A Review of L'Engle's "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art"

I think 2016 went out with a fizzle for me. I've been down about current national and world events and moods. And, ever the introvert, discontentment with external events is eventually subsumed by disillusionment about my own lack of apparent contributions to the betterment of society over the last 38 — better make that 39 — years. I've been down on my writing, parenting...wife-ing... friend-ing...Christian-ing. And, as it turns out, being down on myself does not translate into becoming a better version of myself. 

I begin 2017 thinking about many of the thoughts contained in Madeleine L'Engle's classic book on being a Christian creative.There's this little flicker of hope when I read Walking on Water, first published when I was 2 years old, and now reprinted in portable paperback form with a lovely sunny rainy cover and a nifty reader's guide at the end. I've been reading and re-reading this book for a few months now, hesitating to write my review because then I'll have officially "finished" the book, so packed with treasures, tips, observations, philosophy and theology.  In L'Engle's theology, creative work is a spiritual discipline— a prayer— and listening to the work is the same as listening to God. 

To work on a book is for me very much the same things as to pray. Both involve discipline. If the artist works only when he feels like it, he's not apt to build up much of a body of work. Inspiration far more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of the artist is to listen to the work and to go where it tells him to go. Ultimately, when you are writing, you stop thinking and write what you hear. To pray is to listen also, to move through my own chatter to God, to that place where I can be silent and listen to what God may have to say. But if I pray only when I feel like it, God may choose not to speak. (140)

Jonathan Malm's "Created for More" devotional caters to creatives

One of my favorite aspects to ponder about God is him as Creator. I like to think that when I have moments of creativity, the energy coursing through me is His Spirit, and that my times of dreaming up new ideas are like prayer times for connecting with my Creator God. The times I feel so close to His soft whisper are when I'm writing or envisioning a new children's book or even singing a made up tune as I wash dishes. I think God is in those moments, and I was excited to see a book written from this perspective.

Jonathan Malm, in his devotional Created for More: 30 Days to Seeing Your World in a New Way, hopes to "awaken the spiritual act of creativity" within us by pairing scripture readings, devotions and a creative challenge. I'm going to focus on this hands-on component of the devotional, because I think that's what sets it apart from most other devotionals. 

Malm seems to target those who work in creative professions, since the challenges often involve taking an existing work task and modifying it (cut your resources in half or move the deadline up) or looking at it from a new perspective (avoiding familiar techniques or creating your work in public). Most of the ideas have a clear tie-in to the particular focus for the day's devotion. For example, performing your art in public is paired with a devotion on being brave and resisting the urge to fear others' opinions.

"Salad Love" by David Bez a visual feast

David Bez writes at the beginning of Salad Love that it isn't a cookbook. Instead, this is collection of 260 of the most photogenic salads he made over the course of three years of preparing lunch at his desk as part of his personal goal of eating more vegetables, which eventually gave way to the challenge to document it in a blog called Salad Pride.  The recipes in the book, which cater to vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian and omnivorous tastes with an emphasis on crunchy raw produce, are simply lists of ingredients that Bez assembled at his desk. 

In addition to not being a cookbook--as there’s not a whole lot of cooking going on in the recipes--there’s also not a lot of text in this book. The first 30 pages feature the author’s guidelines for the proportions of produce, proteins, toppings and dressings that make up his ideal salad, the back story of how his personal dietary vision became a blog and then a book, and a cubicle tour of how he was able to prepare all these culinary feats at his desk as office mates salivated in the background.

Review of "Make it Happen" by Lara Casey

A little bit about me... I've wanted to write children's books for a few years now, and apart from The Way to Obey, I haven't been able to make the dozens of other ideas in my brain and in my journals happen. So when I saw "Make it Happen: Surrender Your Fear, Take the Leap, Live on Purpose," by Lara Casey, I thought it might be just the thing to help my failure to launch.

Casey writes this book, which is equal parts motivational coach, reflective workbook and memoir, in warm, colloquial language. The most addictive part of the book for me was reading Casey's account of how she battled an eating disorder in college, threw herself into a variety of careers post graduation, launched multiple businesses, struggled through two marriages and rediscovered her Christian faith, which she wrote about with honesty and vulnerability. The story also has a happy ending/new beginning: She now uses her businesses and consulting movement to help others employ their God-given talents in meaningful ways.

