an excerpt from: Preface

An excerpt from: Preface

...All sorts of greed, pride, impatience, covetousness, envy, arrogance, immaturity, slothfulness, self-seeking, judgmental attitudes have robbed artists from experiencing the full measure of pleasures that God has for them through art, and instead they’ve bred this motive of creating and displaying art in order to experience the superficial and ultimately unsatisfying pleasures of self-exalting, observer-dependant, titillating expression. Of course that’s a generalized overstatement, but only in its degree of accuracy for each individual.

We probably started drawing or making music in innocent pleasure when we were young, but it didn’t take long for the heart to be taught to perform for men in its artistic expression (understanding here a difference between “a performance” as in a concert or presentation, and “performing” referring to a motive of seeking various forms of praise). There is a polar difference in motive between performing for the praises of others as opposed to artistically sharing or giving or testifying or blessing others with what you have been enjoying in the arts. When, in the arts, we stop giving and sharing and blessing, that is when we really stop receiving a full and complete joy and satisfaction in our artistic labors.

If you have a heart, you will be tempted to find your satisfaction in your labors in the praises of man, and you will find a measure of satisfaction from man, but it will not quench your desires. If you continue on that path, you will forever be an artistic, nomadic mess. But God is able to change a heart from stone to living flesh (Ezek. 36:26). God is able to tune our ears to His praises and align our motives to His motives. He is more than able to give us inspiration beyond what we are able to artistically handle. And when He does, we begin to experience the full beauties and pleasures and joys to be found through art as He intended, in His loving-kindness, for our enjoyment. “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him” (Eccl. 2:25)...

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excerpt from The Affections of the Heart in Art - a wrestling for the full pleasures in art Jason Harms