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Gentle and Grounding Art
104 Plays1 year ago
In this episode I discuss art that is gentle, simple, and has helped keep me grounded this year! Often we pay attention to those works of art that are challenging, important, or groundbreaking, but sometimes we just need something simple and restful that helps us reconnect with our humanity.
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Transcript
Welcome and Episode Introduction
00:00:03
Speaker
Hey friends, welcome back to Artists of the Way.
00:00:05
Speaker
I'm John the host and I am incredibly excited to be back at it with the podcast.
00:00:11
Speaker
I've got a really exciting lineup of guests coming up in the next month.
00:00:15
Speaker
I'm really excited to show you guys those but I am a little bit behind on recording them.
Meaningful Reflections for a Solo Episode
00:00:21
Speaker
So doing another episode with just me.
00:00:24
Speaker
I'm excited about this topic.
00:00:26
Speaker
I was thinking about it
00:00:28
Speaker
trying to figure out do I have something to talk about?
00:00:30
Speaker
I don't want to talk about something if I don't have something to talk about.
00:00:34
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And so I was just sitting doing some work and I had this book that I'm reading sitting on the the counter next to me as I was working.
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And it kind of sparked this idea.
Introduction to Grounding Art
00:00:46
Speaker
Today we're going to talk about
00:00:49
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what I'm going to call grounding art, art that's helped keep me grounded through 2024 and what that has looked like.
00:01:03
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It's kind of a nebulous concept in my head, but it's been a very chaotic year.
00:01:12
Speaker
A lot has happened.
00:01:13
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Godspell obviously has happened, which has been wonderful and amazing and such a blessing.
00:01:18
Speaker
But, you know, there were challenges with that, as there always are with shows.
00:01:23
Speaker
Things came up, things happened.
00:01:26
Speaker
But then just personally, one of the most challenging years I think I've faced...
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In a long time, I was talking to my wife earlier this week, and we were like, let's rank the last five years by how crazy they've been.
00:01:41
Speaker
2020 was the lowest on both of our lists, which I thought was funny.
00:01:46
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But this year was my top.
00:01:48
Speaker
It's really, there's been a lot going on.
00:01:50
Speaker
And so normally...
00:01:52
Speaker
If you know me or if we talk for any length of time about art, you're probably going to get the picture that I tend to be somebody who likes some challenge in my art.
00:02:02
Speaker
I want something meaty.
00:02:03
Speaker
I want something angsty.
00:02:04
Speaker
You know, I love talked about Logan before and Hamlet before.
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And gosh, I don't know.
00:02:12
Speaker
I'll...
00:02:14
Speaker
I tend to go to a piece of art where I'm like, by the end, I want to be like feeling like really wrecked or destroyed or want to come away like profoundly impacted or, you know, that's an aspect of the world I haven't personally seen.
00:02:26
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So that was really challenging and all these kinds of things.
00:02:33
Speaker
And then this year.
Shift from Nonfiction to Fiction
00:02:37
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was just absolutely crazy.
00:02:39
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And so I started thinking about, I was trying to read some more books, actually, was kind of how this started.
00:02:46
Speaker
Because I'm trying to write this fantasy book.
00:02:49
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So in general, I'm trying to keep listening to or reading fantasy fairly regularly, so that I kind of
00:02:58
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know the world a little bit like of fantasy and you know I'm putting in taking in the art form so I can put it out right which is newer for me because I'm not very good at reading fiction which is weird since I love art so much but I very much tend to be
00:03:17
Speaker
There's something about reading that tends to has tended, I should say, to connect with sort of the left brain analytical side of me.
00:03:27
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So usually when I'm reading, I'm reading a nonfiction book about theology or about art or about acting or about, you know, somebody's life story.
00:03:38
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any number of things.
00:03:39
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But it's usually nonfiction that I can get through.
00:03:42
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But I've been making a concerted effort to get into reading fiction and to get better at that.
00:03:47
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So...
00:03:51
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As I was kind of working through this, trying to figure out, okay, what's going to be my next book?
00:03:55
Speaker
One called I Cheerfully Refuse came on my radar through the rabbit room.
00:04:02
Speaker
And it was pitched as kind of this sort of near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi kind of thing, but it's just about a dude sailing across Lake Superior to find his wife.
00:04:12
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And I was like, well, that sounds interesting character-wise.
00:04:15
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Sounds like it's an interesting setting.
00:04:16
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Let's give it a go.
00:04:17
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You know, it had a hook, which usually is the thing that's kind of drawn me into fiction.
00:04:24
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So I jumped in and was struck by a lot of times it really did not feel very post-apocalyptic or near future.
00:04:30
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I would just kind of forget about that aspect and just get drawn in with the characters.
