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Welcome to Artists of the Way! I’m glad you’re here. I thought it would be good to begin with discussing my heart behind Artists of the Way, and tell you a little about myself.
First and foremost, my goal for Artists of the Way is that it can be a tool to deepen our understanding of the theological significance of art. As I’ve journeyed through life and grown as an artist, I have constantly asked myself why I am creating. Some forms of art seem to be more useful to the church or to Christ. For example, music is one of our primary forms of worship, and has a very practical value to the church. But what about a painting? A dance? A story? What good do these do? And how does God use them? Art is subjective, and often abstract in its meanings and goals, so we likely won’t be able to set forth a systematic theology of art and how God uses it, or what purpose they serve. But if we can open our eyes to the various ways He is present in these works, then we can be all the more faithful to and connected with Him in our art. Secondarily, I hope the website can serve as a resource for artists to grow in their craft and Christians to grow in their faith. With each guest we will introduce a new discussion with fresh perspectives on the theology of art. On top of these discussions we will be keeping a list of the resources recommended by our guests and myself who have helped us in our spiritual formation and formation as artists. Now let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have always had a passion for art and storytelling in particular. As long as I can remember I’ve been writing scripts, coming up with novels, and wanting to act in plays. Now, as an adult, I am very involved in the arts, especially the Christian theatre community here in West Michigan. I serve on the board of directors for Master Arts Theatre, have taught theatre and acting to youth for several years (and will be teaching my first adult class this summer), and have acted and directed in several productions. I also served as the Executive Director for Unmuted Arts for a brief time just before COVID came around and put Unmuted on an indefinite hiatus. At the same time, I’ve felt called to ministry for about the last five years. God has given me a heart for hurting people, and people who need the presence of Christ in their pain and suffering. As such I’ve been walking a journey for most of my life to reconcile my passion for art and my calling to serve God. How do I honor God with my art? What good does it actually do? Is being an artist actually a worthy calling? Over the last couple of years God has been leading me into a deeper exploration and understanding for how He made me, and what passions He gave me. Out of that, grew this podcast. I’ve wanted to start it for a couple years, but the timing was not right until this year. Now I am excited to embark on this journey, to learn from my guests, to have wonderful conversations, and to hopefully create and foster a platform for artists who want to honor God through their art to connect and learn. I cannot wait to see where God takes us on this journey! Tune in June 2nd for our first official episode, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our email newsletter to stay up to date on our new episodes and blogs each month!
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