Does Writing or Making Art Matter in a Hurting World?

 

In a world with so many problems, does writing or making art matter? Is it a worthy use of our time, or should we be using our gift of time to do something, anything else that has a more direct impact on improving the plight of those who are suffering?  That is one of the questions that Mitali Perkins ponders in Just Making: A Guide for Compassionate Creatives. 

I had seen Just Making advertised in a secular publication. I am always interested in reading books about creativity, especially creativity as a vocation, and so I requested it from the library. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this is a rather Catholic book. I tried to find out if Perkins is Catholic. I honestly don’t know. She was raised Hindu, converted to Christianity in college, and is married to a minister. However, she has taught at a Catholic college and her work is clearly informed by Catholic thought. A whole lot of saints are quoted in this book.

Perkins shares that she “wrote this book as a guide for creative people who are concerned about justice . . . Many of us want our labors to matter in the world—to create healing, repair, and goodness. We want our making to be just” (2).

She begins by discussing quilting and sewing, art forms that have traditionally been practiced by women for many years. I quilt as a hobby and was touched by her comment, that “while it may not be obvious to the viewer, a quilter is very much responding to the call to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ By creating a quilt that keeps someone warm, a quilter is serving others” (17). Cooking (something I do often but am not especially good at) is another creative gift. “Cooking for others is a divine art because it offers tenderness to frail and needy bodies” (33).

But sewing and cooking create practical items that provide tangible benefits. What about writing a story, painting a picture, or singing a song? How are those creative acts helping the world? “Art created by others builds our courage to live the just life. We read a hero’s journey in fiction, and it fortifies us to face our own all-is-lost moments. A song like Sara Bareilles’s ‘Brave’ can get us out of bed to face a tough day. Visual art can inspire us to innovate and attempt big, new things” (36). Perkins quotes fine artist Carol Aust, “Art is vital because the world needs beauty, community, truth telling, and joy” (54).

In the second and third parts of Just Making, Perkins explores the forces that work against us when we try to practice our creative gifts and how to keep making in spite of them. Yes, our art does matter, especially when we are called by God to do it. If you need some encouragement or inspiration to keep creating in spite of the challenges, I highly recommend reading Just Making.

This post includes Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking a link help support the author. Thank you!

Creativity in the Age of AI

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere these days. Like the advent of the internet before it, it is revolutionizing how we live, learn, and work. Unlike previous tools, however, it has the capability to create. Yes, anything it makes is based on what it has “learned” from other texts or images, but it can combine them in new ways and bring forth an innovative text or image.

Every day on Facebook, I get ads telling me how I can make easy money using AI to write books. Instead of using freelance writers, many companies are now using AI to create the texts that they need. AI is also being used to create videos, graphic designs, music, images for projects, and to code computer programs. As a creative person, it can be disheartening.

What is the point of creating if a machine can do it just as well (or at least good enough for people’s consumption) and more quickly? What does it mean if no one values my creative work enough to pay for it? These are questions with no easy answers, and I know I am not the only one wrestling with them.

However, creativity is written into our human DNA. We are made in the image and likeness of God, who is the ultimate Creator.  Whether we think of ourselves as creative or not, we create every day. Every act we do and every word we say is an act of creation, either working to build up the kingdom of God or tear it down. God invites each of us to cooperate with and continue the process of creation that He began. We are called to use the gifts He has given us for good.

In his Letter to Artists, St. John Paul II wrote, “Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.” No AI tool can take that God-given gift and responsibility away from us. How we use our creative gifts may look different, but the need to create is still there.

 

A while back, I wrote The Work of Our Hands: The Universal Gift of Creativity, a thirty-one-day devotional on the importance of creativity to human life and the many shapes creative gifts can take. In it, I wrote, “There are over seven billion people in this world. It is easy to feel insignificant in the face of that knowledge. Yet, each one of us has a part to play in God’s magnificent symphony of life. We each have a note that only we can hit. Our creativity and contribution are needed to make the world complete. The right use of our creativity is one of our gifts back to God.” Even in the age of AI, that still holds true.

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link.

Embrace Your Creativity - "The Work of Our Hands" Free on Kindle through Monday

 

I had the pleasure of going to a writer's retreat sponsored by CatholicMom.com this past weekend where I had the opportunity to meet many lovely women who also write for CatholicMom. One of them mentioned that she had read The Work of Our Hands and enjoyed it. I thanked her and mentioned that I was surprised because it was a book I truly loved writing but sold very poorly (25 copies over the past five years). She said, wisely, that we have no control over the fruit our work bears. Our job is to simply put it out there.

The few people that have read this book seemed to have enjoyed it, however, so I am offering it for free the next few days. Here is the official book description:

Do you think of yourself as being a creative person? All too often we compartmentalize creativity, making it the realm of artists, musicians, and writers. In reality, we are all called to be creative in some way. God is the great Creator. Scripture tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. As such, that creativity is an innate part of what it means to be human. We are all invited to contribute to the ongoing story of creation.