00:04:35
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And then something would happen and I'd be reminded of it.
00:04:38
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And it was an interesting world.
00:04:39
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So...
00:04:41
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And like all the elements fit together well, but I kind of forgot and just started to fall in love with the pros of the book, which was not something
00:04:54
Speaker
Or it's at least rarely something that's happened to me before where I've read a book and I've just said, man, the way this person writes and the characters that they write are really beautiful and resonating with me.
00:05:07
Speaker
So that was new.
00:05:08
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So I was like, OK, I'm going to try another one of this guy's books because I really liked it.
00:05:13
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Let's see what else he wrote.
00:05:15
Speaker
And the next one I read was this one, which I've now bought.
Character-Driven Storytelling
00:05:19
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And I have a prop.
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So if you're watching, excuse me, reading the podcast.
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I'm going to type it out into a novel form for you now.
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Speaker
Now, if you're watching, this book, Virgil Wander, was the next one that I read of his.
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And it was even less of a John book than what the other one was, because while the other one was a little post-apocalyptic sci-fi, this was about a dude in a small town in the Midwest who had gotten in a car accident, so he had short-term memory loss, felt like a kind of new person and like he had a new lease on life, and...
00:05:52
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He owned a movie theater and that was kind of the hook.
00:05:54
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There was like a second hook a little bit later where this gentleman from, oh gosh, somewhere in like Scandinavia came and was looking for his son who'd lived in the town for a little while who the guy knew.
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But it was very, very, very, very light on plot.
00:06:12
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Not that things didn't happen.
00:06:14
Speaker
They did.
00:06:15
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But the hook was the characters.
00:06:19
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And I think even more than the last book, I really fell in love with just this very cozy, simple book about people just living their lives.
00:06:31
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which is weird for me just in a book specifically like in a play i love that movie i'm i'm all here for that uh it's not usual that i would gravitate towards that in a book but i really did um a lot of it i think uh the author's name is life anger i think a lot of it has been his prose um but it just really did hook me so now i'm reading uh his first book so i've been working my way backwards through his uh
00:07:00
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discography, but book form.
00:07:01
Speaker
What is that?
00:07:02
Speaker
I don't know.
00:07:03
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His catalog, his catalog of books that he's written.
00:07:06
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And Peace Like a River I'm also enjoying, but is even less of a John book because it's got like kind of like some like Western kind of feel to it, but it's in
Embracing Cozy and Restful Art
00:07:16
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the 60s.
00:07:16
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And there's no way in heck that I would have ever pegged that I would be reading a book that kind of revered cowboys and the like.
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But here I am.
00:07:28
Speaker
And the thing as I've been thinking about those that's really struck me was
00:07:35
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there's like three words I've distilled it down to.
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My wife and I have talked a lot about like being in a cozy story kind of era.
00:07:42
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She started it.
00:07:43
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And then I think I really picked that up where it was like, especially the books we were reading.
00:07:47
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It was very much like, this is a cozy book.
00:07:51
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It kind of feels like you're curling up next to a fireplace and it's crackling and you've got some hot cocoa and
00:07:59
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And you're reading and just can kind of relax into it, which connects to my second word for it, this idea of restful art or art that we're resting in.
00:08:14
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And then I thought about how that's been used in my life over the years, years this year.
00:08:20
Speaker
And that led me to the idea of grounding art.
Grounding vs. Challenging Art
00:08:23
Speaker
So let me talk about my idea a little bit.
00:08:26
Speaker
first now that I've given my story about how I got here.
00:08:31
Speaker
And then I'm going to talk about what art I think has done this for me this year, because I have found myself very much in a season kicked off by these, this book, I think, where most of the art that I've consumed
00:08:45
Speaker
has really primarily been this sort of restful, cozy, grounding art.
00:08:52
Speaker
It's simple.
00:08:53
Speaker
I shouldn't say simple, but it can be simple.
00:08:57
Speaker
But it's not world-ending stakes or someone's life falling apart.
00:09:02
Speaker
It's not tragic or Shakespearean or like a thriller or something I would normally gravitate towards.
00:09:09
Speaker
It is kind of just...
00:09:13
Speaker
I guess a simplistic setting, uh,
00:09:17
Speaker
and just very normal down to earth day by day type stuff.
00:09:22
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Um, at least that's the feel of it.
00:09:25
Speaker
Obviously you'll see not all of those fit into that category.
00:09:28
Speaker
Um, but that art has really been ministering to me this year and has been, I think, one of the things that's helped to keep me somewhat stable amidst God's spell and life changes and, uh, frankly, a lot of hurt and pain from different places.
00:09:45
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Um,
00:09:47
Speaker
So what is grounding art?
