Creative Arts

A Meditation on Excellence in the Arts

Christy Tennant — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

A few months ago, I accompanied Mako Fujimura to Colorado for the Via Affirmativa retreat at Glen Eyrie. Mako invited me to supplement his talk by speaking about IAM. The theme of the retreat was Excellence, and during my morning devotions the day we spoke, I wrote the following meditation. Later that day, Mako's talk dealt directly with the substance of what I had written that morning, so I decided to share it when I spoke. Here is the (slightly polished) version, originally appreaing on Via Affirmativa's website.

A MEDITATION ON EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS

If I paint more excellently than any other, but I do not communicate love in my painting, I am nothing more than an offensive noise; like Pavarotti accompanied by an out-of-tune piano: a mockery of the beautiful.

If I possess divine insights and wisdom, and even if I have strong spiritual fortitude, but I cannot speak the truth in love, I am nothing to boast about.

If I am generous with my art, my talents, and my creativity – exhausting myself for the sake of my craft – but the people around me do not feel loved or served in humility, I have accomplished nothing to speak of.

An excellent artist can wait for her moment, though years in the making, because she understands that recognition does not equal excellence; Van Gogh never sold a painting.

An excellent artist is kind; he makes his gift accessible and available to all who love and appreciate beauty.

An artist devoted to true excellence does not envy those who are more accomplished than she is, nor does she boast to those who have not accomplished as much as she has.

An artist of excellence does not reek of arrogance, nor does he have a reputation for being rude.

A truly excellent artist works well with others, appreciating the unique gifts and insights they bring to the table, rather than immediately assuming her way is the only way. (And she doesn’t get an attitude if the team decides to go in a different creative direction!)

An artist who is excellent does not secretly get a charge out of others’ failures, but rather encourages those who have tried and failed to try again. By the same token, he does not offer false compliments or patronizing feedback. He finds a way to be gently honest and constructively critical, because he values truth.

An artist or creative catalyst devoted to excellence in his craft sticks with it to the end. She doesn’t give up out of ego or pride or frustration or failure, but keeps hoping and believing in the source of creativity, turning frequently to that source for sustaining inspiration and grace.

Finally, an artist committed to excellence understands that creativity does not happen in a vacuum. Rather, it flows from a deep, rushing river, created by God and fed and filled by others who have been given the creative gift as well. The artist who stays close to the river and drinks often from it, by looking to and appreciating the beauty reflected in others, grows in ever-increasing excellence.

This artist is truly excellent.

One might say each artist is connected to the river from which all creativity flows, sometimes as a spring and sometimes as a tributary, and through this connection we have access to an ever-flowing source of inspiration, grace and hope, available to all who come to drink.

Christy Tennant, of the International Arts Movement
Colorado Springs, June 6, 2008
VAF Gathering

Creative Discipline...an Oxymoron?

Joan Ball — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:08:06 -0800

I have never been one to set writing goals. In fact, despite the fact that many creative and prolific writers swear by them, there is something about having to write a certain number of pages, or for a certain number of hours every day, that sucks the creative wind right out of me. I prefer the romantic notion of being inspired by the muse over the practicality of sitting down and hammering out a certain number of words a day.

But, in writing as in life, the practical often trumps the romantic and we are forced to create within the bounds of deadlines and responsibilities. For me, that means delivering a 60,000 word manuscript to my acquisitions editor by February 15, 2009. This is not a loose deadline. I am contractually bound to make it happen.

To get there, I've set a personal goal of writing 1000 words a day, six days a week for six weeks.

In an effort to prevent self-sabotage, I've decided not to "bank" words. If I write 1500 words today, I still have to write 1000 tomorrow. If I succeed in writing at this pace I will have a rough draft by December 15 and two months to rewrite and edit. I've never done this before, but I think this sounds like a workable plan.

And yet, I keep wondering...

"What about creativity?"

"What about beauty?"

"Is it possible to write (or paint, of sculpt) artfully on a tight deadline?"

"Is creative discipline an oxymoron?"

Would love to hear your thoughts...

My Interview with Susan Isaacs

Christy Tennant — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

My friend and former roommate, Susan Isaacs, will be featured at Encounter 09, Art in Action, Feb 26-28.

Susan's first book, Angry Conversations With God, is set to launch in March.

