ART AS A CALL, A PLACE TO MEET GOD
By Ruth Ferraz
The true Art is a place to meet God. Our gift and talents are something very important and we should not hide them, as the Gospels quote so well when tell us about the bad servant who buried his talent and didn’t multiple it.
If we love Visual Arts or whatever work we can do, but never put effort into developing the talent, it will be stacked. We should look forward being diligent in going deeper and enhance it and our perceptions. I would say even if a person doesn’t have this special talent for Art certainly the Lord gave them other talents for something else and they should look forward to enhancing the talents.
The simple act of appreciating a piece of art can
enhance our skills and improve the talents, whatever it is, because Art evokes emotions
that sometimes can be blocking and stacking us to develope our habilits. Just the fact we are observing the shapes to draw or
in an Artwork this helps the hemispheres of our brain to be connected enhancing
perceptions and skills like creativity and all other because improve perceptions and vision for life, releasing blocked emotions. To work out our eyes, focus in objects close or far, help to connect the hemispheres of our brain, enlightening us. I would even add here that Music is other kind of art
important to connect the brain also because the compass and rhythmic are
mathematic skills which the left hemisphere works with, while the melody evokes emotions,
ability from the right side of the brain, this is one reason I sing very much everywhere: in my car,
in the shower, especially in the Choir I am singing now. Music
has this power to connect the brain, because it is necessary to work with both sides of the brain at the
same time. Even when we are just listening the music we love, it is like we press the play bottom to have joy and be connect.
I was a
child that liked to draw, paint and sing very much, I was very expressive
without fear of showing my prodigies artistic talents. Usually, children in general,
like to draw and show their art, but little by little this talents go being blocked. Mine was blocked so badly, till arrived
at a point I couldn’t express myself at all in my teenager years. When I was 15 my artist talent was
almost totally blocked. I was raised in a dysfunctional family, but even this became a blessing for me to understand how I can others. Nothing with the Lord is in vein.
Unfortunately,
we don’t learn to draw realistic in Elementary or High School, even Art School
College or have music classes. I believe we should learn how to observe the
object or landscape with a good methodology as from the Dra. Edwards, to
reproduce in a paper or canvas in school or home, but they don’t teach this.
I
was so blessed to know the work of Dra. Betty Edwards in my hometown Sao Paulo,
Brazil, with another amazing teacher, Dalton de Luca, who has also a very
special way to teach Art. I was already 30 years old, better late than never.
After she retired, Dta. Edwards, as an Art Teacher form UCLA in the 70s, she wrote a book
called “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” where she teaches the
methodology she developed as a art teacher not just for the university but because
her experience in teaching art for the High School in Venice, Los Angeles area.
One thing that has helped me a lot it is my faith in Jesus Christ, which I got to heritage it from my
mom. She was a fervent catholic and was raised one also. I loved to go to the
mass to sing, to play my guitar, to listen the gospels i know by heart since then, and put my hope in Jesus, that man I knew, was
raised from the death. For me was
amazing to know that fact of him to be ressurected, as at 7 years old I saw my beloved father in a burial
coffin and to think about the possibility of seeing him alive again brought me
a lot of hope and faith.
Art
isn’t idolatry but it can be an instrument of healing and to serve the Kingdom.
Some people who love Jesus, can be in conflict with the gift of artist talent and the creative identity
in God.
The beauty
is important to God as the Word quotes in Genesis 2.9:
“And out
of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is PLEASANT TO THE
SIGHT, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and
the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
As Dr.
Norbert Keppe a 99-year-old famous Brazilian psychotherapist quotes about Art:
“The duty of
the Art is to bring the beauty, the pure and the good.”
The beauty
is an expression of the nature of God and in general people for do not
understand that refuse to accept the beauty, the pure and good. I can be a witness
to this, because many times people reject me and my artwork because I am trying
to show the beauty of the Lord. The cause of the fall in the Eden
Garden and Jesus crucifiction was the jealous and all my life I have seen this.
