How Free Are We?
Not too long ago a designer stumbled upon BLANK and commented that he wanted "to see what we Christians were up to." That comment has intrigued me ever since. What did he think we were up to? What should we be up to that is different than a designer who is not a Christian? Interestingly, the Apostle Paul ran into a similar situation almost 2000 years ago.
In the biblical book of Galatians, Paul, whom God sent to the non-Jews with the message of Jesus, met with the "old timers" (Peter, James and John) to explain to them the message he was preaching. While they were meeting together some folks who were not Christians "slipped in to find out just how free true Christians are." Weird. Stunning. You mean there was something about these Christians that made them so free that others would come check them out undercover? How free are we as Christians in design?
Am I free enough to pursue projects that don't pay well (or maybe at all), but feel are important to pursue? Am I free enough to spend time encouraging other designers when I'm short on time? Am I free enough to risk looking foolish with my client or my peers? Is there anything that someone would take the time to sneak in and look at to determine how free I really am as a designer? I fear not.
This is my hope for Christians in design fields: we would live in the freedom for which we are designed. And then that we'd design with the freedom worth living for. It is for freedom that we were set free.
So, I'd like to ask our readers, Christian and otherwise, what should we be up to? What would you expect design to look like/do/be for someone who is a Christian? I'd like to know.
In the biblical book of Galatians, Paul, whom God sent to the non-Jews with the message of Jesus, met with the "old timers" (Peter, James and John) to explain to them the message he was preaching. While they were meeting together some folks who were not Christians "slipped in to find out just how free true Christians are." Weird. Stunning. You mean there was something about these Christians that made them so free that others would come check them out undercover? How free are we as Christians in design?
Am I free enough to pursue projects that don't pay well (or maybe at all), but feel are important to pursue? Am I free enough to spend time encouraging other designers when I'm short on time? Am I free enough to risk looking foolish with my client or my peers? Is there anything that someone would take the time to sneak in and look at to determine how free I really am as a designer? I fear not.
This is my hope for Christians in design fields: we would live in the freedom for which we are designed. And then that we'd design with the freedom worth living for. It is for freedom that we were set free.
So, I'd like to ask our readers, Christian and otherwise, what should we be up to? What would you expect design to look like/do/be for someone who is a Christian? I'd like to know.
posted by fivemcclungs at 11:11 AM
8 Comments:
I'd like to be idealistic too, but what happens when the Christian has bills to pay? And the clients are demanding? And when the Christian gets home, she collapses on the couch in exhaustion even though she'd really love to get out her easel and paint a free, God-glorifying painting?
I don't mean to imply that freedom means all clients are wonderful to work with, bills get paid without effort, and we have boundless energy to go out and do something "Christian." I think the question here explores free in a different way. I wish I could express this freedom in clearer terms. Maybe someone can help.
Maybe it has something to do with defeating fear. This happened yesterday:
A woman who works in another (non-creative) department came in. "I need such-and-such a logo in a certain format. We're designing our own stuff now you know."
To my shame my first thought was "Design your own stuff are you, Ms. I-don't-have-an-art-degree-but-I-don't-need-the-creatives-anymore? Why should I help you?"
My coworker sat down with her. "Since you're using Photoshop yourself now, let me show you how we put logos in this format."
Instead of a threat, he saw it as an opportunity to educate her about what we do. There's freedom for you.
Hmmmm....
I think you're right. Fear is the primary thing that keeps us from experiencing freedom. I just finished reading a good book called "Lyddie" about the Lowell factory girls in Mass. during the early 1800's. There's an interesting comment that one of the factory girls makes about slavery (which they felt they were experiencing in working for such a large corporation).
"It is the nature of slavery to make the slave fear freedom." I encountered this fear (and still do) when I left my life in the corporate world for the great unknown. My coworkers and bosses all projected their fears on me about leaving the system. How will you survive? What will you do? etc. I had no answers. I just knew that I was going to walk to freedom. And that is the direction I'm still heading toward...freedom.
As a Christian, I think the design should be the one who sets the creative line... making it edgy, bold, pushing the creative limits... reclaiming creativity and innovation for God. What does that look like? It's different for everyone.
Well, yes, God designed us to enjoy the freedom. But, there is other side - evil. And evil has taken over slowly and is, unfortunately, ruling the world at the moment - if we apply this "money is root of all evil" sentence to it. Our freedom has been taken from us and we, designers, unfortunately have to work surpressing our creativity for the cause of money - if client is paying well and wants something UGLY, most of designers will accept that task - hey, we Christian designers get our monthly bills, aswell?
If Christian utility company stopped charging us Christian designers, then we would be able to design our freedom - in theory. Some of us don't have guts to give it all up, some do. The last ones are rare few. I am trying to be the one - no matter what client will pay me, if my freedom is at stake, I wouldn't endanger it for anything in the world. The worst thing is fear - we've got to fight it. Our inner strength must be stronger than the fear of the system we live in - we're all held captives of politicians we "choose". Democracy? Yeah, right. Ordinary people never had any rights, nor will, at least until Jesus comes again and saves us from the "good world of capitalism" we created.
99.9% of population lives to work and works to survive. That is sad. We all should rise up and do something. Ironically, I will quote someone who is all about money, but there is a point in his sentence: 50 cent said "Get rich or die tryin'". That can be applied to anything else. If you feel you've lost your freedom, freedom of creativity, freedom of choosing what, where and when you want to do something - you're slave. And in that case, I believe it's better to rise up and "Get freedom or die tryin'". As, be honest -- what is the point of meaningless life, being a slave to the system, living just to survive? No joy, no happiness, no creativity.
Look how far we've got to - we're not much more worth than a dozen of scared, hungry dogs, living in awful conditions, trying to please our "master" in any way, just to throw us a bone? C'mon, wake up, we can do much better than that, all we have to fight is FEAR. And, if you're true Christian, there should be no fear for you, as long as you're doing the right thing. Do not kneel in front of any human, they're not worthy -- drop on your knees only in the presence of our only Father and his Son.
Stand up, let your voice be heard, and in case you fail -- be proud, at least you TRIED it. 99.99% of people never will. Dust yourself off and try again, until you succeed. God loves those who stand up for themselves or their brothers, but hates pharisees, the majority, whispering behind "master's" back about changes, but not having guts to act.
Ok, enough from me. Some of you will probably say I'm crazy, some will say I call upon communism (as I speak against capitalism). None of you are right, but I won't justify myself. I've been in hell and I know what it looks like -- but I stood up and now I've got my express ticket back to the world of humanity, creativity and -- freedom.
Regards,
Luka
Luka,
I appreciate your words and encouragement. Tell us more about how you've been in hell, stood up and now have your ticket back to humanity. I'd like to hear your story as it looks like you're from Croatia. Shoot me an email if you don't want to share with everyone.
- Frank, Editor
I liked katharino's anecdote about being confronted with those who want to wrest design away from you even though they're not professionals. I made the mistake the other day of demanding control over a page when the manager could update it faster than me if not better. I think the person that offered instruction his further down the right path than I am.
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