"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." - Psalm 42:5I was at the local hardware store and was looking at the clearance paint and the manager comes over and tells me I can have them for $2.30 a can. So I buy 24 cans and catch a ride out to grimsby. My fills wern't as solid and my lines weren't as clean and stock tips stink but it turned out nicely. While I was painting some guy came by and said "I hope your not painting any of that God ****". I guess I'm well known in Grimsby for painting about God. Which is a really good thing. Negative critisim of my work is becoming less discouraging as time goes on. A part of me thought no one would notice but people acctually pay attention. Oh and my right index finger has been stiff for the last month cuz of all the painting. You know it's been a good month when your finger is sore.
7 comments:
Isn't that one purpose of all art? To generate a reaction?
i love your attitude...
because so many people (bands) do Christian stuff. They say they want to get the message out there. But the minute they message starts getting too loud, they quiet it down a bit. They don't want to be in your face. They want to blend in just enough.
At first I believed it was just a reach-out strategy... but now I'm wondering if it's partially motivated by fear. Because it's a very attractive strategy to me, and I know I'm afraid what people will say of me.
I was painting the other day and someone walked up to me with a smile on thier face and asked me what that word was going to be then I tell them it's going to say "Jesus" they stop smiling turn around and leave then snicker about God and Jesus. yeah, I thought of just blending in toying with the idea of being a christian and being a graffiti artist but not a christian graffiti artist. To soften the message so people would hear but then I knew it was a cop out cuz really, when I look at what I've done I'm not purposely offensive or in someones face I'm just saying what's real to me and what's important to me. I try my best to make the message something someone will be open to. I knew what it was me giving into persecution. If it had said any other word he would have shook my hand and told me how great I was. Once I realized that it was JUST because of his negative outlook on God and absolutely nothing to do with me or anything I could have done wrong I felt alot more peace about his dislike of me and my work.
But, I don't want to give you guys the wrong impression. there are alot of strangers almost everytime I paint telling me how much they love my stuff and think it's great or just sit and watch or shake my hand, even other writers telling me that they really like my stuff. Those people are the majority I just don't like to talk about it cuz it can easily turn into bragging.
And to answer jamie I honestly don't know the purpose of all art is. and I'm still trying to figure out how to accomplish the purpose of my art which is:
I want to provoke the intellectuals, convert the pedestrian, soften the heart of the bitter, encourage the believer. I want the worship of God not to be confined to inside the church. I want to fling wide the doors and let His praise fill the streets. I want tear down the walls the enemy has claimed and take back the land God has given me. I want to redeem an art form that has been used for pride and instead walk humbly with God. My art should strive be an understandable representation of these ideals and should accurately translate messages and themes within the bible to the community while serving the viewing audience and the owner of the property.
No I agree with you. And I think you're doing it right. It's so much "easier" to blend in... in terms of music, I *think*,but I'm not sure, that if you blend, you can "get into more homes" that way... you'll get played on the radio and people will buy your stuff.
But I don't think that works with Graffiti, because from what I have noticed, graffiti artists are bold. They have a message and they are not afraid to put it on a wall. sometimes the message is just territorial like dogs peeing on trees "I own this wall too" but sometimes, they really do have a message of something they are believing in. I don't think cowardice and graffiti go together. I think it lessens the impact of your graffiti to want to not cause a big stir. Isn't graffiti somewhat about impact?
I guess that's what Jamie said too, about art wanting to cause a reaction.
And I've never thought of art that way. I have always thought of art from the other end - that it's a true expression from the artist. In my mind, the receiver hasn't even been there at all... just the artist. But if it's a communication, you need a sender and a receiver.
I'd like to say graffiti is about the impact but I've looked through alot of graffiti and most of it doesn't say anything to the average person execpt "my name is John Smith". I don't know what other people do and how they balance between religion and public acceptance but I think it goes a little deeper than chooseing between the two we should be speaking the messages God has laid on your heart to speak. And not worrying about how it will be taken. Because if it's of God it will do amazing things and if it's just of you it won't do anything. God speaks through art sometimes he's speaking to you and sometimes he's speaking through you and sometimes it's just you rambling on.
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