The Art is
important to God, it isn’t distraction, but it can be kind of therapy, because
it help to transform our bad felling is something beautiful, helping us in a
process of healing, the same time we bring something beautiful to this world.
God gives talents as to Huran from the tribe of Naftali. 1 Kings 7:14 introduces Hiram, a skilled bronze worker, whose wisdom and craftsmanship were essential for King Solomon’s temple construction.
“ King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, whose mother was a
widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled
craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom, with understanding and
with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did
all the work assigned to him.” (1 King 7.14)
Huran
had abilities as a craftsman to serve the Lord through the art.
We
shouldn’t hide our talents, but to transform them in work to participate in the
Lord work, whatever our work is. I believe that everything we do with love can
become a piece of art.
"Have
I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither
be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou
go." (Joshua 1.9)
“Perfect
Love cast out all fear”. (1John 4.18)
The Lord is with us if we love him with all our heart, mind and power, then we shouldn'thave fear, because we are not afraid of anything.
The Lord
told to Joshua before he crossed the Jordan River: "Fear not, I am with you!". What is our Jordan? The Lord will help us to cross it.
MAY WE COME BACK TO OUR
TALENTS OR GIFTS WITH DILIGENCE…
Winning our fears and enhancing
our call.
May we don't be afraid to expos,
to show ourselves and to be judge or the fear do not be good enough.
ART AS A CALL…
…May we restore our identity
in God, understand the duty of the art and of our artworks.
Creating with freedom and
purpose, to have a place of a real meet with God, without to fell guilt or that our talent or gift are just a distraction or not good enough.
May we identify what is
blocking us and our expression.
It isn’t the time available what stops us, but how we use the time we have. It is something inside of us that provokes the creative block.
Creativity depends on a
safe environment to express and may this be starting inside of us, embracing
ourselves and the Lord, because if there is a risk involved, it can block us, the
fear of comparing, showing ourselves. Proverbs 12.25 quotes;
“The anxiety in
the heart of the man shoot us down.”
Even Jesus quoted:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” encourages turning worries into prayer and receiving divine peace: (Philippians 4.6-7)
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Through prayer and meditation in the Word of
God we ask the Lord to heal our blocks, removing them. We can be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Then we can start feeling the Presence of the Lord, step by step. The Word
reveal to us the truth about God as a Fountain of Living Water, from where the
creation flows.
Exercise:
Psalm 19.1:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows
his handywork.”
ACTION)
- A creative practice
could be on a sheet of paper where we can write what comes into our mind,
brainstorm, while we go reading the full psalm. We go to make a list of words
and imagens about what is coming into our minds. After that we can start to
paint or draw with pencil what this reading had inspired us.
If we are in a group we can
express verbally the experience we had or if we are alone, we can write
something in our notebook or journal, for future appreciation.
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TO RESCUE OUR
CREATIVE, OUR IDENTITY IN GOD
We need to do what is right
without to be late. We need to seek with will. Even facing fear, we need to
move on.
Our gifts are to serve God
and His kingdom.
To be an Artist of the
Kingdom we need the help of the Creator and He is always ready to hear us.
To express the beauty of
the Kingdom we can’t hide our talents and gifts.
THE PARABOL OF THE TALENTS
in Matthews 25.14-15:
“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several abilities; and straightway took his journey”.
The good servant multiple the
talents and bad one digged in the earth them.
TALENT we can interpreter as
ability.
We cannot compare us with others.
Important it is the process and
keep trying.
We need to be faithful servants
and create in the Presence of God.
To create Art can be difficult
sometimes, we can feel lonely, but we are never alone if we are in the Lord`s
Presence, not just to do art but whatever we do.
We look forward to doing the
best we can, without the fear to be perfect, walking little steps each day.
To transform the Word of God in Visual Art, holding the hands of the Lord, the Creator of the Universe.
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