To me, learning by faith and reason means to accept both rational thought and spiritual revelation as valid means of education. As faithful members of the Church, we can augment our temporal education with spiritual insights. I have found that the insights lead me to discoveries that extend the scope of my academic education.
As I strive to live the Gospel, and as I have watched others do so as well, I have seen exquisite works of art produced, no doubt under the inspiration of the Spirit. I have found that when I have created something of quality, it can usually be attributed to an idea that I probably would not have come up with on my own. Dare I suggest it be divinely inspired?
I really liked Elder Ballard’s quote from Blaikie: “A scoffing Raphael or an irreverent Michelangelo is not conceivable.” I could not imagine either of these impressive artisans producing works like “David” or the art of the Sistine Chapels if they were raucous, uncouth, and not striving to honor God with their craft. As aspiring Christian artists, we should also seek to honor God with our craft, and we will probably find our efforts blessed accordingly.
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say. But when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” This verse from the Doctrine and Covenants seemed to be an underlying message in the interviews with Jeff Parkin and Jared Cardon. They are proof that righteousness, a desire to create positive, engaging media, and hard work merit recognition by Mormons and non-Mormons alike. But the creators know that they didn’t do it entirely on their own.
I took particular interest when Jeff Parkin said, “there were just a lot of really miraculous things that happened in the making of the show. There was a lot of opposition, and then at the same time there were just all these blessings that would come.” Humility is an important trait for an artist, especially for one who desires heavenly assistance in creating the most inspiring and evocative media they can. It takes a circumspect artist to acknowledge divine in the midst of recognition and adulation, and such humble, grateful artists will find themselves in the spotlight for the right reasons, for God will honor their work.
Jeff and Jared are so awesome. They made me think about filmmaking in a totally new way. I like how the faculty here keeps repeating how us being Latter-Day Saints isn't something to hide, but it's something that makes us unique, and that's what this industry needs. It's so cool how they witnessed miracles in a way that I never expected. I like that you included the verse from Doctrine and Covenants, Mont. That really sums up our role as young filmmakers, but also as human beings. I'm glad you pointed that out because that is something that I still need to understand better. Our success in anything depends on us submitting our will to the Father.
ReplyDeleteMaking meaningful, spiritual films will depend on the strength of the Spirit that we have with us, so it’s important to strive for that. It will also require us to really look past the surface of the things we hear in the film classes we are taking to get the deeper and more valuable lessons (I’m thinking of Dean’s class especially).