Looking at the mirror and seeing an artist
When I was a kid in middle school, I always spent my time in class drawing on my notebook instead of paying attention to my teacher. As you can imagine, this got me into a lot of trouble when the teacher realized that I wasn’t listening, but instead doodling away at my notebook. After plenty of feedback from teachers, a few conversations with guidance counselors and lots of negative discussions with the educational powers that be, one thing was clear: You cannot stop an artist from creating art.
Once I became an adult, I had to work, study, and contribute to society. As a result, the world finally found a way to quiet my artist heart. Life became a dull list of things to do and accomplish, and nothing brought joy to my heart the way art did.
Eventually, I picked up a camera and felt in love with it. I found another avenue of art that allowed my heart to find joy in the beauty of communicating through still photography. I took pictures of everything — Humans, animals, vegetation — nothing escaped my sight!
Though I loved photography, I still missed drawing and my heart was still half empty.
I eventually picked up a pencil again and started drawing, then I realized that my joy was finally returning to me! I now find myself drawing at work during meetings, at church in the middle of sermons and in the middle of conversations. I still get the same negative feedback, but this time, I am quick to remind them that I listen well while I draw.
Art is in our DNA
One of my favorite truths in the Bible is when God reminds us that we are made in His image. There is a lot packed into what that means, but I believe part of that is having our roots as artists. See, God is a master artist. He created all things that we see and there is a lot of beauty in creation.
That beautiful sunset? He sketched it
The aurora seen in the Arctic and Antarctic regions? He painted that
The ridiculously huge trunk in an elephant? He shaped that!
A man is born an artist as a hippopotamus is born a hippopotamus; and you can no more make yourself one than you can make yourself a giraffe
Whether we like to admit it or not, we are all artists. Each time we create, there is joy in our hearts. Just look at the joy parents get when they see the birth of their baby, or the entrepreneurs’ faces when they see their startup take legs and succeed, or Church planters rejoice as they start something from nothing. These are all manifestations of art.
So today, I find myself creating art and finding joy in it. You are no different, you are an artist and all you have to do is find your artistic language and give it to the world. The world is a better place when humans do what they do best… create art
