Idol vs Icon

I have struggled with the purpose and the reasoning behind "The Artist's Way" class that I taught this past term. But Dave just sent me a link to an article in Comment Magazine by Alison Wilkinson on Marion's distinction between the idol and the icon. She then links this distinction to social networking technology and our use of this technology.

It is strange, but she seems to get to the heart of my hopes for this class. It is not the creative act itself or self expression or even our participation in artsy things that moves us toward the 'spiritual life.' Are we moved past ourselves and are we moved past things and activities toward God? How does our practice and presence in the world move us in this 'transcendent' direction, yet at the same time not leave care for ourselves behind?

Creativity is a practice that moves in both of these directions. We are taken out of ourselves yet at the same time, through our encounter with art or creation or with the creative process we know ourselves. We can only know ourselves in the light of our encounter with others. Sometimes that 'other' is a painting (e.g., Rothko or Piccasso) or it is another person or experience (e.g., the therapeutic moment). But if we linger with the painting or the person or the moment too long, as if that is the very thing that we are searching for, then we slide into idolatry. The moment of transcendence is lost.

This is why I define 'spirituality' in relational terms rather than in experiential terms. To have a spiritual experience is not to have a spiritual life. We might be transformed in the moment, but it is how we live and practice life after that moment that truly transforms us.

Thus, spirituality is practice, it is what we do day to day and hour to hour. Creativity is a practice that can either turn us inward upon ourselves or open us outward toward others. But I would like to think that our participation in beauty (of all sorts) calls us outward into the world. We feel ourselves opened toward others and toward new experience. As this is a primary agency of the Holy Spirit, then we can identify how God works through our creative and artistic impulses in the world. We are moved into the world to make meaning and to create beauty in unlikely places.

All this to say, I think this is what the class was about... perhaps I am still attempting to articulate the mystery of life in the Spirit. We are creative beings who are moved by the Spirit. But do we have ears to hear and eyes to see what the Spirit is doing today and in the moment? May we be people of the Spirit. That is my prayer...