Courtesy of ReverandMother at RevGalBlog: "During Lent here at Suburban Presbyterian Church, we are exploring the creative and liturgical arts, with classes and speakers dealing with storytelling, iconography, dance, visual art, writing, and so on. The theme is 'A Beautiful Thing,' inspired by the story of the woman anointing Jesus and his declaration that 'She has done a beautiful thing for me.' (Mark 14, NIV) We are working on the notion that everything we do can be considered a beautiful thing--a creative offering to God--whether it's gardening or scrapbooking or accounting or sorting clothes at the clothes closet or child-rearing. And so":1. Would you call yourself "creative"? Why or why not? If writing counts as creative, heh. Unfortunately, over the past year I’ve too often used my current “creative inclinations” (okay, blogging) as an excuse to avoid my responsibilities. Ack.
2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you'd like to develop further. Photography.
3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try. Learn to play the guitar. Actually I took a couple of months of lessons a few years ago, but had to give them up. When the kids are older, I’d like to give it another shot.
4. Complete this sentence: “I am in awe of people who can: sing, paint, draw, garden, act, write poetry, ooze love or speak/write with Holy-Spirit-authority.”
5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has "called you to your best self." (I'm pretty sure that's from the Gospel of Oprah). That would be my friend Susan, who is one of the most creative people I know—look what she’s done so far (and see what Image Journal has to say here). And her creative bent goes beyond the written word; even her “doodles” are art (I have one of them framed in my living room). It’s no wonder, then, that each conversation we have sifts me through and calls out the Kingdom life and form within me.
(Image: detail from Michelangelo’s fresco in the Capella Sistina)