Being able to exhibit for SPEAK! was great, but if you want to read about that, you can go to http://www.speakcreative.com/news. Because I was exhibiting at the conference, I was able to attend all of the keynote sessions (the exhibit halls were deserted during this time), and I came away from the collective experience understanding that there truly are people in the church who are passionate about bringing the Gospel to the masses, specifically using media. No, it wasn't the cheesy GodTube presentation of media. The entire conference focused on helping Christians make excellent media, whether it was specifically Christian media or not.
Some of the videos that were presented were absolutely spectacular. Skills that, in all honesty, I didn't think the Christian community possessed were on display, and it was incredible. Once again, my skepticism in the creativity of God was swept aside in an instant. As I was reminded many times throughout the keynote presentations, the Church used to be a bastion - in fact THE bastion - of creativity. Consider the beauty of stained-glass windows, the awe-inspiring works of the Renaissance that present the Gospel and the sheer volume of architectural advances brought on by the building of cathedrals. I don't know exactly when we began to drift away from highly valuing art - perhaps it was a natural response of the Reformation, perhaps the Puritans who settled in America never really allowed it to flourish like it might have on the Continent, maybe we just wanted to spend some time away from art.
Whatever reason for our long divorce with art, I pray and, if it were possible to create change just by force of will, hope that the divorce is coming to a close. Seeing some of the art that came out of the Echo Conference, I certainly believe the quality of work is excellent and inspiring. As our new Michelangelos and Titians emerge, surely not everyone will love their work. However, it is my fervent hope that the church would view their work and see opportunities to improve and diversify the media that filters into the world - always, above all, striving for excellence.
I've rambled on for a while, so I'll go. The next time you feel urged to pick up a brush, a camera, a typewriter (or laptop), a guitar or any other instrument to create art - think on how you can do it more excellently than before. After all, as DaVinci modeled, you can be good at more than just what you originally planned on doing in life.
With that parting thought, I'll leave. I'll also probably come back and butcher this post because I've changed my mind or otherwise become embarrassed for thinking I've thought more deeply on this subject than anyone else...
