicated and focus on what brings greater meaning as well as stepping out of fear into faith. (p.141) Many people are living on just that right now. This is where faith hits the road...hard. It either stands up to the impact or crumbles. It makes me think of a commercial, "Got Faith?" We certainly need it right now. Perhaps that is the reason we are in this situation.

 
Much of what we consider necessity isn't. All those channels. Three types of sports for our children. Our daily latte. Six social media sites that take up our free time. There are usually things we can cut from our lives that will streamline and bring simplicity. Then relief. Then peace. The result is more time or money for the truly necessary and meaningful. “We need to selectively prune away the things in our lives that are not life-giving.” (p. 143) One practice Elsheimer empasizes is honesty. (p.146)  With a gentle yet firm honesty under the Holy Spirit's direction, we can avoid many pitalls that consume our time and energy against our wishes. God sometimes uses difficulty to draw us back to Him and so it is wise to respond to His call. As a creative, you are probably feeling the brunt of this economy acutely, whether you have followed Him closely lately or not, so this is even more important now. We must keep some space in our lives for meaningful communion with Him. “When we confess our sin, either in prayer or writing, we clear the air and reopen the lines of communion between His Spirit and us.” (p.148) The subsequent pages offer very helpful information as far as the financial aspects of an artist's life and sound advice for these difficult times. Creatives often struggle with this area, so Elsheimer's observations and helpful guidelines are a practical, timely help.

I hope you have enjoyed our journey through The Creative Call and taken away much. I encourage you to continue your Day Book and flip back in it often to see how the Faithful Creator has walked with you, leading you gently by the hand into greater creativity and faith.
The conclusion and appendices offer yet more insights and tips and are highly recommended. Thank you to the author for her wonderfully written resource. It has and will continue to be a valuable one in my library and for many others as well.

 
Our next book will be Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water: Reflections of Art and Faith. It will begin on January 11^th with the first chapter. I hope you will join us!

 
Time.

 
You must reclaim time to be creative if your art is to develop.

 
While Elsheimer agrees from the start that finding time for art is the battle of most creatives, she leaves little room for excuses. She challenges us to really examine our schedules, to prune away the unnecessary, the pointless and the meaningless to make room for a thriving relationship with our art form. (p.108-9) “To be an artist we have to integrate the spontaneity of the child with the disciplined mind of the adult.” (p.109) I love that. In essence, we must make time to play. We must put distractions out to pasture for a few hours each week and show up to play with focus. She goes on to explore the how divergent thinkers or those who shift from one thing to another quite easily, can actually benefit from doing so. I suppose then, the issue is to include shifting time into the process if this is your approach or tendency. Elsheimer quotes author of Time Management for Unmanageable People, Anne McGee-Cooper with the statement, “What seems like a disorganized, misdirected waste of time to the linear convergent person may be a divergent way of keeping the work going while we are waiting for our brain to produce the insights we need”. This choice allows for built-in breaks. While it works for me to a degree, I can easily go from break back to distraction.

 
I enjoyed the quiz on time management on page 112 and found the time resolutions on page 116 to be a much-needed structure help (they may end up on my studio cork board). I decided on but have yet to implement the use of my phone alarms as an aid to this goal. Studio appointment hours = no chatting on said phone. I must need a Discipline App. She recommends treating this appointment as we would one with a cherished friend or clock time on a job. (p.118) Since I am self-employed, the former is more effective for me. My studio now has the same fun elements as a date with a friend: tea, healthy snacks and a cheerful, energizing atmosphere. Now I want to show up and get to work. It is a welcome change from a dark, cluttered storage area.
 
What changes can you make to your art space to create an inspiring, inviting atmosphere?

 
Her analysis on our culture of multitasking was right on. (p.120-121) I myself am a recovering multitasker who realized chaotic isn't always productive. It brings the freedom of focus. She also gives practical tips on how to tame the technological threats to our creative time. (p128-134)

 
By far the most helpful nugget I took away from this chapter is that, “When we find the time to engage in our art, we engage in a kind of ministry.” Not only does God use His Spirit to infuse our work, but He also ministers to us as we collaborate with Him which then produces what will minister to others. She goes on to write that, “Making time for the Spirit of God to work through the talents he has given us is creating a a kind of prayer time. In those minutes, or hours, we give back to God some of what he has given us: attention, time and talent. We offer him the new spaces we create in our lives so that he can speak to us, inspire us, and answer our prayer that we learn how to follow his creative call.” In doing so, she says we work with the expectation that what we give back to the world will be something that, as Madeleine L”Engle writes, will “draw people to Christ by...showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it."
 
So making time for God to minister to us as we prepare something which will minister to the world takes on a much deeper meaning and its importance demands a schedule to that effect.

It is time to really buckle down and work more consistently on the first Bible study kit, Got Thirst, Dirt or Doubt? Jesus the Wellspring of Life. Most of the prepwork has been set, now it is a matter of making final changes to the script, then I need to record the audio narration for the remaining sections and continue to find and include images. The text which will appear in the study DVD also take time to create. It is exciting to see the pieces come together! My faithful editor and I should be working with a rough cut by the middle of February.
It's time to let some laundry pile up, get out the paper plates, back away from the phone and Facebook and get down to business. If you feel led to pray for this project, please know prayer is very much appreciated. Send me any requests you have and I promise to pray for you as well.