The Art of the Gospel.

I have the strong opinion that learning by faith and reason go hand in hand. The prophets have said that from the best books, music and even movies we should look for words of wisdom. There is so many good things out there that we cannot be exclusive to the scriptures. There is no wisdom that compares to the scriptures. There is not doubt about that. On the other side, the Savior spoke in parables to make it easier for the people to understand. A movie can have the same effect. Our reason and logic allows to discern. Our faith allow us to act and believe. True wisdom come about when both are combined.
I was told once that there are two ways to appreciate a painting. You can look at it from few feet away. You can appreciate the colors and the composition. Also, you can look at it from very close, so close that you can see the composition of the paint. You can see the chemicals and even molecules that allow the creation of such a piece of art. That is why the reason I feel living the Gospel makes me a better creator. The Gospel helps me to see the painting from far way, and at the same time understand how it was created, from the composition of the paint to the combination of colors. The things I create have a deep meaning from the things that I learned from the Gospel. I love the blessing that Elder Ballard gave upon the artists. There is an amazing power that comes from the Gospel that only contributes to make art better.
Babylon or Zion? That is a hard question. I think that for our lives and to get to the Celestial Kingdom, we have to always choose Zion. Now, do we have to chose between representing Babylon or Zion as artist? It depends of our intentions. If I just want to get people attention, I may create something as Black Swan. If I want to create something didactic, I may choose to represent both. If I want to show people what they can achieve, I may decide to solely represent Zion. Personally, we have to choose between Zion and Babylon everyday, specially as artists because there is a unique beauty in both of them. Then, the Gospel comes along to remind us what we know to be true and where we have to stand at all times. Jer3miah is a good example of this.