Design and the Kingdom of God

Something that's been on my heart lately has been the negligence of the modern church to teach us what it means to be an artist/designer and a Christian. Growing up in a baptist church I was always taught to "spread the gospel" and in youth group I was told to bring my friends on Wednesday nights for free pizza. Not that I think those things are bad. I love pizza as much as the next guy. But there has to be more than just evangelists and pastors and free pizza in the kingdom of God, right? I can't think of one time I've heard a sermon preached or a class taught on the role artists/designers play in the Church. I've been to a few conferences around "creativity" in the church, but that's mainly geared towards women who like to knit and crochet and make jewelry. That's not relevant to me or anyone I know who love Jesus and designs.

The only thing I've found remotely close to this topic is worship. People tend to lump in artists with musicians. To this day it still irks me a little when someone refers to musicians as artists. The two, albeit similar, have totally different perspectives. Don't get me wrong, I am all for using art and design as an act of worship. In fact, I think at the core of every painting, drawing, design is an act of worship. But the fact remains, the role of the artists has been a big fat gray area in the modern church.

Where have all the artists gone?

Seriously? Where did we lose our hearts? At what point in time did we put down our dreams and replace them with jobs? A job without vision is like having a heart with no courage, weak. But we've all been drinking the same kool-aid... grow up, get a job, get married, have kids, pay your mortgage, retire early, live comfortably, and try not to piss anybody off along the way. That way we can live a safe, cushy life and die happily in the comfort of a warm bed. Well I'm here to say that's a pipe dream my friend, one you can chase your whole life and never end up finding. Life is unknown. From one day to the next we don't know what's going to happen. Life requires faith. A choice we must make each day. And we need artists who will lead. We need artists who will mentor and disciple. I hope and pray that God would use me to teach and mentor others younger than myself.

Insecure and emotional

Those are two words that come to mind when I think of an artist. Why? Because that's often how I view myself. Often I lose sight of who God says I am and judge myself among my peers. This is one area in particular that I think has been overlooked in the church. And as artists we need affirmation that what we're on the right path. So it's of great importance that we come to align our hearts (and minds) with what our Heavenly Father says about us, and how He affirms us because of Christ.

Go to the source

Everything has an end and a beginning, except for God. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and Omega. He was and is and is to come. All things that were created in heaven and on earth were made by Him. He is the great I Am. So why do we settle for 2nd best? Why do we seek out dried up creek beds to drink from when there's a fountain of living water available? Why do we peruse the internet for inspiration when the source of all inspiration is knocking at our door? Why has the modern church been so lame in their attempts to be "relevant" to modern culture instead of leading the way for the culture? Because we don't believe that God really is who He says He is. We haven't asked for His help. We are pretty thick headed about doing things our own way until we run out of ideas.

So I want to ask the Lord for understanding in this matter. I want to know His heart for me as an artist. I choose to pray and ask for His inspiration over anything else. And I hope that as a church we will begin to acknowledge the artists among us and seek ways to meet their needs and encourage them. Just as God specifically called on Bezaleel to make the ark of the covenant (read Exodus 35:30-35), I believe He is still calling us today.


Update: I wanted to share this video I found that fits perfectly with my thoughts above. Please take a few minutes to watch.

Droid Life

For almost the past two years I have been stranded on the sinking ship of the U.S.S. Blackberry. Last week I made the jump on to the rescue boat that is Android. But what should've been a quick decision actually took a lot longer than I had hoped. You see, I always like to do my research before buying any type of new technology. Plus I had been holding my breath for most of last year thinking that Apple was finally going to release the iPhone on Verizon. And now since the water is muddy from all the speculation I decided to set my sites on something new and head for "open" waters.

Why Droid

When I first started my new job here at Fellowship Tech one of my co-workers had just picked up the HTC Droid Incredible. It was all the rage. His persistence in showing me all the cool things that Droid can do started to pique my interests. So I began to take notice of Droid and even spent a few lunch hours at the Verizon store getting some hands-on experience. I spent time looking at reviews and write-ups about the Droid X and the new Samsung Fascinate. But what they both offered in style I didn't feel they offered in stability. They seem to be all looks and no brains, especially with the decision to put Bing as the default search for the Samsung Fascinate (That made my heart sink).

So since I want to stay on Verizon and have given up on Apple getting out of bed with AT&T I feel that Android is where the future starts.

Why the Droid 2

From all the reviews I read there was one phone that kept being quoted as the best Android phone on the market, and that was the original Droid by Motorolla. At first this took me by surprsie, if for no other reason because of the qwerty keyboard. And I only say that because I used to have the LG Chocolate, and it was one of the worst phones I've ever used. So with the Droid toting around it's full qwerty keyboard as a big selling point, I was a little hesitant. But when I got some hand-on experience with the Droid 2, I was impressed by the upgrades they made to it and how solid it felt in my hands. Unlike the Droid X it felt more durable. I didn't like that the Droid X made the menu buttons clickable and how the camera bevels out from the rest of the phone.

Overall, the Droid 2 is one solid phone with incredible speed and a fully reliable keyboard. Just in the past week I have already found the keyboard being incredibly useful when typing out an email or updating twitter. If you're in the market for a new phone and value function over form then I would recommend going Android. But I know haters gonna hate, especially you Apple fan boys, but I have no beef with you. I would probably already own an iPhone if I didn't love Verizon's service and network. So to you all I say let's all just be friends, a phone is just a phone not a social ranking device. BOOM!

Typeface

I Love this Film

I really want to get people excited about this film. I just watched it for the first time and have to say it's truly inspiring. The art of cutting and setting type by hand is practically extinct. There are few people left that know how to do it, and do it well.

The film focuses on the history of the Hamilton Wood Type company in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. But it also branches off to tell the story of some young design students as well as a letterpress printing/design company in Chicago.

What really grabbed my attention though was the history of the Hamilton wood type company. It was established in 1880 and printed all the way up until 1985. Now it exists as a museum, but there is hope. There are type enthusiast out there that believe in this part of our heritage and are fighting to keep it alive.

What You Can Do

One of the easiest ways you can help is purchasing the film. You can order it here from the Typeface film website.

Another way you can help is by requesting a screening. You can make your request here. Or if you live in Dallas, I am hosting a screening in my home on Friday, September 17. Would love to have you join us.

Lastly, for all you big ballers out there, you can purchase prints directly from the Hamilton Wood Type museum. All sales go to support the museum.

Meditate

This is my first time making a screencast. But I wanted to show how I go from analog to digital. The process is something I get asked about a lot. I posted this design on dribbble yesterday and got a wonderful response. The word "meditate" comes from Psalm 119:15 and is part of my one19 project. So after seeing how much people enjoyed these I wanted to follow through and make these available.

You can now order the meditate button from my shop for only $5. Check out the shop here.