Art-centric Ramblings (or an excuse to show off my pictures)

I enjoy art. I also enjoy photography. I enjoy it because I believe that God is a creative being, and that is something that he has instilled in us. I believe that when God created this universe, he didn't just throw some random hydrogen atoms out there in hopes that they would become something. I also do not believe that God simply set in motion the laws of physics and chemistry that would result in a beautiful sunset or a breath taking nebula in deep space. I believe that God fully intended that the sunset should be made of radiant colors and dynamic shapes in the clouds that would reflect his beauty and that he hand crafted the nebula to display his awe-inspiring majesty, smiling the entire time.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. - Rev 4:11 (KJV)

Have you ever stopped to wonder why Jupiter has so many colors in it's atmosphere? Why does it's moon IO glow with active lava flowes? Why does Saturn have such impressive rings? Why do the northern lights fascinate us? Why does a gas cloud light years away capture our imagination? Why do we enjoy walking among the trees? Why do we give roses to the one we love? Is God telling us something about himself that goes beyond simply an expression of power and infinance? Is he expressing an artistic, creative, even emotional part of who he is?

I picture God placing each star exactly where he wanted it with a smile on his face. I picture him hand crafting the planets in our stellar system, taking increadible joy in the details. I picture God forming Adam, much like a master sculpter, and when he was finished, his proclaimation that it was good, not only in that it was according to his design, but because it was an expression of himself.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

-Psalm 19:1-4

So often we can focus on the might, the righteousness, the power, the purity and holiness of God to such a degree that we can forget that this is the same God who created laughter, harmonics and complimentary colors. We can be so focused on knowing the truth that our emotional response to what we may consider "right brained" aspects are almost ignored. We talk about the beauty of God in passing, but have we ever sat and contemplated that his beauty is infinate, and more than that, his emotional response is infinately perfect. The bible talks about God's anger as well as his compassion. If he created all things for his pleasure, then he has an ability to enjoy, which we know that he must because we were created with emotions as an intrigal part of our humanity, and in that we were created in the image of God. Have you ever stopped to look at a flower and consider that, according to Revelations 4, God enjoyed creating it?

The purpose of art is to provide a personal interpretation of the world around you. In otherwords, it is to imitate the already existing creation in such a way that it is an expression of yourself. Granted there are peices that are abstract or entirely from one's imagination, but even those are a demonstration of color, shape or ideas that are found in the creation, created by a natural mind. Art is created to be seen and interpreted by others. I believe that God is honored by our artistic endovours because it is an opportunity to display to the world the beauty of God. This is why I love nature photography. I believe that this universe was created to captivate us with the beauty of God, which it can become so easy to worship the creation rather than the creator.

So, in the end, I believe that art can be a form of worship in of itself if we come at it with an attitude that we are glorifying God. It is not simply a tool to aid in worship, but it is an expression of our enjoyment of God's beauty, his "right brained" aspects. So, I shall continue to draw, I shall continue to photograph, and hopefully it will be a fragrant offering to him.

End unorganized, rambling post.

So I've had this account for a while...

Whelp, here goes.

I've had this account for a while, and it remained unnamed and unblogged for some time. I've decided to change all of that and abandon my live journal in favor of something almost identical. Why? I guess I just felt like my LJ became too whiney and it was too tempting to keep posting the overly dramatic "my life sucks!" posts when I know full well that my life does not, in fact, suck.

I decided to name my little corner of the internet "Observational Mishaps" because it sounds somewhat profound, while still maintaining a feeling of whimsey, but also because lately several people around me seem to mistake certain words for other, completely different ones. Such as "...gently used blankets" becoming "...gently used hookahs". Or "excuse me" becoming "parsnip". I am just as guilty of this sort of phenomenon, and though I cannot explain it's sudden increase in occurance, I can say that it is still just as funny now, if not more so.

So, what am I going to use this blog for? Hmm... that's a good question. I don't know. Maybe I'll share some thoughts from the word. Maybe I'll share dumb moments from my day. Maybe I'll share an epiphany or two or a recipe that suddenly popped into my head. The one thing that I WON'T be doing is complaining about how my life sucks. Especially since, though it may not seem like it sometimes, it really doesn't.