Im reading Blue Pastures by Mary Oliver and this quote jumps off the page and grabs me by my reluctant neck and says pay attention… I hope it will grab your neck as well..

“the most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to
creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and
uprising, and gave it neither power nor time”

What permission do you need to set aside time? I have one suggestion! Set aside June 5-9, 2009 for the Next Via Affirmativa Gathering in Colorado Springs

Gary Bradley

by Christy Tenant

If I paint more excellently than any other, but I do not communicate love in my painting, I am nothing more than an offensive noise; like Pavarotti accompanied by an out-of-tune piano: a mockery of the beautiful.

If I possess divine insights and wisdom, and even if I have strong spiritual fortitude, but I cannot speak the truth in love, I am nothing to boast about.

If I am generous with my art, my talents, and my creativity – exhausting myself for the sake of my craft – but the people around me do not feel loved or served in humility, I have accomplished nothing to speak of.

An excellent artist can wait for her moment, though years in the making, because she understands that recognition does not equal excellence; Van Gogh never sold a painting.

An excellent artist is kind; he makes his gift accessible and available to all who love and appreciate beauty.

An artist devoted to true excellence does not envy those who are more accomplished than she is, nor does she boast to those who have not accomplished as much as she has.

An artist of excellence does not reek of arrogance, nor does he have a reputation for being rude.

A truly excellent artist works well with others, appreciating the unique gifts and insights they bring to the table, rather than immediately assuming her way is the only way. (And she doesn’t get an attitude if the team decides to go in a different creative direction!)

An artist who is excellent does not secretly get a charge out of others’ failures, but rather encourages those who have tried and failed to try again. By the same token, he does not offer false compliments or patronizing feedback. He finds a way to be gently honest and constructively critical, because he values truth.

An artist or creative catalyst devoted to excellence in his craft sticks with it to the end. She doesn’t give up out of ego or pride or frustration or failure, but keeps hoping and believing in the source of creativity, turning frequently to that source for sustaining inspiration and grace.

Finally, an artist committed to excellence understands that creativity does not happen in a vacuum. Rather, it flows from a deep, rushing river, created by God and fed and filled by others who have been given the creative gift as well. The artist who stays close to the river and drinks often from it, by looking to and appreciating the beauty reflected in others, grows in ever-increasing excellence.

This artist is truly excellent.

One might say each artist is connected to the river from which all creativity flows, sometimes as a spring and sometimes as a tributary, and through this connection we have access to an ever-flowing source of inspiration, grace and hope, available to all who come to drink.

Christy Tennant, of the International Arts Movement

Colorado Springs, June 6, 2008
VAF Gathering

Post a comment for Christy here  and see the IAM website at www.internationalartsmovement.com

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

Just gimme a chance. 

I think that I could be

One of those that

Change the world.

I’ll turn them away from the dark side. 

I’ll make them see what’s right.

I’ll save them from the enemy. 

My victory is in sight.

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

It’s harder than I thought.

But a difference I will make.

I’m getting close

I can taste it.

But it doesn’t taste sweet

I thought it’d be sweet.

I’ve a sneaking suspicion

I’m failing.  Failing. 

Striving, trying

Seems I can’t do it.  I won’t do it.

I’ll just try to put on

The usual uniform

Try to figure this out

While I just survive.

I’m boxed into a corner, waiting for the final blow.

But I won’t throw the towel in

I’m still strivin’, tryin’

To own at least this corner.

Face You in this little corner

Until You back down. 

Let me be who I want to be.

Who do I want to be? 

I really want to be

I just want to be

Important.  Valuable. 

I want to accomplish something great.

But you’ve trapped me in this corner.  I’ll wait. 

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

Working, shopping, making babies, making dinner

Making not much, in my heart’s opinion.

I think I was made to do more than little things

But little things are all there are to do right now.

Learning to do little things.

Learning to listen, learning to root

Learning to be gracious, learning to give.

So many little things.

I’m sorry for ignoring the little things.

This was not my plan, but here I am.

Still. Being still.

Why won’t You let me go?

It’s foolishness, You know,

Keeping me, a warrior, in a cage.

Maybe I could win the battle for You.

But that wouldn’t be enough.

