|
In early September this year, I participated in the Nouwen Society’s four-part webinar called “A Beautiful Adventure: The Gift of the Arts in Spiritual Formation.” I would like to share with you some thoughts from part one of that series: “Art and the Human Capacity for Creativity” and how I was impacted by what I learned.
The presenter, Carolyn Arends, as described by the Society, “has released 14 music albums and is the author of three critically acclaimed books. In addition to touring, and speaking, Carolyn has served as an adjunct professor at several universities and seminaries. She is also the director of education for Renovare, a far-reaching organization that encourages and nurtures personal spiritual renewal.” Carolyn started by talking about some of the concerns people have when they think about art as a spiritual discipline. People say that they are not “artsy” or creative. Carolyn reminded us that in the beginning God created and we were created in God’s image, so we are all creative. She went on to say art comes in many forms. Art can be music, textiles, culinary creations, paintings, dance, photographs, billboards, gardens, books, theater, blogs, films, and Netflix series, all projects, as Leonard Bernstein says, all manner of projects are “making cosmos amidst chaos.” Having experienced the pandemic lockdown, we all know how creative we became in order to deal with events of that period in our lives.
The other argument some people have for resisting art as a spiritual discipline is that they are not into spiritual formation. Carolyn says: “The truth is that every living creature gets some sort of formation, whether they’re aware of it or not. In the case of us humans, because we’re both body and spirit, we can properly call the way we are formed our spiritual formation. Now think about who you are today. You did not become you in a test tube. Your strengths and your weaknesses, your sense of humor, your trigger points, your delights and your wounds. Your spiritual formation is the unfolding product of your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, friends, teachers, mentors, your work and co-workers, the way you’ve been endlessly marketed to all the neural pathways you’ve formed in your brain through multiple exposures to ideas, images and repeated patterns through the forces of habit. The way you’ve been loved, the way you’ve been wounded, your spiritual formation is the product of every conversation you’ve ever had, every book you’ve read, every song that’s ever moved you, every joke you’ve ever laughed at, and every image that has ever caught your eye. So, if you’re not sure what you think about spiritual formation, let me assure you that spiritual formation is not some optional process for hyper spiritual people.” I might add that we are hard-wired to be spiritual beings.
For me, some of my spiritual formation has come through art. As part of the webinar, Carolyn asked us to draw an image that would serve as a metaphor for our inner lives. I drew a long winding road into infinity that went to the edge of the paper. It came to me that my spiritual journey, especially at this time, was represented by a road that I didn’t recognize, and didn't know where it was leading or what I would be encountering. It was then the “Road to Emmaus” painting flashed through my mind and I realized that I am not alone on that road, but Jesus is walking with me. I call this moment a “Spirit Sighting.” For the first time I could tell you why I was attracted to that painting. I still don’t know what this journey will be like, but I know that I am not alone. It has offered me a peace that I haven’t had since April.
If you would like to learn more about art as a spiritual discipline, I would invite you to the link for Carolyn Arend’s four-part presentation. You can either read the text or watch the presentation on YouTube – a gift from the Nouwen Society.
For your reflection I have used some of the questions that were shared with those of us in the webinar:
- Is part of your internal belief that you are not “artsy” or creative? Are you challenged by Carolyn’s explanation? How might you describe your unique creativity?
- What are some of the most significant influences that have been part of your spiritual formation?
- As you reflect on your spiritual journey, how has “art” influenced your life?
- As you think about drawing an image that would be a metaphor of your inner life, what image came to mind?
Resources:
Foster, Richard, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
Nouwen, Henri, Making All Things New
Nouwen, Henri, Spiritual Formation
Nouwen, Henri, Spiritual Direction
Willard, Dallas, The Spirit of The Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
| 
