Words, English specifically, can be used so eloquently. They can evoke emotion, transport us to other dimensions, and make us see the world through the eyes and hearts of others. Words can be transformative. Language and the use thereof is one of countless ways in which we are human. How can we use this medium of words to help others grasp the emotion, grasp the reality and grasp the scope of the environment I breathe?
I think one of the most basic human growth techniques is process and practice. It sounds so cliché, even elementary, that with my collegiate degree and graduate work finished, that with my extensive biblical study I have concluded the same thing that children have a basic concept of. That if you want to get good at something, you have to practice, over and over and over again. Odds are the first time you will not be that great at it. Your work will not go viral right out of the gate. However, your first flop, your first failure is not something to hang your head to and wallow in self-pity in. Instead it is an education, the first of many baby-steps on the road called your life.
Writing is hard. I am not that good at it. I doubt myself constantly. But I guess that is what makes me human and an artist in general. Having an overly healthy amount of self-doubt and need for self-improvement keeps my head in clouds and my feet on the ground. Knowing, that my work can be better, and will be if I keep at it.
I was raised under the superficial guise of the “you can do anything” philosophy. It was spoon fed to us. An entire generation who genuinely believed that anything is possible is such a dangerous thing. We went to college, we dropped out, we continued our post-graduate education, and we were indebted to a dream that we could change the world. We became doctors and lawyers, we became teachers and bartenders, we had our ‘rainbow and sunshine’ reality shattered once we become self aware enough to see the problems that plague our world. Massive levels of income inequality, subtle racism no longer being subtle anymore, the destruction of the environment, and the corruption of our political process carried enough weight to break many of us.
I have always been socially conscious. I want to know why things happened, especially socially, politically, and how those actions/inactions affected the population or community at-large. I studied political science, and began to understand how corrupt our entire ‘democratic’ system was. I studied the rise and history of our cities. I saw tremendous progress over the 200 years of history that our great nation has endured. Which gives me tremendous hope for the future. I studied the design of City Planning, yet was frustrated by the lack of action that would improve life in the City, as well as the financial capacity of government to take care of its citizens. It was possible to improve our community and locally built environment that effects ordinary citizens in broad, overarching ways. Yet because of political action and a culture that was entrenched in their ways, it made any meaningful progress unattainable, or at least sloth-like slow, fighting to swim up-stream.
This is where I had an epiphany, a revelation, that facts and science do not change culture, but only reinforce already established belief systems. People do not actually use their brains to make logical decisions, they use their hearts, and they use emotional feelings to process what do in a situation. The saying goes; people will not remember what you said to them, they will remember how you made them feel. Ergo, if I wanted to change culture, the only way to do that was through art. Through art I can emphasize the keys to life I view as important. I can provide alternative views, and alternative ways of thinking. Through art I can breakdown social paradigms and take those sacred cows to the alter.
The problem with art is that it defies the vapid capitalist consumerism worldview that dominates western culture. It is not stable, its not secure, it is not traditional but it is impactful. Life is not meant to be stable or secure, nothing is constant or permanent, everything can change in the blink of an eye. Life is meant to be impactful, how are we changing the world for the better, what relationships are we cultivating that can foster the fruit of the spirit.
This journey is about that. Not only is it a trek around the globe, to see and experience and different cultures. This adventure is not only about shifting my own paradigms and providing new perspectives of the world. This journey is not only about learning about other Christian cultures, and growing closer to the Father. It is also about launching my own artist expression.
Writing is hard. Writing in general is hard. But I know that if I keep doing this, I can accomplish any of my goals. Writing will be single tool in my toolbelt of ‘art’, but it is something I need to improve on, something I need to grow in. It will be hard, it will be unorthodox, and it will be near impossible. But then again, nothing is impossible with God.