00:09:50
Speaker
Let's get a little philosophical theoretical here because I've been talking about my life too much.
00:09:59
Speaker
I have always tended to think that or be as an artist this challenging artist, like I said.
00:10:11
Speaker
And a lot of times I think I tend to
00:10:16
Speaker
de-emphasize or maybe even sometimes put down the kind of art that is just simple.
00:10:25
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That's the only word that I can kind of think of that is not profound and challenging, that doesn't maybe necessarily have this
00:10:34
Speaker
greater sort of thematic purpose behind it, right?
00:10:37
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Like, I'm like, oh, you have to have some meat on the bones and you want to challenge people or get people to think or feel really deeply, which these have made me feel really deeply, these works of art this year.
00:10:52
Speaker
But in so doing, I think I have...
00:10:55
Speaker
looked at stories that are just about people in their lives, where we are right now, and the simple things, and sort of put them on a lower tier of art in my brain, right?
00:11:06
Speaker
Like I have a high art, low art kind of differentiation, where I'd be like, Hamlet is like...
00:11:13
Speaker
peak, right?
00:11:15
Speaker
My gosh, so good.
00:11:17
Speaker
Uh, this romantic comedy mid as the kids would say, low, low on the art bar, you know, yes, there's art in it, but like, it's like lowest common denominator type stuff.
00:11:31
Speaker
But then I'll also watch and enjoy a good rom-com as well and have done that for a while.
00:11:36
Speaker
So maybe I'm just a bit of a hypocrite, but we all are.
00:11:40
Speaker
Um,
00:11:44
Speaker
So I think in meeting these, I wasn't expecting them to be as impactful as they were, right?
00:11:51
Speaker
Like I was like, it'll be something to occupy my drive home to listen to the audio book or that I can read on my vacation.
00:11:57
Speaker
But they just kind of snuck in and were so incredibly relatable.
00:12:04
Speaker
And then again, just so incredibly restful, which has been strange to me because I don't tend to think
00:12:10
Speaker
That's not true.
00:12:10
Speaker
I was going to say I don't tend to think of stories as restful, but I do.
00:12:14
Speaker
There are stories that I would go to and say, this is a story I feel like I can rest in.
00:12:20
Speaker
But it's very rare, right?
00:12:22
Speaker
Usually if I'm thinking I'm going to rest in a work of art, I'm going to think I'm going to sit and meditate on a painting or I'm going to listen to a symphony, you know.
00:12:34
Speaker
Something like that.
00:12:36
Speaker
But rarely did I think I'm going to get this novel about somebody in a small town and me being the action hero loving guy that I am.
00:12:43
Speaker
I'm going to be able to just kind of rest in it and take it in slowly.
00:12:47
Speaker
Yet I have been able to do that.
Spiritual and Human Connection through Art
00:12:51
Speaker
So I wanted to pick out a couple of things that I think were.
00:12:56
Speaker
sort of, um, hallmarks of all these pieces of art and then talk about a little bit about the ones that did them.
00:13:03
Speaker
So first I've noticed this kind of art has slowed me down.
00:13:07
Speaker
Um, I think all of the works that I'm going to name that have grounded me have slowed me down.
00:13:15
Speaker
Um,
00:13:16
Speaker
which has been especially important this year because basically every part of my life has been running on all cylinders and going and going and going, right?
00:13:24
Speaker
I'm trying to produce this big show and I'm trying to cope with life changes and I'm trying to keep the podcast going and keep, you know, plugging away at school and all these things.
00:13:35
Speaker
And then I crack open this book or I listen to this song or I put on this movie and I
00:13:43
Speaker
in the way that it's written or the way that it presents itself or the subject matter, just approaches everything in such a gentle way that I am able to put down the phone, put down the textbooks, put down the spreadsheets for Godspell blocking, all of that, and just meet it where it's at.
00:14:07
Speaker
and take off my burdens a little bit and let it take me where it's going to take me.
00:14:12
Speaker
And I think in that, God is actually really the one taking me somewhere, right?
00:14:19
Speaker
Yes, the art is working in me, but it's really God and then the art and God is using the art in me.
00:14:28
Speaker
That has definitely been true time and time again with these works.
00:14:33
Speaker
And not necessarily in huge profound ways, just in simple ways of that idea of come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I'll give you rest.
00:14:44
Speaker
Take my yoke upon you for it's easy and light, right?
00:14:46
Speaker
Like you don't notice the easy and light thing.
00:14:49
Speaker
It's just there and it's easy, right?
00:14:52
Speaker
It's not, it isn't this big mountaintop breakthrough thing.
00:14:57
Speaker
The very nature of something being easy and light
00:15:01
Speaker
is that it's, you know, you maybe don't notice it.
