Creators
As children of the most creative being in existence, we have been endowed with
the power to create. Our Father created our spirits. Our brother, Jesus Christ
created the entire earth and each of our physical bodies. It is little wonder
why we have such a desire to create – it is part of us. It is also little
wonder why Satan, the great counterfeiter, has such a hold on creative arts.
Lucifer has never created anything. He never received a body and does not hold
the Priesthood, nor does he receive the blessings of the Priesthood. Satan would
like to manipulate our gifts and persuade us to use them for his purposes. He
would have us believe that if we use our creativity for money, power or
popularity, we will be fulfilled and experience joy. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
When Jesus Christ created the world under the direction of our Father in
Heaven, it was not a self-indulgent act. He created the world to glorify His
Father, not Himself. All of His creative work was in an effort to further our
Heavenly Father’s Plan. Even during the Council in Heaven, the Savior said, “Thy
will be done, and the glory be thine forever.”
Fulfillment
The prophet Isaiah tells the story of a dreaming man who is hungry and eats,
but when he wakes up, his soul is empty. He then describes a man who is thirsty,
who dreams that he is drinking, but wakes up and is left thirsty still.
In some respects we can consider this world a “dream-like” state. The things we suppose will give us
nourishment and quench our thirst, most often leave us empty and unsatisfied.
The world offers its glitzy and glamorous form of fulfillment, as if it will
quench all of our desires. But when we have partaken of the world’s praise, we
will consistently find that it’s not enough. It leaves us empty and leaves us hungry
for more.
As artists, we rely on the reactions of others to determine
if what we’ve created is worthwhile. We find ourselves seeking approval from
the world so that we can gauge if our talents are sufficient or our contributions are important. We hope that the world will tell us that we are
brilliant, gifted and are set apart from the rest. But once the world offers
its voice – no matter if it praises us or criticizes us - we will always be
left one of two ways: empty or thirsty for more.
But this is not the Lord’s way. In Matthew chapter 5, the
Savior tells us how our souls can truly be filled: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled.” If we hunger and thirst for the praise of the world, we will
always be left wanting more. But if we hunger and thirst after righteousness,
we will be filled.
How can we direct our creative appetites toward righteous
pursuits? How can we use our talents in the arts toward righteous purposes? How
can we experience this feeling of being “filled?”
Consecrate
our Talents
As the Savior stated in Matthew, it is only through seeking righteousness that we can be filled. Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave an unforgettable talk about the good, better and best ways to use our time. I believe this can be equally applied to the way we use our talents. We can use our talents for the world for the sole purpose of making money and it can still be considered good. We can use our talents to uplift and entertain others which may be a better use of those talents. Or we can use our talents to lead others to Christ and to His gospel – which I would consider to be the best use of our talents.
The world has enough artists, actors, writers, dancers, filmmakers, musicians and creative thinkers. President Boyd K. Packer said, “It is sad but true that, almost as a rule, our most gifted members are drawn to the world. They who are most capable to preserve our cultural heritage and to extend it, because of the enticements of the world, seek rather to replace it…Unfortunately many of them will live to learn that indeed, 'Many men struggle to climb to reach the top of the ladder, only to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall.'"
Is our ladder leaning against the right wall? Is it leaning
against the “best” wall? Are we seeking the praise of the world or are we
seeking to do what many of us have covenanted to do – consecrate our talents?
Will consecrating our talents toward righteous purposes fill us?
Benefit #1: True Joy
I have been experimenting on both sides over the years and have found that when
I use my talents in an effort to bring people to Christ, it brings true joy and
fulfillment. Whereas, when I use my talents in an effort to indulge myself or
“be the best,” it leaves me thirsty still.
I have experienced the excitement of a standing ovation, but
an hour later I always feel as if I need to prove myself one more time. It is
never enough.
On the other hand, I have put my heart and soul into sharing the
message of the restored gospel through theatre and have been overwhelmed by the
impact it has on the lives of others and in my own life. A man
attended one of the performances and approached me afterwards. He gave me a hug
and wept for a long period of time. When he was finally able to speak, he said,
“I haven’t felt that feeling in a LONG time.” I will never forget that moment.
It meant more to me than any positive theatre critic review, any theatre award
or achievement. I was able to see the Holy Ghost working to change the hearts
of those involved, myself included.
Benefit #2: No Need to
Compromise Standards
I am certain that I am not the first member of the Church who has felt pressure
to compromise my standards as I’ve performed or directed. It is very difficult
to find clean material to work with, that still has the capacity to impact
people. Oftentimes, it’s either “fluff” or it’s inappropriate.
As members of the church, we have the opportunity to create
works of art that are meaningful and moral. Choices and their consequences can
still be shown, without spoiling the material or offending the Spirit.
We just need to pick up our ladders and move them to a new
wall. The wall may seem unoccupied at first – many people may be frequenting
the other walls, but that can change. We have the opportunity, with the Lord’s
help, to shape this wall, to create new genres, to try something different and
impactful, so that others will want to put their ladders against it as well.
Band Together
For those involved in collaborative arts like theatre, dance and music,
this may sound all well and good, but may still seem impractical simply because
in order to consecrate our talents, we need to find others who are doing the
same. We need to band together. We need to network with others who are
like-minded and who share the same vision for the arts and the gospel.
Institute programs,
wards and stakes are great starting points. I have been consistently
amazed at how much talent there is in a stake of the Church. Somehow, within
each stake, there are dozens of people who have worked to develop their talents
in various art forms. It’s just a matter of finding them and connecting with
them.
Give Stakes a Chance
Each of us has access to a FREE place to rehearse and perform! The only catch
is that the material needs to be clean and uplifting, we need stake permission
first and the performances must be held before our stake audiences. Every stake
center in this country is equipped with a stage! That is amazing. Dance
concerts, music concerts, theatre productions, art shows, etc. could all take
place on the stages within our stake boundaries. It’s local, it’s free, it’s
easy, it involves the people around us and has the capacity to change lives.
Unfortunately, stake events often get a bad reputation for
being cheesy or of poor quality. All of that can change. We can work toward
producing quality material for stake audiences. We can collaborate with other
talented people who desire to share their talents in a Church setting. We just
need to move our ladders and start climbing.
Go To
There are stories untold, plays unperformed, songs unsung, paintings
unpainted and films unproduced. Perhaps they are waiting for us to create them.
Through the influence of the Holy Ghost, we can work together to create works
of art that will glorify our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s
time to get started.
President Boyd K. Packer summed it up best: “Go to, then, you who are gifted; cultivate your gift. Develop it in
any of the arts and in every worthy example of them. If you have the ability
and the desire, seek a career or employ your talent as an avocation or
cultivate it as a hobby. But in all ways bless others with it. Set a standard
of excellence. Never express your gift unworthily. Increase our spiritual
heritage in music, in art, in literature, in dance, in drama.”
“When we have done it, our activities will be a standard to
the world. And our worship and devotion will remain as unique from the world as
the Church is different from the world. Let the use of your gift be an
expression of your devotion to Him who has given it to you.”
