Irving Stone said,
“But then, no artist is normal; if he were, he wouldn’t be an artist. Normal men don’t create great works of art. They eat, sleep, hold down routine jobs, and die. You are hypersensitive to life and nature; that’s why you are able to interpret for the rest of us.”
Most people don’t understand the life and sensibilities of an artist, but we need artists. Pastors need artists to help them preach more effective sermons. Mentors need artists to illustrate lessons they are teaching. Our culture needs artists to create diversions and sometimes to ask the questions no one else is willing to ask.
Francis Schaeffer is reported to have said, “If God himself is creative, then our imaginations should fly beyond the stars.” All people unwittingly mimic God, but we often fear creativity. Christians worry about unholy imaginations. Others wonder if they’ll make a mistake and want to play it safe. But creative responses to problems and creative interpretations life lead the way to new solutions. Imagine if Da Vinci hadn’t experimented with flight. Or what if the Romans had discovered a way to manage public water and sewage?
Creativity is profoundly practical, but it also inspires. I’m going to begin exploring some aspects of creativity over the next several weeks and how they impact our daily lives.