- Be gentle and sensitive - "not because they're fragile but because they're vulnerable. When you're an artist, you constantly put yourself on the line." You must be especially careful to listen to their feelings and thereby gain their trust
- Love them - "take an interest in their talents and take an interest in them as people."
- Exhort them - "We need to urge our artists to achieve all they can for the glory of God, to fulfill their calling, to flourish in their giftedness. Listen to their ideas and their dreams and urge them onward. If you can't use something they do, urge them to do it outside the church, with your full support and blessing."
- Encourage them - "You don't have to tell them they're the greatest; just remind them that they're gifted and that God's using them in a mighty way. Artists really respond to encouragement . . . . If an artist falls short, be honest about his or her shortcomings, but reaffirm the artist's talent and future. Many artists go through self-doubt when they fail. They start feeling incompetent and wonder if they've lost their giftedness. Be there to tell them that one failure doesn't mean they can never be used again."
- Implore them - "We want the truth. If it's done in a loving way, your honesty will help us to be better artists. It will help us to live up to our potential."1
Mikey always says he doesn't know how to lead artists, but reading these points, I have to disagree :-).
1 Quotes from Noland, The Heart of the Artist, 264-69.
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3 comments:
As a composer - I totally relate to all those points. I like this dude. Especially on the honest encouragement when/if it's not suitable or up to scratch yet.
Thanks for blogging Fi.
Do you think these points differ from how you lead an engineer (say)?
Thanks guys.
Fiona I think everyone needs these things, but artists need them more than other people (well except for love of course).
I think this is for a few reasons: 1) artists tend to be sensitive and insecure (although the opposite can also be true); 2)the nature of their work means they are always exposing themselves; 3) because this takes a lot of emotional energy, sometimes they can give up striving to do their best and take the easy, safe, lazy option and 4) the vague, intangible and non-practical nature of artists' work means that they can easily doubt its validity.
All these things mean that artists need extra gentleness, encouragement and affirmation.
Does this sound reasonable? Please tell me if I'm missing stuff here.
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