~ God told me to be an artist, week 78.
Friday 5th July, 2024
Ever heard that phrase, "I'm a change-maker", "They're such a change-maker"? Sounds ridiculously cool right? A cool badge of honour to wear in a world where we are told that in order to make effective change everyone must know we are doing it. If it isn't on instagram it didn't happen right?
Without googling the actual definition of the phrase, what springs to mind? For me, I've often heard it at conferences or events. It's thrown around like a beach ball, where anyone and everyone with an opinion on something jumping up to grab it and claim the title.
It's become somewhat synonymous with the concept of 'being an individual' for me. So over saturated that the majority of people are "doing individuality" the same way...the cool, palatable and socially acceptably way.
Hrrumph. That can't be right can it?
"But Cath...",I hear you ask,"...our world is so broken, we need change, we've got to do something."
Absolutely we do, of course. I'm talking about how we turn opinion and outlook into action and movement. A journey from 'change-thinking' to 'change-making' if you like. And please know this is a call to action for me as much as anyone else. I've felt convicted of this recently and hope that sharing it here holds me accountable to it as well.
Will you come on the journey with me? Maybe?
How about listening to my starting off point and ideas and see what you reckon in a couple of minutes time? That's reasonable right?
I'll start with an example that illustrates where my head is at with all of this, the UK church and the arts. Even if you don't go to church, hear me out, this example is a decent one I think.
Churches since, well forever, have utiliised the power of songwriting and music to connect with the divine. There is an understanding that it unlocks a posture of worship, brings forth an external focus and the act of doing it honours God. With me so far?
Yet still, in the modern church, there are few places that experiement with or integrate the power of the wider visual arts. I am proud to say that Liverpool Anglican Cathedral actually does, but this is not the norm in the UK. It's quite a special thing.
I have gotten excited over the years when I've been able to attend creative events that speak directly to the broadening of creative practice in the church. Only to find I am met with pannel discussions and focus groups. Again, and again, and again.
Now please hear me, there is value to voices, conversation and idea sharing, absolutely. But in the creative christian space in particular, I've been here a million times. I've heard every "change-maker" you like tell me about the importance of creativity and why we need all manner of expressions of it in our church. I know that, the ideology is cemented in me.
I don't to be told this another time, you're preaching to a room of artisans, we know this!
I'm looking for the action. I know the why, I wanna see the how! I want us to decide and take the first steps of putting these beliefs into practice.
I believe the heart of these kind of spaces is good, but something is absent in the process of it all. Why aren't we making art and harnessing the connectivity this can bring to our creator? Why aren't we communing with him to start exploring what art in the church can practically look like.
Why are we still only talking about it?
I don't want a creative social mixer, I want a creative social action event! Maybe that's just me, but you see my point, the 'change-thinking' is there in a lot of these christian creative events but I feel they miss the 'change-making'.
So let's jump into the definition of change-making. It's a few things:
'the self-permission to go after the advancement of change for the good of all'.
'intentional solving of social, environmental, systemic issues or problems'.
'the accepting that change, although hard or unlikely, is to be gone after anyway'.
'the steadfastness of pursuing the change'.
'the belief that through values and purpose transformation will occur'. [love this one!]
What do these all have in common? They demand action.
Alos, that's really the kicker isn't it, values and purpose. Like in these church events, I feel the values aligning in the room of creatives, but I can't get a sense of how this feeds into our purpose as individuals and ultimately how we are empowered to take action.
It's a room of yes's without a handing out of task. Intention good, transformational capacity not so good because what actually happens next? No shade, I don't' think most people intentionally do not take action, it's mainly because no-one knows what to do.
Bear with me, I'm almost at a summarising point, *wipes brow*
Maybe the stepping stone between change-thinking and change-making occurs when we deep dive into our individual purpose, spend time investigating who we are, what lights a fire in our bellies and how we can use what is in our hands to do something about or towards that end?
A great example of this is the worship leader at my church mobilises the creatives to put on an art exhibition each year on Good Friday. We make art in response to the story and invite our church, local community, art community and people of our city to come and interact with it. It encompasses a variety of art forms and presents the gospel in a new way. Is it as big or well attended as some of the creative panel talk events in London? No. But is it physical action towards the practice and value of arts in the church for the glory of God? Yes.
Smaller in size but larger in action? I think so.
To be clear, this isn't about ranking things against each other, this comparision is just a tool to illustrate the point.
Maybe our change making comes in the pursuit doing our part, for and in the space, time and place we are living. Taking thinking and stepping it over the line into practice.
I think it means sometimes doing things differently than other people think is right and perhaps standing out a little. It can be daunting, but change is not something that's easily won.
It requires persistant and steadfast pursuit, this is how I know it's got to be attached to our individual purposes because the thing you want to change has got to really mean something to you. The ability to keep going after it must be strengthened by a call from deep within you. It can't be surface level or built on what other people are doing.
It's got to come from inside. To be interwoven into who you are and what you stand for.
Let other people inspire you, but ensure you are taking up your own mantle as well?
Let's not allow our changemaking faulter at the gates or 'how it looks' to others. We must remember to find our niche, our light, knowing that it will likely connect to others, but will be authentically ours too, not a carbon copy of what looks cool or current.
To do it for the love and deep-rooted purpose of it, not the sake of it nor the external validation of it.
Just some thoughts from a simple creative hellbent on getting art in the spaces it's needed, trying to figure out the next step of action without having an existential crisis!
Let me know what you think.
See you next week, Cath x
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