by Chris Paige

Originally published as "Roots and Branches" column in The Other Side magazine (July-August 2002, Vol. 38, No. 4)

A few years ago, I joined a group at my church studying The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. At the first session, each of us was asked, "What kind of artist are you?" People responded that they were composers, painters, writers, poets, musicians, singers, dancers. While I enjoy some of these artistic pursuits, I had a different take on the question: I maintain that the primary creative act for each of us is the living of our daily lives.

The arts are too often viewed as a realm of privilege and luxury, wrapped up in a system of marketing and patronage that seems mysterious and inaccessible to the average individual. Meanwhile, daily life is relegated to the mundane -- removed of meaning, creativity, self-expression, and healthy or provocative emotional response. In this mode of thinking, "art" and "life," rather than informing each other, become isolated from each other in ways that damage both.

Yet one of the values of more formalized artistic processes like painting, singing, or dancing is that they teach us skills and ways of being in the world that are not only transferable to daily life, but essential to healthy living. Whether it's coming to know ourselves, learning to observe carefully, taking risks to be visible, discovering the values of experimentation or collaboration, getting our egos out of the way, or turning commitments and ideas into meaningful expression, the practices of art empower everyday life.

If we would appreciate the power of the creative in our daily lives, we must shift our thinking. Instead of viewing art as a "product" to be consumed or an "asset" to be accumulated, we must increasingly understand artistic expression as a vehicle for revolution and Spirit in the world. Just as religious and justice-oriented values help to focus our efforts in the world in more healthy and sustaining ways, artistic expression and creative processes nurture values that are essential to life.

At The Other Side, we are in the midst of wrestling with these realities. Having made a commitment to the arts an essential part of our "product," we are still working to better integrate creativity and the arts into the overall life of the organization. Even as we seek to strengthen The Other Side so that it might speakwith deeper relevance to a wider audience, we recognize that we must make intentional space for creativity and the movement of the Spirit.

This ministry itself is a creative endeavor. It takes tremendous creativity to operate as a faith-based nonprofit in the for-profit field of magazine publishing. It requires a great deal of creative energy to reconcile gospel values of abundance and grace against the economic realities of the marketplace, which are based in fear, scarcity, competition, and self-interest. There is an "art" to building an organization stable and predictable enough to survive in a volatile world, without compromising its ability to be moved by the winds of the Spirit and its willingness to risk all in pursuit of God's call.

Nurturing creativity within The Other Side's commitment to faith and justice means more than just including high-quality visual art in our publication. It means deepening our understanding of how the arts might be more a part of each of our lives, immersing ourselves in the power of creative endeavor in ways that resource and empower transformation. May the Spirit of a living and creative God guide us.

© 2002 by Chris Paige.