I recently interviewed her for the IAM Podcast, and Part One of our conversation is now available - click here to listen !

Some trivia about Susan: she drinks PG Tips tea while she's writing; she has a cat named Honey; she and her husband, Larry, have been married for just over two years; she is one of the funniest and most sincere people I know.

Born in a Cotton Field

Paul Hebblethwaite — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:45:31 -0800

In Faith Ringgold’s Born in a Cotton Field, a painted quilt, the nativity narrative fuses to the experience of African Americans in the south. The work of art creates a secondary context to over lay the biblical story. The voyage to Bethlehem is replaced with the fraught voyage of slaves travelling the Underground Railroad; Jesus born in the open cotton fields.

When I moved to the United States from Belgium and South Africa, I was introduced to the particular history of America. The experience of slavery and the civil war created contact points between the struggle of racism in my birth place and the colonial roots of institutional slavery around the world. The school I attended in America included a reminder of slavery’s legacy through a bussing program that brought African American’s from St. Louis’s city center to the suburbs were I lived. I grew up confronted by the reality of segregation; whether it was socially enforced or politically enforced, the impact was often the same.

The paintings and painted quilts of Faith Ringgold provide an exhaustive point of immersion into the experience of African Americans in the United States and Europe. Experiencing her art provides an immersive experience that creates opportunities for learning and personal reflection.

Calling All Writers...

Joan Ball — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:00:20 -0800

After more than four years of drafting, bumbling, abandoning projects and starting new ones I am thrilled to share that the Christian imprint of a large publishing house that has agreed to take on my first book. It is a personal narrative called (surprise, surprise) Flirting with Faith: My Journey from Atheism to Agnosticism to a Devoted Life.

This is a mini-miracle for several reasons.

I'm still floored by the fact that I wound up a Christian in the first place, so becoming a Christian author is further evidence that God both has a sense of humor and that He can (and does) do things that are beyond our wildest expectations.
New and untested voices are risky for publishers and I am about as much of a nobody from nowhere as one can be in this marketplace.
While I've had articles published in Christian magazines, I have no big ministry or church or radio/tv show to use as a stepping-off point to promote this book. This is a real sticking point for most publishers.
I am writing a personal narrative which is a tough sell in any market, not to mention today's competitive and changing publishing market.

And yet, against the odds, I find myself with a fantastic agent, an incredibly supportive editor and a February 15 deadline to produce and deliver a 60,000 word manuscript for a tentative release in Spring of 2010.

So, like my own blogging reality show, I am shifting the focus of my ConversantLife.com blog. From today forward (with a few exceptions I am sure) I hope to open a conversation with other aspiring and working writers about the joys and challenges of writing. From esoteric questions like what it takes to find and authentic voice to practical matters like what it takes to find an agent, I am hoping that this blog (which has now been moved from the "Spirituality" category to "Creative Arts") will be a source of shared information, encouragement, collaboration and prayer for people who feel called to write.

In addition to sharing anything useful that I have learned so far and my ups and downs as journey from here to Spring 2010, I am hoping to interview authors, agents, publishers, magazine editors, marketers, book club leaders and anyone else who might help us to grow in our pursuit of the writing life.

I hope you will join me.

Context

ericamonge — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:00:00 -0800

Context. The key to unraveling and anticipating readership is to take context into consideration. A writer should approach their subject matter, professional, fictional, story or research with an idea of how this information will be used and assimilated in the reader’s mind. Questions to ask yourself:

For writers working on personal storytelling:
Who will be reading this?
Are there parts of this story that seem to personal to share?
How can I convey my emotional experiences and responses through my story to my reader?
What are the mundane details that I have left out?
Are these details important to understanding my story?
If publishing, will I remain more true to factual storytelling or to communicating personal perceptions?

For writing in one's profession:
Who will be reading this?
Does my reader have an education or professional experience that allows them to understand my career?
How can I describe professional interests in less professional terms?
What is my goal in writing for my profession?
Does my writing fit into a marketing strategy? If so, am I remaining true to my goals in self promotion?
What are my plans for publication?

For writers working on inspirational and self-improvement projects:
Who will be reading this?
How do I plan to publish, distribute my material?
Will I be including parts of my own personal story?
Do I plan to interview others to include their stories?
What are my credentials for advising?
Should I incorporate a professional perspective in my book/article(s), etc?

