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T
his is a really good question. It's one I've wrestled with a lot in coming up with a name for our church (see How we got our name). I have deeply wanted our name to speak something about who we are, and yet at the same time not be cryptic, exclusive, pretentious...all that stuff. A tricky balance. Here are some initial attempts at an answer...
My first response to that question is NO, Artisan is not only for artists. It is a community of people who believe that our very lives are our most important work of art. Everyone has a life, therefore everyone is welcome! We believe God calls us to live lives that -- like good art -- are not only inviting, inspirational and attractive to others, but also characterized by grace, openness, vulnerability and trust. Lives that tell an alternative story to the dominant ones we hear in our culture. (Even a cursory glance at the language and life of Jesus will provide concrete examples of what I'm talking about: the way he used parable & story, the idea of an upside-down kingdom, "You've heard it said...but I tell you..."... that kind of thing.)...
A second response, which falls on the heels of the first, is that we ALL create, whether we think of ourselves as being creative or not. Here's a great quote from Andy Crouch's
Culture Making
:
"...every human being who has acquired a rudimentary facility with language has uttered a completely original sentence: a combination of words that no one else has created. Creativity is not something just for 'creatives'--we all have given being to some sentence the world had never heard before, and may never hear again. In all likelihood, unless we are stuck in a dull job and have dull friends, we have done so this very day."
(p.104)
Third, while Artisan is open to all, we DO want to be intentional about creating a safe place for artistic and creative people. Artists often live on the margins of society, whether that be the church or the wider culture. The reasons why are many and complex, but a lot of them stem from one 'not getting' the other, and neither trying very hard to overcome such misunderstandings. By intentionally entering into a Christ community with artists (and people who love both them and their art), we seek to bring down these barriers of alienation and to continue inspiring people to create out of a common Story. In so doing, our hope is to participate with the Triune God as 'co-artisans', working to 're-make' the city of Vancouver so that it more closely resembles the image of God we were all created in.
Finally, having said all of the above, I FULLY realize that while this can
sound
good, the
true
test of whether Artisan will be "not just for artists" will be in the way we share life together. We will need to work to make sure everyone feels welcome and included, even though they may not perceive themselves -- initially -- as creative people.
NB
Written on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 09:15 by
Nelson Boschman