00:15:05
Speaker
It just feels like there's a little bit of a weight off.
00:15:08
Speaker
And you know, maybe that's not how you operate 24 seven.
00:15:12
Speaker
That's not how I operate 24 seven.
00:15:14
Speaker
Definitely.
00:15:16
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Um,
00:15:18
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but I think we can find that in little pockets in these pieces of art.
00:15:23
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So I kind of did my second one there, which is this art lets us or has let me rest.
00:15:28
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So I'm not coming to this art to do work or to go on a crazy emotional journey that's going to leave me life changed.
00:15:38
Speaker
I'm just coming to this beautiful aesthetic place
00:15:44
Speaker
grounding piece of art that is gentle and I'm resting in it.
00:15:51
Speaker
Aesthetic is, I think, an important word as well there, where I think a thing that's tied all of these together as well is there is a very strong aesthetic to them.
00:16:01
Speaker
So it's not just... And that kind of goes without saying, I guess, with art, right?
00:16:07
Speaker
Art is an aesthetic thing.
00:16:08
Speaker
We're making the world more beautiful and making our lives more beautiful and...
00:16:14
Speaker
all of that.
00:16:15
Speaker
But if for these, it seems like the aesthetic rises up another level, right?
00:16:22
Speaker
So you could have a play, uh, where, you know, you just kind of do it in a room and the aesthetic doesn't matter, right?
00:16:30
Speaker
Like if you have this really pared down traveling play, uh,
00:16:35
Speaker
I've been in some.
00:16:36
Speaker
You can just take it anywhere, right?
00:16:38
Speaker
Maybe you have a couple boxes, but you could just be wearing everyday clothes going somewhere.
00:16:43
Speaker
And the aesthetic maybe is not as important of a thing there.
00:16:49
Speaker
Even though there could be aesthetic in the writing, directing choices, all of that, right?
00:16:54
Speaker
But for the sake of argument.
00:16:56
Speaker
Versus something like our town has a very particular aesthetic of bareness, right?
00:17:04
Speaker
They're like, we're going to pantomime everything and very minimal set, but that creates a specific aesthetic that you're walking into.
00:17:12
Speaker
There's other shows where the set will come out into the lobby, right?
00:17:15
Speaker
And so you're walking in and it's like, wow, I'm in this world.
00:17:18
Speaker
The aesthetic is there.
00:17:20
Speaker
The aesthetic is becoming more important to the art than like the story or what the art is saying, this and that.
00:17:27
Speaker
And I guess I would define aesthetic in this context
00:17:34
Speaker
I maybe am now realizing that I don't know what the definition of aesthetic is, and I feel like I should look that up.
00:17:40
Speaker
In this context, I would define aesthetic as sort of the general feel and tone of what something is, right?
00:17:49
Speaker
And the word I keep thinking of is vibe.
00:17:56
Speaker
Oh, well, here's a... Okay, I pulled up the definition.
00:18:01
Speaker
as an adjective concerned with the beauty or the appreciation of beauty as a noun, a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement, right?
00:18:11
Speaker
So there's...
00:18:13
Speaker
Everybody would have like these sort of guiding principles to it.
00:18:18
Speaker
Sometimes though that might be more noticeable, the aesthetic that you're going for and the principles that you have, a la our show where the set is coming out into the lobby and is a key part of it, versus the aesthetic is still there for that traveling show that doesn't have any set, but it may not be the first thing you notice.
00:18:37
Speaker
You might not be noticing that beauty and those principles that they've underlined to create the thing, right?
00:18:44
Speaker
So it doesn't necessarily feel as strongly like you're entering into an aesthetic artistic work.
00:18:53
Speaker
But sometimes, you know, in that version, even though you are, whereas when you enter into that lobby, you're immediately greeted with the aesthetic of the work.
00:19:04
Speaker
That was a long tangent, right?
00:19:06
Speaker
But I think it is in that for me at least that I've been able to find I'm able to slow down because there is this beautiful tapestry foundational thing that's been built that is beauty, beautiful, whether it be prose or music or a soundscape or a performance or direction or, you know, cinematography, painting, whatever, lyrics, all of that.
00:19:29
Speaker
Um,
00:19:33
Speaker
I have found that when I'm able to enter into that, I'm able to rest and I'm able to slow down and say, okay, I am sort of surrendering myself in some sense to the guiding hand of the artist.
00:19:44
Speaker
And that's cool because that means I don't have to work at this.
00:19:47
Speaker
I can just kind of be.
00:19:52
Speaker
Thirdly, it gives me space to connect with God through the thing that I'm doing, which I talked about again a little bit earlier.
