Artists often feel misunderstood and isolated as they pursue their craft. While the work of an artist can inspire us to experience life and God in new ways, their work can be lonely and frustrating. On Thursday, Sept. 26, Denver Institute for Faith & Work hosted The Faithful Artist, an event to explore and engage many of the difficult questions that artists encounter as they integrate their faith with their creative work.
At Denver Institute, we believe artistic gifts convey God’s goodness, beauty, and truth to the broader world. We asked two local artists who attended The Faithful Artist to share their thoughts and impressions. Here’s what Laura Dreyer (visual artist and illustrator) and Kay Morrison (abstract artist and pastor) had to say
How did The Faithful Artist impact you and your work? What was most important to me leading up to the event was the gathering of people to engage with our shared humanity.
I was looking forward to meeting other Christian artists and hearing perspectives on how others integrate their faith into their art. It’s helpful to have other people to normalize issues I face as an artist and encourage one another.
Laura DreyerHow does faith influence your work as an artist?
I want everything I create, whether it’s a painting or a sermon, to be full of goodness, truth, and beauty – the three elements that preceded the fall. I want to be truthful in how I create and for it to bring goodness and beauty into people’s lives.
Kay MorrisonThe belief that God has given me art, creativity, and an imagination to enjoy with Him has changed the way I make art. I thought for years that I needed to be successful in an external way to deserve that part of my life. The practice of replacing these untruths with the belief that He is kind and interested in hearing my ideas and fears about what I make has freed me to pick myself up after failures and to take more risks in the ideas I pursue.
LauraWhat dreams do you have for artists and Christ followers in Denver?
I dream to see the church welcome and embrace artists. The arts should be embraced out of Biblical faithfulness because the original artist is God and artists reflect who God is.
KayI want people to believe that God cares about them even more than what they produce, whether that’s in art or another industry.
LauraWhat would you like non-artists to know about the arts?
Beauty has a role in the Kingdom. You can’t read Revelation without seeing the importance of beauty in the renewed earth. Art is a carrier of beauty in our world.
KayThere are many different ‘languages’ in which humans can receive things, whether that is written, musical, visual, etc. Each language is important in its own form. If people don’t have anyone “speaking” to them in any artistic language, they miss out on hearing something they very likely need.
Laura