These questions will provide a starting place for writers looking to expand beyond journaling and engage in making their work public. There are so many options for publishing, and there are equally numerous reasons to publish. Consider hiring a coach to help you define and achieve your goals in writing and publication.

What makes art "good?"

Christy Tennant — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0800

IAM's mission statement says that "International Arts Movement gathers artists and creative catalysts to wrestle with the deep questions of art, faith and humanity."

Well, yesterday we had a wrestling match. Did we wrestle about the Election? Heavens, no! That topic is old news around The Table at IAM's Space 38|39. We finished that wrestling match weeks ago, with no clear "winner." (I think if the IAM staff were deciding the election today, we might have to call it a tie and let Obama and McCain sort it out in a duel).

Instead, we wrestled over what makes art "good."

So I thought I would pose the question to my friends at Conversant Life. What makes art good? Or, what makes good art?

Is art good because it hangs in a museum?

Is it good because someone who has been trained in the arts says it's good?

Is it good because of how it makes you feel? If you feel nothing, is it bad art?

Is it good because it is aesthetically pleasing to you?

Does liking something or not liking it have anything to do with whether or not it is "good?'

Speak up, people! Inquiring minds want to know.

Kehinde Wiley

Paul Hebblethwaite — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:18:49 -0800

Kehinde Wiley is a vastly popular painter working in New York and Los Angeles. A new exhibition of paintings, The World Stage: Africa Logos-Dakar, recently closed at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Wiley is known for his realist paintings that reflect historical portraits combining contemporary figures and stylized backdrops. In the recent exhibition, the paintings incorporated African cloth printing with youth in poses borrowed from historical public sculpture in the African countries he visited.

The combination of ordinary people, the grandeur of public portraiture and sculpture, and the bright floating backgrounds of his paintings has translated into rapid success for the artist. With his most recent exhibitions he is demonstrating an evolving maturity backed by the global relevance of synthesizing historical pomp and ordinary importance. Wiley's celebration of the ordinary with eye popping visuals subverts the historical precedence of celebrity, without a simple critique that would doom his art to slick propaganda or a bright remix of a useless genre.

Representation

Resources

Election Day Coverage: Journalistic Integrity

ericamonge — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:58:29 -0800

As I was scanning the web for information on the outcome for U.S. Election 2008, I found an interesting headline, featuring an article by Gallup (a noted and reputable source of information obtained by polling and statistical research). The headline read “World Citizens Prefer Obama to McCain by More Than 3-to-1.”
Myself, being one who is ordinarily skeptical of vocabularic misrepresentation, decided to read further. I found the articles actual representation to be slightly more understandable - “among nations representing nearly three-quarters of the world’s population, 24% of citizens say they would personally rather see Obama elected president of the United States, compared with just 7% who say the same about McCain. At the same time, 69% of the world citizens surveyed did not have an opinion.” Sixty nine percent! Now that’s a more likely number in my mind. Beyond this, the article continues to point out that only about a quarter of those polled believe that the outcome of the U.S. Election makes a difference to their country.
I submit to you this example to show how misleading language can be. As a writer you should clearly outline your objectives before finalizing a piece for publication. I am not judging this technique as ineffective, only as dishonest. However, there are times when a writer must call upon a certain element of pathos in language in order to stir a response. Be discerning. Be sure to make intention an important practice in writing for publication. This includes blogging. As I always tell my writers - it is okay to break the rules, but first you must learn them, so that you break them responsibly. This separates the amateur from the professional.

IAM's ENCOUNTER 09 LAUNCHES TODAY!

Christy Tennant — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Well folks, it's the day you've been waiting for.

Today registration for IAM's Encounter 09, "Art in Action," opens.

Encounter 09 will take place February 26-28, 2009, in New York City. The Encounter will include performances and lectures featuring Billy Collins, Limon Dance, Helen Sung, Makoto Fujimura, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Eva Flatscher, and many others, not to mention workshops, exhibitions, juried competitions (writing, music, film) and much, much more.

IAM is working on putting together a list of less-expensive alternatives for housing, etc. because we know that airfare and conference registration will add up. But be creative! Use IAM's Facebook page to connect with other IAM'ers - maybe you can find some folks to share a hotel room with or something.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER!!!

See you in February!