I love making lists. I have notebooks full of them. I start most of my list items with an asterisk. So much so, I’ve adopted the asterisk as one of my symbols (I have 31 which form my totem but that’s for another post). Each item also has a box at the end and I delight in colouring that box in when I’ve completed the task. I’ll even write a list item that I’ve already done just so I can colour in the box.
Lists help me to organise my world and also give me an illusion of control that I’m happy to buy into. However they also create a world where everything is definable and orderly and categorised which, if you’ve actually lived any life, is not the case. I like my lists but art and faith have both taught me that life is more about wonder and chaos and mystery.
In the early days of my faith it was important that I had the right theological answer for every question. In my creative life, poetry went in one place, stories in another, and illustrations in another; each had a different value. As I, hopefully, grow and expand as a person (and not just from beer and pizza) I’ve learned that, actually, everything is connected. There is no spiritual and secular; they’re the same thing. There is no higher form of art and lesser form of art; they’re all the same thing.
So, for me, everything is sacred (because I am a spiritual being) and every act of creativity is art (because I’m a mini Creator) and everything is connected. Faith informs art, art expresses faith, both reflect the person.
Obviously, I’ll still be making lists. Lots of lists.
youintheblue 