It Was Good: To be a Truth-Seeker

“In Search of Truth” by Joshua Meador

Reading Ways of Finding Truth by Ron Mock and reflecting upon my own experiences, I have identified three ways of knowing that I rely upon the most, but I will be focusing on one for now. As my primary study while attending GFU has been in the visual arts, it comes as no surprise that I prefer to examine truths through the use of Aesthetics. The use of aesthetics as a way of knowing provides a way to place oneself into another person’s subject universe and to see things from their point of view. Visual art, drama, dance, music and literature make up the Arts, and are an effective and useful means of communicating knowledge and understanding. As a visual artist, I find that I learn about myself through creating art and through the examination of art produced by others. I am able to express and communicate ideas in ways that go beyond what words can describe. The saying “A picture is worth a 1,000 words” hits the nail on the head. My goal is to have my art reflect this concept. I have trouble with words but within an image I can express so much.

“We simply cannot reduce art to literal statement without simultaneously robbing it of content. Art seems capable of generating meanings which cannot be attained in any other way. When Robert Schumann was asked to explain a difficult etude he had just performed, he sat down and played it for a second time. Its meaning could only be grasped in performance, by a personal, imaginative fusion of frame and story.”

– Jeremy S. Begbie “Voicing Creation’s Praise: Towards a Theology of Arts”
p. 36 of Ways of Knowing

My show opens a week from Thanksgiving. I’m nervous, anxious, excited, and so much more. The show, This State of Mind, is an exploration and emotion and expression through a series of digital self-portraits. I’ve worked on these pieces for a couple months now, working to embody these emotions into them, capture them in expression of the eyes and facial muscles. And while, yes, I have simple titles for these pieces that I refer to them by, I want them to encompass so much more than words like “happy” and “sad” and “angry.” More often than not I refer to them as “Rain” or “Snow” or “Storm”, alluding to environmental aspects of the work rather than the emotions. For me each piece is far more than what one word or phrase can describe. So my show will be following the example of my Art & Christ class. Each piece will not have a title, but I am encouraging people to contemplate the works and write words or phrases on walls the work is hung on. I am hoping that this will encourage people share their thoughts and insights into the works with each other, creating moments of community that will be savored. As an artist, one of my goals is that my work will inspire community and conversations, even if the words to describe are hard to find.

A self-portrait done in the summer of 2014. This was a piece that helped to inspire the “This State of Mind” show.

There are different reasons why I’m an artist, but one part of it is because art is how I discover. Through the journey of creating, I am able to explore parts of myself, of the world, and of God and His creation. “I am an artist and I don’t believe I merely chose it. God, through his Spirit endows us with gifts – some to make art. …I feel a calling and an enabling to make art that glorifies God. As Christians we are challenged to do everything with our whole being, to the best of our ability as if we’re doing it for God directly” (p. 152 It Was Good). I have mentioned in previous posts that I fear creating for God, because in my heart I struggle to believe that my work could come anywhere close to glorifying Him as He deserves to be glorified. It is intimidating. Yet I cannot stop creating.

I found the following to resonate in my heart as true: “For me, I am learning about “truth” even a I am revising, editing, deleting, abandoning and restarting. For me, it is part of the journey I have been called into by the ultimately Truthful One” (p. 168 It Was Good). The journey of an art piece is important and informs me of the truths it conveys just as much as the finished work does. I learn so much by watching time lapses of artists as they create, and it is something I wish to share in the future. I discover truths as my work develops and evolves. Sometimes it is spoken through my heart, sometimes through the mouth of a visitor, and sometimes the work itself demands that I take it in a direction I never imagined, and it is not limited to the creating of art.

I must be diligent in seeking truths in all things. It is simplistic to be a critical thinker in academia, while only taking things at face value in my day-to-day life. Not only is this a dangerous practice, but it is neglectful and naïve. I have a practical, moral, and spiritual obligation to seek truth. God calls for us to steward our gifts. I am a gifted artist, but that is not the only gift that the Lord has bestowed upon me. It is my responsibility to take care of my body, mind, and soul and then to do my best to improve them.

This is why being a truth-seeker is so important to the daily life. Seeking out truths must be a daily part of my life. I must discern whether I can safely change lanes while driving, or else I risk my life and others. To avoid hurting others and myself on emotional levels, I endeavor to do my best to be deliberate when choosing what words I speak. My soul is always seeking for spiritual truths, if only to take a few steps closer to my Lord and Savior, who is the Truth. I firmly believe that all truths point to the Truth. I recognize that I will never stop learning because “the Christian truth-seeker always recognizes that what he is trying to learn is already known, and that the Knower is on his side and desires that he know it, too” (p. 49 Ways of Knowing). By learning many methods to discern truths and actively practicing them in life I will continue to uncover the glorious Truth of God in my daily life and through my art.

“The arts take us places we have been before and to places we have never been. As we allow ourselves to interact with and experience it, we come to know ourselves.” – Ways of Knowing, p. 34

Sources:

It Was Good: Making Art for the Glory of God text
(Liberal Arts And Critical Issues Core Text) Ways of Finding Truth by Ron Mock: “Arts” by Doug Campbell (pg. 32-37)