00:20:00
Speaker
I'm just lumping all my points into one, but I do really feel like in these things, in very simple, minute ways, God guided me through things.
00:20:10
Speaker
I think if I'm to turn it into a profound thing, I think God was just connecting me with my own humanity maybe a little bit more, which I definitely...
00:20:20
Speaker
needed this year because I can have a tendency to get like tunnel vision and really just be work, work, work, right?
00:20:27
Speaker
And kind of become a machine of just work.
00:20:29
Speaker
So on that aspect, I really needed that.
00:20:31
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But then on another aspect, when I get really overloaded with emotions, I can stuff them down.
00:20:35
Speaker
I can, you know, just kind of shut everything out, get into that tunnel vision mode for another reason.
00:20:43
Speaker
Um,
00:20:44
Speaker
So I think having things that continually kept me connected to my humanity, I suppose, was just a really important thing this year.
00:20:55
Speaker
And sometimes that's a huge revelatory thing.
00:20:58
Speaker
I don't really think it was for me.
00:20:59
Speaker
Like for this, it was just these simple moments in these pieces of art that made me feel small, simple things.
00:21:08
Speaker
or bigger moving things, but, you know, it was this sort of gentleness towards the emotion that reminded me I'm still alive, I guess, which I feel like is painting this year in very dramatic terms, and now probably everybody's wondering what's going on.
00:21:26
Speaker
I'm fine, everything's fine, just, you know, life drama and stuff.
00:21:29
Speaker
Um...
00:21:32
Speaker
So it did help me connect with God and what he wanted to do and work in my life, I think, in some good ways.
00:21:40
Speaker
And then lastly, gave me space to feel and to feel slowly.
00:21:44
Speaker
Like I said, I was able to just feel human and feel these simple, small emotions through these works of art.
00:21:51
Speaker
And it wasn't like the art was saying, you have to feel this now.
00:21:54
Speaker
I'm trying to get this across to you, right?
00:21:56
Speaker
It was just...
00:21:59
Speaker
Here is here's the work that we made.
00:22:01
Speaker
We're giving it to you.
00:22:03
Speaker
Let us take you along.
00:22:06
Speaker
And you feel what you want to feel.
00:22:08
Speaker
Kind of like doing good acting where you just go along with the story and what happens with your character happens.
00:22:16
Speaker
So those are I would say those four principles are the things I would.
00:22:21
Speaker
pinpoint as being the grounding art for me this year at least, which for me has been something that's been very gentle and very simple for the most part.
00:22:29
Speaker
It's slowed me down, it's let me rest, it's connected me with the divine, with God, and sort of like that
00:22:37
Speaker
spiritual world, I suppose, and what God is doing in me.
00:22:40
Speaker
Um, and it's given me a space to feel, and it's not pressured me to feel.
00:22:45
Speaker
It's just given me space.
00:22:46
Speaker
Let me do it slowly and gently.
00:22:48
Speaker
So what are the works, um, that have really
Impactful Books and Recommendations
00:22:52
Speaker
moved me?
00:22:52
Speaker
I'm going to talk to you guys about them now.
00:22:53
Speaker
I mentioned I Cheerfully Refuse and Virgil Wander already.
00:22:57
Speaker
These were two books were kind of like the big ones, I think for me.
00:23:02
Speaker
Um,
00:23:03
Speaker
So I gave the premise already.
00:23:06
Speaker
I just think the main care, it was first person, which is usually not something I go for in a book, but then I found I was really enjoying it in this one.
00:23:14
Speaker
Um, the two main characters were both men who were just really struggling with a lot of different stuff.
00:23:21
Speaker
Um, and I cheerfully refuse the main character really feels sort of like he's being, it's a real continent he's going through.
00:23:29
Speaker
Um,
00:23:31
Speaker
And he's doing this unorthodox thing of sailing across Lake Superior to try and find his wife, which is something he's not even sure is going to work.
00:23:40
Speaker
But in that all, I just really resonated with his struggle and with just, again, those simple, gentle moments of beauty that he had throughout.
00:23:49
Speaker
It gave us time in the details in a way that was not superfluous or gratuitous or frustrating, but was just...
00:24:00
Speaker
simple.
00:24:01
Speaker
This is how the world is.
00:24:03
Speaker
We, you know, these small moments of beauty, like things with seagulls on his ship that were not huge, but just he came up onto the deck of his ship and there's, you know, a group of seagulls just hanging out there.
00:24:15
Speaker
And it's like, oh my gosh, I haven't seen life in four days.
00:24:18
Speaker
And here's some seagulls just sitting on my ship, you know, and that's a whole scene.
00:24:23
Speaker
And it was just very simple and beautiful.
00:24:26
Speaker
And then Virgil Wanderer, I,
00:24:28
Speaker
I don't even know what it was.
