An Artist's Vocation is to be Respected

Yesterday, Robert Genn sent his second letter of the week. Twice each week I am a recipient of this artist's newsletters. They are informative and stimulating. Further, his online site permits free listing of my website and for a small price an even better exposure online. Thousands of artists subscribe to his service.

His sent letters provide opportunity for comments and these are always worth a read. I occasionally respond as I did today. Genn cited a letter written by an American teacher of art named Charles Brooks. It can be read in its entirety at this web location.

Today I wrote, "The letter is a classic and it was worthwhile for me to read it but perhaps not with the results you expected for me. Brook’s advice to the artist was to disregard what critics might comment about the artist’s idleness of life when the world outside the artist’s own creative world is troubled, and to dismiss from one’s mind all of those temporal cares in order to focus upon the authentic and legitimate task of controlling that material world briefly in order to see well and then to nobly seize the opportunity to create something that becomes a portion of one’s legacy to others.

As I read this letter, I projected the many unbearable life situations in which many artistic spirits find themselves today. This letter is written to someone in the almost idyllic North American culture where all one has to shut out is extraneous traffic noise or the rumours of wars on CNN. Yet internationally and even personally there are worlds of pain and hurt and destruction that are not easily dismissed in order to gain solitude for a creative moment. The letter caused me to reflect upon artists who have respected their craft so well that they did not have to justify it or even to find solace from a wild world in order to create. I think of the painters of the war experiences of our world, who like photo journalists today, recorded for us a material world coming undone, and faces of beautiful men and women dying, dead or fighting for freedom. I think of Vincent Van Gogh who early in his career tried to pastor the poverty stricken potato farmers and recorded their faces and gnarled hands because he could not ignore his world but found something to be treasured there. An artist is far more than a recluse needing affirmation for a vocation that doesn’t hammer nails or build empires. An artist’s vocation is not merely for the good times, or for the times when you can escape a bad world. It is for every world condition and that is why it is to be respected."

Recession - Economic and Spiritual

A NEW LEARNING
I subscribe to an art e-zine that comes twice weekly and provides hints to improve my art, my enjoyment and the marketing of it. Most recently the October 7, 2008 topic was “Art in Hard Times.” It is a response to artists’ concerns about the economy. Robert Genn is the author and artist and originator of The Painter’s Keys online newsletter. His comments prompted me to consider other implications. Genn wrote that in his experience, investment and collector art can continue to thrive in bad times. He suggests that “Recessions are blessings. Historically, recessions and depressions have been times when "important" work gets made. Realistically, our financial outlay for equipment and art materials (unless your medium is gold) is relatively minor. In hard times artists need to get themselves as debt free as possible and invest in the joy of their vision.”

Recession! The word sends chills up the businessman's back. Do the evaporation of bank credit, the drop of home values and stock market uncertainties trouble you? The US Congress would not have changed its mind about passing the bailout package if the majority had remained unconvinced of its necessity. The step was taken to stem off economic recession. Some people however, believe the US is already in recession. Technically a recession consists of two consecutive down quarters in the gross national product. That has not yet happened. I have examined the competing opinions of journalists, economists and politicians with regard to the economic position in which the USA particularly and my country of Canada presently find themselves.

Sorry. I can’t help myself. Bill Maher would ridicule me. I was a preacher for so long. I am not any longer but I still see parallels between spiritual and economic observations such as I cited. I am also a follower of Christ, so it’s natural and beneficial for me to examine transferable concepts. New Testament writer of the book of James wrote in his fourth chapter verse 13-17, wrote about spiritual recession. The roots of spiritual recession appear to be similar to the roots of economic recession. One common root of recession can be foolish presumption since the person described in verses 13 and 16 lives as if tomorrow will never come but is motivated by money and greed. Another root of recession whether economic or spiritual is overlooked perspectives since in verse 14 James teaches that life comes with some uncertainties but life also has certainties. The uncertainties are summed up in a question. “What is your life?” Certainties are contained in the expression, “It appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” A third common root to recession whether economic or spiritual is abandoned priorities. In verses 15-17 James is urging readers to get priorities in order because some people have forsaken two things, God’s will and His way.

If it’s natural to revisit a business strategy when market conditions change, it is likely appropriate for me to revisit my relationship with God. If the bedrock to business success is entrepreneurial spirit, substratum to spiritual victory is a blameless spirit.