I Didn’t Know How Much I Needed Makoto Fujimura’s Art and Faith

First of all, I want to say thank you for your patience during my mid-May to July hiatus.  I am back and moderately better than ever (or at least better than recent times).  I am sorry that I didn’t post my hiatus in the update section.  Having my own website is very new to me and I am still learning.  In the future I will remember to make sure you all know what is going on in the Nook.

Now, onward to today’s topic…

Makoto Fujimura’s Art and Faith is a deep dive into what it means to create, not only for yourself, but for the world around us.  It explores what the act of making is, what it takes to make with meaning and purpose, and why we absolutely need to do it.

I did not know where to begin with this book.  There is so much in this insightful work that struck a chord with me that it’s hard to even put any of my feelings to words.  This is the first non-fiction book that I am discussing in The Nook (though it won’t be the last and these types of books will most likely be given their own place here), and I don’t think I can review it in the same manner as the others. The only way I really feel that I can speak on this moving work is to share part of my own story.  Please bear with me.  To be honest, I am still trying to find the words to express myself even now.

Since childhood I have always wanted to be a performer.  I cannot recall a specific beginning or inciting incident sparking this desire; it has always been a part of me.  I found energy and delight and adventure on the stage, and the stage could literally be anywhere for me as long as there was someone to perform for.  When I was very small, this was acceptable to most of the people around me.  Art is the kind of interest that well-meaning people, at least people in America, see as a fun hobby that you may grow out of when you get to be a ‘mature, serious, sensible’ adult, or that you will give up on because a successful career (i.e. Hollywood fame and fortune) is hard to attain.  As I got older, there was less and less support for me in the pursuit of an artistic career, not only from family members, but from multiple directions.  Fellow classmates felt that I couldn’t be an actress because my strict religious observance wouldn’t allow me to be daring (amongst other things), and honestly, I can see why.  People from my church (and the broader Christian community in America) felt the same, condemning the hedonistic world of the arts altogether. American secular culture doesn’t do much better. Despite its seeming obsession with and glorification of tv, movies, books, music, etc., our society finds little concrete value in any of it, seeing all these things as mostly frivolous entertainment – something to be consumed and then be done away with.

None of these views ever really sat right with me, even though I wasn’t always conscious of it, and for many years I had no idea why. I never had a fellow artist of faith to talk about it with, nor did I have any fellow artists who wanted to talk about faith, so it wasn’t easy to flesh out my thoughts and feelings.  But art always seemed like more than what the people around me made of it.  The impulse to sing, to move, to act out stories – to do anything creative, really – never felt frivolous to me.  It has always been a need, and on some level, I truly believe that it’s a need that everyone has.  Not only to create in the way we think of most artists doing, but in some way or another, in every area of our lives, we all must be involved in the crucial and restorative work of creating.  Has there ever been a child that did not want to color or draw or build or dance or play? This comes from their very nature.  So how could something so innate to our being be considered frivolous? If God is a creator and his work is art, then why have Christians largely distanced themselves from deeply creative endeavors? And why does the secular world seem to feel that there is no place for faith in the arts, when so many works of art have faith as a central issue? Because I could never really answer these questions I have felt for years as though I am an artist and a Christian without a home.

And this brings me to the life-giving work of Art and Faith.  The thing about Makoto Fujimura’s book that I love the most, the thing that truly uplifts and feeds me, is the way that he lays out for us in convincing detail how art is not only necessary but should be a central part of how we experience our faith and our world.  We are made from the Creator’s artistry and it is imperative for us to live in this artistry.  It’s our way to love one another, to heal ourselves and others, to learn about our world, and to transform life for the future.  Fujimura reminds us, a society driven by industry and science and practicality, all very important, that life cannot thrive on these things alone.  In fact, he shows us how life cannot truly be lived well or fully without the gratuitous beauty of art.

I feel as though my words are failing me; I cannot fully articulate how I feel about this book.  I must rely on his words to speak for themselves.  I can only say that this book gave me something for which I was starving, even though I did not know how to ask for it.  I know that I haven’t described the book in much detail, but if I did, I would feel guilty.  This book in and of itself is a work of art and everyone deserves a personal experience with it. And I do mean everyone. If you are a Christian in the arts and feeling purposeless or vocationally/spiritually homeless, read this book.  I you are not a Christian or an artist, read this book. If you get anything at all out of this rambling I have done here, I hope it’s that you should read this book.

Have any of you already read Art and Faith? If so, what do you think of it? What are your creative outlets? What do you think the purpose of art and imagination is?  I would love to hear everyone’s stories about what art means to them. You can reach out to me on Twitter, Instagram, or even email me. You can also leave a comment below and get the conversation started.  One of my goals is to make this a space where art and creativity can be openly talked about, so feel free to talk here. Just keep it classy.

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See ya next time! – Cozie

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