Last week, we read an essay in class by a writer named Luci Shaw. The title of the essay was "Beauty and the Creative Impulse". She starts off with the statement: "I have come to believe that beauty is something inherent in creation (and by creation I mean the environment, the created universe in which we live)." I thoroughly enjoyed this statement. She had me from this one sentence.
"But too often beauty escapes us..." "But beauty gives us pleasure." "The messages of beauty through the senses, when combined with the responses of our reasoning intelligence, achieve meaning or significance for us." These words are so true, and yet I found myself frozen in my tracks in the next-to-last paragraph, having not even really comprehended the very last few sentences. I was stuck on this:
"The other 'Christian' alternative is a conservatism that responds only to kitsch, a sentimental art of the Hallmark greeting card variety that cheapens true sentiment, turning it into sweetness and light or mere moralistic propaganda..."
Ms. Shaw keeps going, but I could not. She continued to elaborate on something that was not supposed to get so much attention, but I couldn't help myself. My heart was breaking for those Hallmark artists being attacked.
I don't know how I would feel if I knew there was a published writer, along with many of her readers, who dismissed my art--MY ART!--, accusing it of "cheapening true sentiment". HOW DO YOU SAY THAT ABOUT SOMEONE'S HEARTFELT HARD WORK???
She even goes on to say that it has "[n]o real Christianity either". How does she get off saying that?
Okay, so I know she's making a point. And she, herself, is a beautiful artist with words. Please understand that I do not feel this to be a pressing issue in spiritual warfare.
But, as an amateur in hopes of honing my artistic ability, I have realized that I am going to be required to put myself out there. But if I run into a Ms. Shaw, who walks up to whatever art it is I've created, and announces to the world that her professional opinion has found that it "cheapens true sentiment" and has "[n]o real Christianity either", I think I would probably want, so badly, to cry.
I think I would be devastated if Ms. Shaw had said those things about my art. I put my time, my passions, my heart, my life.... all of it, into my creation, and she tears it down. I know, too, that she is making a point, but shouldn't we try and find the positives instead of the negatives?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way of looking at it: focusing on the positives instead of the negatives. It was also good of you to note her intentions. good response =~)
ReplyDelete