To Strive For Excellence In Every Work

There’s nothing amateurish about anything he does.” – Todd Oldham

about Wayne White in “Beauty Is Embarrassing”

Is There Such a Thing as a Christian Artist?

These are not necessarily the words that come to my mind when I think of art from the Christian/faith realm. Our works of art usually come from a great intention and heart but so many times I think the Christian artist skimps on the excellence part (myself included.) That is not to say there are no great and outstanding Christian artists, or no great works coming from the Church but the majority of the art that challenges me and takes me to new places does not come from a Christian worldview.

Last week I watched the documentary “Beauty Is Embarrassing,” centered on the artist Wayne White. Wayne is an unconventional artist who was is known for many things like being a designer on the T.V. shows Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Beakman’s World and directing one of my favorite music videos, “Tonight, Tonight” by the Smashing Pumpkins. He is also a successful painter and puppet-maker, and a decent banjo-player.

Nothing Amateurish

Most of what he creates could be described as “goofy” or “idiosyncratic” and is based on humor. Some of it is crass or just really odd. What struck me though was the amount of work and perfection he puts into every creation. As the designer Todd Oldham put it, “there’s nothing amateurish about anything he does.”

I cannot help but be challenged by this statement. If I am going to create art that is true to the redemptive story of God, how can I dare skimp on excellence, hard work, and originality. One of my favorite verses in scripture says,

WHATEVER you do, whether in WORD or DEED, do it ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

-Col.3:17

This verse has always rang of excellence to me. Whatever you do, whether washing dishes, taking photos, teaching students, writing music, hanging with friends, watering the flowers…whatever we do, we can do with all of our might to the glory of God.

I want to strive for excellence in everything I create. Not for my glory but to point people to a beautiful story of redemption that is greater than any piece of art could convey.