00:24:30
Speaker
I guess just the relationships were really beautiful.
00:24:34
Speaker
They were all really, again, human people.
00:24:36
Speaker
This is the one I would really say helped me stay sort of connected to feeling alive and human.
00:24:45
Speaker
There is a little bit of a love story in there, which just brought me back to my own love story with my wife.
00:24:50
Speaker
And so that was really nice.
00:24:52
Speaker
And I just think
00:24:56
Speaker
everybody's reflecting on life in it because they're all in a stage of life where it's kind of transitioning.
00:25:03
Speaker
You know, they're like middle aged.
00:25:06
Speaker
They've lived one life already.
00:25:08
Speaker
It feels like especially the main character, Virgil, who's now got, you know, short term memory loss.
00:25:13
Speaker
And he's like, I don't like I remember broad strokes of my life and I remember who people are and I remember what I do, but I don't remember who I am and I'm kind of a new person.
00:25:27
Speaker
I think just that theme of new things happening, life going on, even in the midst of really like crazy, difficult things, um, and being able to like, just still be a good person, even when you maybe don't know a hundred percent who you are and are still navigating all of that, you know, that just all really resonated with me and was really nice.
00:25:51
Speaker
So, um,
00:25:53
Speaker
short book recommendation, highly recommend Virgil Wanderer.
00:25:56
Speaker
If you want a simple character driven, um, just lovely, gentle piece, or if you want something a little more plot driven and a little more intense, I cheerfully refuses really great.
00:26:08
Speaker
I'm trying to keep a minimal about what I say about both of them so that you guys can just take them and enjoy them.
00:26:14
Speaker
Uh, cause that was kind of how I did.
00:26:16
Speaker
I went in blind and they were both really engaging for kind of different reasons, but I loved the pros as well.
00:26:22
Speaker
And just,
00:26:23
Speaker
the voice of the narrator, of the author, really, which is also the voice of the character.
00:26:28
Speaker
Both times were just really soothing, lovely voices to sit in with a lot of interesting insights into things in the world going on around them.
00:26:36
Speaker
So that was really great.
00:26:38
Speaker
The next one I'll point out is John Van Dusen, who I've had on the podcast
Influence of Music
00:26:42
Speaker
before.
00:26:42
Speaker
You've probably heard me talk about him.
00:26:43
Speaker
He's, I think, my favorite musician.
00:26:47
Speaker
He's kind of this indie punk rock Christian artist.
00:26:52
Speaker
He's a little hard to pin down, but I last year really fell in love with his stuff, and this year...
00:27:00
Speaker
his album Marathon Days just really connected emotionally with a lot of what was going on, even though specific details didn't really match up for me.
00:27:11
Speaker
It felt like just the emotional drive of that, which he wrote in 2020, dealing with a lot of the political strife going on and questions around the church and what the church was doing and things like that.
00:27:24
Speaker
I think just a lot of those tensions...
00:27:27
Speaker
Um, I'm not, you know, I'm not struggling with the church personally, but other struggles I've had this year, I feel like it's mapped to pretty well, uh, emotionally, especially the song help me let go.
00:27:40
Speaker
Um, has probably been the biggest one.
00:27:44
Speaker
I feel like there was one more, so I'm just looking at the track list really quick so that I can remember what the other one was.
00:27:53
Speaker
Um,
00:27:55
Speaker
Help me let go and give back my heart and Marathon Days and be not far from here.
00:28:02
Speaker
Those are like the four.
00:28:03
Speaker
But if you need a music suggestion, I would highly recommend listen to John Van Dusen's Marathon Days.
00:28:09
Speaker
It's beautiful.
00:28:10
Speaker
It's a little bit angsty.
00:28:13
Speaker
But a lot of it really does feel like a genuine earnest prayer to God.
00:28:17
Speaker
And again, it feels simple and slow.
00:28:21
Speaker
It kind of oscillates between... I guess I shouldn't say slow because some of them are faster paced, but it kind of oscillates between the gentle slow vibe and the sort of
00:28:33
Speaker
chaos and angst and rush of our world today but that's kind of where I've been operating so for me that back and forth and like sort of this outcry of what's going on versus this gentle rest in God and kind of hope for the future and what is to come that balance was really lovely for me and just hit me right where I was Lord of the Rings I
00:29:00
Speaker
This probably comes as no surprise to anybody, but I love that story.
00:29:05
Speaker
If you've heard me talk about it at all, you probably know why.
00:29:07
Speaker
But I got to see them in theaters this year, and I got to see Lord of the Rings the musical in Chicago, which I'm dying to talk about.
00:29:15
Speaker
And I maybe have something cool on an episode with that, but you'll just have to wait and see.