Not special enough, not good enough,
Unaccomplished, unimportant,

Never enough.

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

But here I am.

Still.  Just being still.

Just being Yours.

I’ve always been Yours.

And I’m starting to see

The most important I can be

Is Yours.

So I’ll trust You.

And when they ask me what I do.

I’ll try not to defend my existence with the things I do. 

I’ll try to be Yours in each moment.

Even in the little things,

Yours.

Sunita would love to discuss “balancing all the stuff we have to do in life, and how we feel about all those things in terms of identity. “

The Via Affirmativa Summer 2008 Gathering is over … but is the excellence? Not hardly.
This year’s 110 guests, from Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the U.S. filled the Colorado air with their music, art, drama, poetry and relationships, during our annual gathering held in the Springs. 

Featured guest presenter Makoto Fujimura shared with the community that
“We experience (re)generative creativity by serving people …
unless we create we don’t realize what we’re missing …”
What powerful words to this generation of emerging art makers! 

During the four day event, we saw these themes appear, which reveal to us the movement of the invisible in our midst:
1)      We celebrate goodness, truth and beauty
2)      We deepen our calling, at the intersection of faith and art.
3)      We integrate our lives, in community, in the context of the movement.
4)      We affirm the expression of the creative gifts through the making of art.

Another “Wow” moment from Mako came when he said “We artists can bring mercy and beauty to break into everyone’s every day life – it is an authority given to us and what we create matters and will last.”

The implicit parallel we draw from this is that we have gifts for a specific purpose, perhaps several purposes, but we are not the sole end of those purposes. When we employ our gifts, with excellence, while serving others and being open to relationships, the reality of generative creativity is realized, we are energized, and our purpose is fulfilled. Then those around us (and our audience) experience beauty & grace through our creativity.

Jim Petersen captured the attention of the gathering by sharing that
“We artists can be kind of like miniature versions of that burning bush that Moses saw and moved closer to. Once he saw that the bush was not being consumed by the fire he said, ‘I must go see this strange sight.’”

What a challenging adventure it will be to implement and apply all these great thoughts to our lives! One can not even imagine what impact they will have on our art -
May the Excellence Still Flow!

COMING SOON:

The lyrics to Sunita’s song “Ambition.”

A “Meditation on Excellence” written by Christy Tennant of the Int’l Arts Movement!

Did Mako actually talk about excellence? What does “the medium is the message” mean?
See how this year’s messages coalesced or talk about it! Explore ‘the End Beyond’ our time together - these and other attractions are, again, COMING SOON!

“Art encompasses the satisfaction of words well used.

Poetry and rhetoric and just plain stories are definitely part of our artistic heritage.

Most of life cannot be reduced to watertight propositions or exhaustively described.

Our finitude guarantees error, whether or not we realize our mistakes.

But from Homer onwards, words carry and describe our deep engagement with reality and our deep longing to transcend our daily contexts.”

Writers?  You may start your typewriters/laptops and create some art!

Thanks Donald

Live Music and Original art in NYC by Via Affirnativa.

Friday night, May 2nd, Via affirmativa and the All Things Project will open a month long art show in the All Things Gallery in NYC in the Village.

Go to www.gonetocarolina.org to see the details.

Each friday night friends of Via Affirmativa will be giving a live music performance. This Friday’s attraction, Singer- Song Writer Sunita Puleo performs.

During the month you will be able to see original work of Tim Postel, Dan Nelson, Eric McRay, and our own Gary Bradley. If you are in NYC try not to miss this event.

The Via Affirmativa Gathering 2008 just may be thee art event of the summer! Click the names to discover more!
 
Makoto Fujimura, the internationally celebrated artist and Presidentially appointed Counsel Member for the National Endowment for the Arts, will be with us all day Saturday, as we explore this year’s Summer Gathering Theme: The Redemptive power of Excellence.

VAF also welcomes Jamie Davis, the beloved Jazz musician, for a special performance! We are also pleased to have several well-known international artists from Europe and Asia who will join us as we reflect upon the Beauty and Power that eminate from excellent art!

Register quickly and let us worry about the details!

A few rooms are still available but please reserve your spot by April 14th!  Registration after that will continue but you will be responsible for your stay in Colorado Springs!