The Artisan Soul
McManus, Erwin Raphael. The Artisan Soul. HarperCollins, 2014.
In The Artisan Soul Erwin McManus takes the conversation of faith and art to a whole new level. . His thesis for the book is that ALL people, whether or not they see themselves as creative, are “both works of art and artists at work.” He bases his argument on his understanding of what it means to reflect the image of God, offering the insight that we reflect God’s image by being creatures capable of imaging futures and bringing them to life. The simple act of physical creation is not enough - bees create hives out of instinct, ants build ant hills in order to survive. What makes humans stand out is the ability to look beyond instinct, ask the question “why” and change the narrative we find ourselves in. Building on this argument, McManus states that our lives can be an incredible work of art if we allow God to transform us, and if we are willing to use the restrictions placed on us in a positive way.
Something I really appreciated about this book was the careful consideration McManus gave to the composition. Being a book about art, I was struck with the clear attention to detail and intentional crafting that was involved in the layout and structure. McManus begins with his broadest arguments, his universal truths and then as the book progresses he becomes increasingly more detailed and personal - building on the previous chapters to construct a well organized and well thought through argument that the best possible Christian life is also the most creative.
I also really appreciate that this book is not just for artists. McManus is a pastor and a futurist, he creates film and briefly dabbled in fashion design, but he approaches the conversation of art and faith from the perspective of an entrepreneur and speaker, not someone who has had a career in “the arts.” As such his ideas of art go farther than most artists addressing the topic. He speaks about an encounter where he saw the dentist approach his work as an artist, and how much better of an experience it was than a run in with a common dentist. He also doesn’t say that every person needs to create art to be an artist, but instead says all people need to find what resonates in their soul, what makes them happy, what brings them closer to God: this way we turn our lives into works of art.
The Artisan Soul offered a different perspective on what art can be, speaking of the intentionality of an act as what makes it “artistic” instead of the results, and crafting an argument for all people of the importance of continuing to explore their creativity as an absolutely essential part of their faith. This is an argument I wish more of the church would be willing to consider. The future that McManus crafts in this book is the most beautiful picture of the church I can possibly imagine.