Art Practice
Art, whether we are viewers or creators, has the ability to move our souls because it draws on images born from the inner womb of silence. … Hidden in the images is the truth of the artist, the truth of us, the truth of human life, the truth of God. In art practice that truth is not pushed down our throat against our will. Rather, it sweeps across us as real as the wind across a North Dakota plain and we have only to stand in its midst to know its reality.
When we do art practice we enter this reality of God and ourselves on a regular and consistent basis. It requires a willingness to be confronted with images that may leave us feeling uncomfortable or questioning, uncertain or incomplete. Art has a way of creating chaos within us because images are often so much more potent than words. To engage in art practice is to place ourselves in a space that is filled with interior vulnerability. The practice is not about going to an art museum. Nor is it the experience of creating a beautiful product to show to our friends. It is about letting the art itself—viewed or created—lead us to a deeper place of union with God. That will always involve some level of chaos, some level of vulnerability, some level of trust.
—From Strength for the Journey: A Guide to Spiritual Practice
Written and read by Renée Miller
Photography by Diane Walker
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