00:29:24
Speaker
But I'm just going to be so cryptic.
00:29:28
Speaker
Those, that story, just those characters really hits me right in the feels, but getting to watch it in theaters, which I've never done before, after having just reread them last year, and then see a new adaptation of it with some beautiful music.
00:29:45
Speaker
has just let me connect to the simplicity of the characters again, which was really great.
00:29:51
Speaker
Like what I was going in for was, oh my gosh, I can't wait to see these epic battles on the big screen, you know, or this beautiful music on stage, which yes, was cool, admittedly.
00:30:02
Speaker
It's not like I didn't get that as well.
00:30:04
Speaker
But, and it could have just been as simple as I'm watching them all the way through without a phone, without any distractions, so I'm tuned in 100%.
00:30:15
Speaker
But just the beautiful heart of all of those characters, especially Frodo and Sam, and the struggle that Frodo is going through in that story has really resonated with me a lot over the last years as he's pushing through a lot of difficult circumstances and is not strong enough to do that and really only gets to the end of his journey through the grace of God in Tolkien's world.
00:30:37
Speaker
It's very subtextual, but it's definitely what Tolkien was doing.
00:30:40
Speaker
Yeah.
00:30:43
Speaker
That just resonated with me, made me cry.
00:30:46
Speaker
So if you haven't read or watched Lord of the Rings recently, I suggest doing so.
00:30:51
Speaker
Or you could listen to the music for Lord of the Rings the musical because it's really fun.
00:30:57
Speaker
Couple other artists, Josh Gerols has really... He's an indie Christian musician, kind of does a blend between folk and light hip-hop kind of stuff.
00:31:11
Speaker
Hip-hop is maybe the wrong word.
00:31:13
Speaker
But he's one I'd tried to listen to before, and I didn't love his voice.
00:31:17
Speaker
But then this year, a couple of his songs really just hit me, and I started just listening to a lot of his stuff.
00:31:23
Speaker
But At The Table...
00:31:26
Speaker
has really stuck out to me.
00:31:28
Speaker
Watchmen, which is a newer one of his stuck out to me.
00:31:32
Speaker
Um, oh gosh, there's one more and I'm forgetting what it is.
00:31:37
Speaker
Oh, man, I can't remember.
00:31:38
Speaker
But look up Josh Garrels as well.
00:31:40
Speaker
If you're not into punk rock, he's a little bit of a softer, gentler tone.
00:31:45
Speaker
John Guerrera.
00:31:46
Speaker
Oh, gosh.
00:31:47
Speaker
I'm going to mess up his name.
00:31:48
Speaker
John Guerrera.
00:31:50
Speaker
It's G-U-E-R-R-A.
00:31:52
Speaker
He's another one indie kind of folk.
00:31:56
Speaker
Not folk.
00:31:57
Speaker
Pop, maybe?
00:31:58
Speaker
I'm really bad at music genres, in case you can't tell.
00:32:01
Speaker
But his, again, is really gentle, soft, sweet stuff, some of which really resonated with me and where I'm at, I think, just with God and in my life.
00:32:11
Speaker
And then a hymn, because I've been trying to get a little bit more into hymns and choral music, which just choral music in general has been one of the things that I've been able to kind of rest in aesthetically and has been really beautiful.
00:32:24
Speaker
Um...
00:32:25
Speaker
specific choral piece that I've really liked.
00:32:27
Speaker
It's called Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest.
00:32:30
Speaker
It's a four, it has four movements and they're just, they're lovely.
00:32:36
Speaker
There's a sanctus type thing.
00:32:40
Speaker
One is based around the come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest passage.
00:32:45
Speaker
Can't remember what the other two are right now, but if you like choral music in any way, shape or form,
00:32:51
Speaker
Highly recommend just put that on in an afternoon and just lay on the couch or sit and just listen and drink it in with the sunshine.
00:33:00
Speaker
Really lovely piece.
00:33:02
Speaker
I have listened to that a lot this year.
00:33:04
Speaker
And then the hymn I was going to talk about, Be Still My Soul.
00:33:10
Speaker
has been uh one of the anthems of my year that and help me let go and be not far from here those two john van dusen pieces though that trio has really been like this is my it's not a battle cry it's not that strong uh this has been my uh anchor i suppose musically at least i've listened to those quite a lot um
00:33:37
Speaker
But just the idea that, you know, the lyrics are, be still my soul.
00:33:41
Speaker
The Lord is on thy side.
00:33:42
Speaker
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
00:33:47
Speaker
Leave to thy God to order and provide.
00:33:50
Speaker
In every change, he faithful will remain.
00:33:53
Speaker
It's such a simple refrain that we, if we've grown up in the church, we know, right?
