Declaration ‘x
As an artist, I find myself bearing the natural responsibility of voicing my imagination and using my God-given capabilities to document the stories and voices of the people in my Village. My Village is the community of neighbors, friends, family, and strangers that my existence has had the opportunity to encounter. Discovering my purpose as an artist has led me to the understanding that it’s less about my style and what makes me different. And more about my responsibility to represent Christ by my stewardship and how I serve with the art. I believe that art is a gift from God, wrapped in a beautiful reminder that life is bigger than us. My role as an artist is to serve God first and then my Village.
The idea of “Human First” is not a contradiction to my “Serve God First” comment, but an extension of it. I struggle with comprehending the argument that someone being human is not a sufficient reason to share kindness with that person. Since our existence, humans have found a way to burden each other when we were meant to do the opposite. If I were to say that I believe in God but not show respect to a neighbor, I would be the contradiction. Often, Media Arts is used to ravage the character of a person, which I believe is an inappropriate use of the medium. As I continue my journey of documenting and representing people, I aim to never forget that they are Human First.