I am a Jesus lover--a Jesus follower--pursuing the arts as a career.
And here's the thing, that may not faze some of you. But others of you are wondering, "How do you plan on doing that?" Because, let's not ignore the obvious--when you watch these awards shows for movies, television, and music or head to Broadway up in NYC or watch a live musical concert, you may not see a ton of believers. Christians, you may not see people who share the same beliefs as you. You may see the arts and see a world with a lot of "darkness." And my arts friends, you may see Christians as people who are very different from you. You may see people who don't usually agree with you on a lot of things. You see, the two worlds sometimes don't seem to mesh.
But allow me to tell you about my experiences with the two worlds. Because I'm deeply rooted in both. And deeply love love love both.
My first love--before anything anything anything--is Jesus. Let me say that up front. But, the Lord has clearly given me a passion for the arts. I saw my first theatre performance when I was in kindergarten and was mesmerized by it all. I asked my mom, "When I'm older, can I do that?" And I never looked back. Each and every time I walk into the theatre, I am overcome with emotion. I love the theatre and the stories told there and the people who tell them SO much.
Theatre people have this unique ability to be raw. To be real. People think of theatre and think of either happy-go-lucky musicals where the world is perfect or dark, strange theatre where you don't really understand what is symbolically happening. But the stories we tell in the theatre are not stories of perfection. The stories we tell in the theatre are stories of hardship, of tears, of smiles, of love, of life. Telling these stories requires immense amounts of empathy. Theatre people love selflessly. They strive to find joy. They dream. They seek to put themselves in not only the shoes, but the minds, of people so unlike themselves. They live. They live lives far different from their own.
Music, similarly, captured my attention early on. I played in orchestra, I sang (and still sing) in choir. Music people understand unity, because they understand that unity requires being aware of the people around them. They breathe together. They know that for beauty to exist you need lots of differences--melody, harmony, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, guitar, drums, piano.
The arts brought me into contact with people so unlike myself, yet the arts taught me that we aren't so different at all.
Get it? I love the arts. A lot. A lot. A lot. I love the people in the arts a lot more.
And to me, when arts teach us all that, why would I, as a follower of Jesus Christ, not be all about that? Why would I ever leave a place where stories are told, when I know the Author and Actor in the story that has greatest power in the world? Why would I ever leave a place where I can share that story and the joy it brings? Why would I ever leave a place that challenges me to see and think like other people that our Lord created so beautifully and loves so deeply? Why would I ever leave a place where people strive for unity and find the beauty in all the different parts coming together (like the body of Christ does)? Why would I ever leave a place where there are people? People who don't look like me, don't act like me, don't believe what I do--who aren't me. Why why why would I ever leave?
So I didn't. I didn't leave because I believe that I was created by The Artist. The Artist that handcrafted this big, bright beautiful world. And I believe that if the God of the universe felt that creating was important, we should too.
So, to my Christian friends: Thank you. Thank you for loving me. For supporting me. For going out and pursuing the passions that the Lord gives you. I ask you, don't question why I'm in the arts. Don't ask me if I'm aware of the darkness that exists. Don't ask me if I really think I should be in a place where people don't believe what I do. If we stay where people believe just what we do, no one else hears about our Savior. If we ignore the passions that the Lord gives us, entire groups of people remain unreached.
And to my Artist friends: Thank you. Thank you for loving me. For supporting me. For welcoming me and for allowing me to love on you like Jesus does, whether you believe in Him or not. I ask you, keep welcoming Christians into the arts. Don't ask them to mute their beliefs. Listen to them. Learn from them. Tell them your story. Tell them your life. If we stay where people believe just as we do, no one learns about our past. If we ignore the passions to create (whether you think they're from the Lord or not), people don't hear our stories.
Tell your stories. Tell your stories. Tell your stories.
This is mine.
The Lord has called me deeper and deeper into the arts and deeper and deeper into community for Him at church and deeper and deeper into His beautiful, selfless, sacrificial love.
And, WOW, it is wonderful to follow Him into this space. This space of being exactly where He wants me to be. He leads us where He needs us. Sure, there are hard days. There are days where I feel lonely as a Christian in the arts world. And there are days when I feel lonely as an Artist in the church. But there is not a day that I feel lonely in the arms of my Savior.