Listener Engagement and Conclusion
00:34:00
Speaker
Oh, yes.
00:34:00
Speaker
God's with us.
00:34:02
Speaker
God's taking care of it.
00:34:03
Speaker
We don't have to worry.
00:34:04
Speaker
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:34:05
Speaker
Right?
00:34:05
Speaker
We know that.
00:34:07
Speaker
But that paired with music and I guess just rehearsing that over and over and over in my mind and in my heart and soul has been one of the major things keeping me grounded this year to know God is on my side.
00:34:23
Speaker
bear the cross in grief and pain, and I'm just going to leave to him to order and provide.
00:34:29
Speaker
He's going to remain faithful.
00:34:32
Speaker
And there's more verses, but every verse rings just as true for me.
00:34:36
Speaker
So if you are looking for a good hymn or a new version of the hymn, Sarah Sparks is the one that I've listened to the most.
00:34:43
Speaker
So Sarah Sparks' version of Be Still My Soul is what I will kind of cap that off with.
00:34:51
Speaker
So
00:34:53
Speaker
There's a bunch of resources from me because I feel like normally I don't give you resources.
00:34:57
Speaker
So I want to hear from you guys.
00:35:01
Speaker
What do you consider to be grounding or restful in your art, right?
00:35:05
Speaker
I've identified some things this year that have been restful and good.
00:35:09
Speaker
There's other things for me that can be, right?
00:35:11
Speaker
Like sometimes I need a good cry.
00:35:13
Speaker
Sometimes I need inside out and need to watch a catastrophe in a person's brain, right?
00:35:18
Speaker
Or a Hamlet and I need to watch someone's life fall apart.
00:35:21
Speaker
Sometimes that's what I need.
00:35:22
Speaker
But this year I've really needed this gentle, simple, easy, light, simple,
00:35:30
Speaker
grounding art that is deep and profound.
00:35:32
Speaker
It's not without depth, but it is just approaching me very simply and saying, here it is.
00:35:40
Speaker
You can just rest in the aesthetic and in what we've created and go on the journey and feel what you feel.
00:35:46
Speaker
So that's been it for me.
00:35:48
Speaker
What for you guys is the grounding art that you've taken in this year?
00:35:52
Speaker
What's kept you anchored?
00:35:54
Speaker
What's God used?
00:35:56
Speaker
for you to stay sane.
00:35:58
Speaker
Are there simple, gentle, beautiful things that you've engaged with?
00:36:03
Speaker
Or is there just art that surprised you?
00:36:05
Speaker
Like for me this year, maybe you are someone who's like, yeah, I tend to read, you know, historical romance or Amish fiction, you know, but this year I...
00:36:15
Speaker
watched a marvel movie and was deeply moved i don't know um or an r-rated tragedy and was like wow my life has changed you know i don't know i want to hear from you guys so go to our website artist of the way.com we've got a contact form on the main page scroll down
00:36:31
Speaker
You can put it in there.
00:36:32
Speaker
You can comment on Facebook, Instagram, or message me either of those ways.
00:36:37
Speaker
I would love to hear from you.
00:36:39
Speaker
And if you have specific things and you want to share them with the rest of our audience, send me a link to that.
00:36:45
Speaker
I'll post it on Facebook, on Instagram, and in our story and say, hey, this is the art that's grounded people this year.
00:36:51
Speaker
I don't have to go into details of how it's grounded you, but can just be like, here's recommendations.
00:36:55
Speaker
I'm going to throw these at you.
00:36:57
Speaker
I feel like my hand is very violent on the video now, so I'm going to stop that.
00:37:01
Speaker
Thank you guys so much for tuning in, continuing to listen.
00:37:06
Speaker
I really do appreciate it.
00:37:08
Speaker
I feel very chaotic when I'm making these, but usually they're out and you guys continue to return and listen and share your thoughts.
00:37:17
Speaker
And that means so much to me.
00:37:18
Speaker
This podcast has been such an incredible blessing.
00:37:22
Speaker
Godspell was such a blessing, but just this, again, it's a simple, gentle, rhythmic thing.
00:37:28
Speaker
But it is such a blessing.
00:37:30
Speaker
Can't wait to share our upcoming guests with you guys, especially next week's.
00:37:35
Speaker
Make sure you check back next week because it is maybe one of the interviews I'm most excited that I ever get to give.
00:37:41
Speaker
And it has something to do with Lord of the Rings, the musical.
00:37:43
Speaker
So check back next week.
00:37:46
Speaker
Thanks, guys.
00:37:47
Speaker
God bless.
00:37:47
Speaker
Hope you guys have a wonderful week.
00:37:49
Speaker
Thank you for listening.