Written from a Roman Catholic perspective, this 31-day devotional invite you to reflect on the universal God-given gift of creativity and the ways that you can embrace that gift in your own life. 

 

Download The Work of Our Hands today at Amazon.

 

 

Interview on Creativity and The Work of Our Hands

It was an honor to be the guest today on The catholic Catholic podcast where I discussed creativity and my book The Work of Our Hands. It's never sold a lot of copies, but it is one of my favorite books.

 

 

(Ignore the ugly lock screen!)

Audio Books Now Available!

 Amazon has a new beta service whereby ebooks can be converted into Audible versions through automated technology. While I realize that these can't match the quality of a human narrator, I appreciate the opportunity to share my work with people who prefer audio books. Please click the links below to purchase audio, paperback, or ebook versions. Thank you!

 

The Life and Lessons of St. Zelie Martin

 

Discover St. Zélie and the important lessons she can teach us!

Although she lived a hundred and fifty years ago, St. Zélie Martin (1831-1877) was a modern woman. She was a working mother who cared deeply about both her family and her career. She struggled to balance all her responsibilities. She often worried. But she always put God first and strove for holiness in everything she did.

She and her husband, Louis, were canonized together on October 18, 2015. They are best known as the parents of five daughters who entered religious life. Their most famous child is St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, one of the Church’s most loved saints and a Doctor of the Church.

Together, Saints Louis and Zélie are role models for a holy marriage and Catholic parenting. St. Zélie is a spiritual friend whom today’s women can turn to in their times of need. Discover this holy woman and the important lessons she can teach us.

 

 

 

 

The Fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary

The Rosary is one of the most beloved prayers of the Church. Countless individuals over the centuries have turned to Jesus and Mary using this prayer, meditating on the mysteries, finding comfort in the rhythmic, soothing prayers.

The tradition of praying for a fruit, or virtue, as one meditates on each mystery dates back to at least the time of St. Louis de Montfort in the 1700s. Through a series of brief reflections rooted in Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary invites you to explore this practice more deeply as an aid in your personal quest for holiness.

A helpful appendix includes how to pray the Rosary along with the 15 Promises of the Holy Rosary.

 

The Work of Our Hands: The Universal Gift of Creativity  

Do you think of yourself as being a creative person? All too often we compartmentalize creativity, making it the realm of artists, musicians, and writers. In reality, we are all called to be creative in some way. God is the great Creator. Scripture tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. As such, that creativity is an innate part of what it means to be human. We are all invited to contribute to the ongoing story of creation. Written from a Roman Catholic perspective, these pages invite you to reflect on the universal God-given gift of creativity and the ways that you can embrace that gift in your own life.

Our Lady of La Salette: A Mother Weeps for her Children

In 1846, the people of the small town of Corps, located in the French Alps, had largely forgotten God. That was soon about to change. Our Lady of La Salette appeared to two peasant children, sharing a warning message of the importance of Sunday observance and respecting the name of the Lord. She told the young children to share that message with the world. It is a message even more needed in our world today.

Our Lady of La Salette: A Mother Weeps for her Children shares the story of the apparition, the seers, the message, and the secrets revealed on a rural mountain in France over 170 years ago. It also reflects on the importance of that message for our own time.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking a link help support this site!

Embrace Creativity in 2023

 

Amazon is currently offering my thirty-one day, paperback, full-color devotional on the gift of creativity, The Work of Our Hands, for only $4.35. I have no idea how long that price will last, but now is a great time to grab this book at a bargain!

Here is the book description:

 Do you think of yourself as being a creative person? All too often we compartmentalize creativity, making it the realm of artists, musicians, and writers. In reality, we are all called to be creative in some way. God is the great Creator. Scripture tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. As such, that creativity is an innate part of what it means to be human. We are all invited to contribute to the ongoing story of creation. Written from a Roman Catholic perspective, these pages invite you to reflect on the universal God-given gift of creativity and the ways that you can embrace that gift in your own life.

And some reviews from readers:

The author brought me inspiration and affirmation through this lovely little book. I took my time and savored each reflection. Each one includes both a prayer and an action. This is a book which doesn't have to come to an end, as it can be taken up and enjoyed all over again, and can continue to inspire our thoughts and our lives. - Margaret Myers

I do not think of myself as creative or as having any creative gifts. Reading this book has given me much on which to reflect. My creativity is not in the areas I would have thought were creative before reading this book. I cannot draw, or paint, or sculpt. I can write a book review, but that is about as far as my talents in those areas lie. My real talents, my creativities, lie in the ability to take care of others and to organize. I highly recommend this little book as a tool for anyone struggling to see themselves as God sees them. It has the tools to help you on that journey. - Christine Hebert

 Purchase The Work of Our Hands on Amazon!