Aspiring for the Aesthetic

Aspiring for the aesthetic

Why do we aspire for the aesthetic?

Why is the atmosphere or appearance of our environment so desirable?

I think the power of the aesthetic to inspire, the creative effort behind it, and the challenge of pooling resources to compile things in a way that is pleasing.

I think the heart of the hunt for aestheticism resounds with a deeper sentiment that resides in all of us. The desire, I believe, stems from a desire to see God in the physical realm. It explains why we find such solace, inspiration, and pleasure in searching out nature and the creation of God’s handiwork. I believe He has created us with a longing to discover this aspect of Himself in the natural world, not only to create aesthetic things with the means he has given to us, but to be inspired by it.

It is a similar concept to the line of thought behind the saying “imitation is the highest form of flattery.” We imitate the beauty around us in homage to the people who inspire us. For believers, that source, that inspiration, is God. The search for beauty inevitably leads back to Him.


One of my favorite photographers wrote this about her art: “All I wish to do is create. I was created to create. God is the ultimate creator, and He created us with the ability to create, ourselves. How cool is that? So I want to live my life creating, just like God.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Student Choice #1

This semester, I have found myself most Sunday afternoons feeling stuck. I don't want to use my mind and I don't want to move off my couch. Nothing seems to sink in past surface level and I would simply scroll through Facebook, not taking in any information but merely skimming. I heard someone once describe this feeling as the "fog of war." Battling with negativity, artificiality, and cynicism for too long leads to this lethargic state of in between, not giving up but not contributing, lukewarm in the truest sense of the word. I wonder if part of the solution to this "fog of war" is to simply be around something that is real. Something that is created. To feel the wind, even if it is bitter cold. To listen to a piece of music that is so beautiful or tragic that it brings tears to your eyes. To touch a tree or a blade of grass. To watch an ant crawl across the sidewalk. To see the sunset or to feel the rain fall. When I am surrounded by screens and walls and ...
Read more

Landscapes of the Sacred #2

In Landscapes of the Sacred, Ch. 10 discusses the tension between place and placelessness is Christian Spirituality. It discusses the two approaches to sacred place: kataphatic and apophatic.  Kataphatic rejoices in discerning the presence of God in the “thisness” of various places [place] while a pophatic: skeptical of an image’s ability to contain the mystery of the Holy [placelessness]. In one specific section, The Christian Imagination and a Theology of Place, Lane discusses how God is here, but not only here. He writes, “A theology of transcendance will never be comfortable with place.” He goes on to describe 5 “motifs by which the religious imagination is able to ‘create’ places or landscapes that become embodied means of experiencing the divine presence.” The first comes from John Calvin, he “spoke of the natural world as a theater full of wonders in which God’s glory becomes apparent..” The second is n ature as a ‘second book’ alongside scripture as a way to read the presen...
Read more

It All Begins With Praise - Phenomenology of Prayer

When talking about the elements of prayer, the author of The Phenomenology of Prayer claims that praise is where we need to start. Prayer is the "deepest decentering of the the self." Prayer should begin with adoration, acknowledging the power of the higher being. From the faith background in which I was raised, the idea of removing yourself from the center of the universe (humiliating yourself) and putting God at the center is how to live a spirit-filled life. Wholeheartedly yielding yourself to the Spirit is no easy feat, Galatians 5 explains that the desires of the flesh (personal projects) are against the desires of the Spirit (wholly other's projects). This ongoing struggle is the life of one who has faith in Jesus. The more time spent praising God in prayer, the more preoccupied one will become with God and submitting to his will, empowered by the Spirit, will then become our project.
Read more