I think many readers might gravitate toward this book because they, like me, feel too timid to pursue their dreams, but Casey's story seems to have an opposite trajectory. "Make it Happen" seems to have been Casey's modus operandi. The sheer number of things she "made happen" was mind-boggling to me. She majored in acting, but jumped ship and became a top physical trainer before jumping ship again to get married and help her parents rebuild their Hurricane-Ivan ravaged home. On her honeymoon, she bought a domain name and her wedding consulting company was born. The story continues at this break-neck pace, which made reading it a bit of an edge-of-my-seat experience. (I'm not a big risk taker, if you couldn't tell.) Yet, Casey's low points, many of which were a result of her hasty choices and dogged pursuit of perfection, have tempered her Type A personality and redefined her concept of success. She now advocates setting boundaries on social media and work hours. She pulled back from her skyrocketing success and got off what she calls the "bumpy-scary-extreme-carriage ride" of work life to focus on her crumbling second marriage as well as her faith.

So, Casey's story is what really turned pages for me. But I believe the fourth section of the book, "Your Guide to Make it Happen" is what will be most useful to me this year, as I plan to make concrete steps toward publishing. In a nutshell, the final portion of the book guides readers with practical exercises for evaluating their lives, clearing the clutter, setting purposeful goals and taking action. Many of the questions and writing prompts sprinkled throughout the first three parts of the book reappear here at the end, probably because Casey knew many readers wouldn't stop to do them while they were busy reading her life story.

In conclusion, Casey's story and personality couldn't be more different than my own, but her concluding message rings true. I recommend this book to Christian women who often find themselves far from God in their many pursuits, but who long to trade life as a chronic overachiever and perfection-seeker for a grounded life with priorities in place and a focus on meaningful use of their gifts.

*Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for generously providing a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

Reflections on Brene Brown's "The Gifts of Imperfection"

This little book caught my attention with its lengthy title, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are: Your Guide to a Wholehearted Life. I'd heard that Brene Brown conducts thousands of interviews to find common themes and patterns among those that lead what she calls "wholehearted" - fulfilling, happy, intentional, present lives- and those who don't.

This book presents sage advice teased out of all these interviews, tightly packed into 10 "guideposts" on the path to wholehearted living, including self-helpy suggestions like cultivating self-compassion and creativity, Christian virtues like gratitude and joy and somewhat surprising suggestions like taking time to laugh, sing and dance each day. Though it's not a parenting book, Brown uses examples from her own life and her sometimes fragile balancing act as a working mother. I found myself contemplating my parenting more than any other aspect of my life as I read, largely because I see my own worst behavior in my children on those particularly imperfect parenting days. An idea shared by many authors of parenting advice books, Brown believes "where we are on our journey of living and loving with our whole hearts is a much stronger indicator of parenting success than anything we can learn from how-to books."

Some additional quotes from Gifts of Imperfection I've been chewing on:
Avoid wasting time on guilty pleasures... or addictions:

"In another very unexpected discovery, my research also taught me that there’s no such thing as selective emotional numbing. There is a full spectrum of human emotions and when we numb the dark, we numb the light."

The trap of comparison: 

"At first it seems like conforming and competing are mutually exclusive, but they’re not. When we compare, we want to see who or what is best out of a specific collection of 'alike things.'"
"The comparison mandate becomes this crushing paradox of “fit in and stand out!” It’s not cultivate self-acceptance, belonging and authenticity; it’s be just like everyone else, but better."

The importance of creativity:

"There’s no such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don’t."
"The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity."

Getting off the hamster wheel:

"If we want to live a Wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth."

In conclusion...

I liked the suggestions in this book. It's easily digestible, and most of the guideposts resonated with me. However, I found myself wondering "how to I actually do this? And how do I even remember to do all these things? And if I did do all these things, wouldn't I be perfect?" throughout much of it. While Brown's personal experiences were helpful and humorous, I craved some of the contents of those thousands of interviews with these mystical "wholehearted" people. I wanted to hear more of those success stories, to peer into their lives and see the guideposts in action. Obviously, this would be a different book altogether, and my craving probably couldn't be satisfied, as the contents of Brown's interviews are probably confidential. I don't doubt that she did find these patterns of behaviors and thoughts through out her careful research and analysis, but seeing some of the raw data would have been helpful to me. Perhaps I need to start collecting some stories myself.

"It's OK to be different" books for kids

It's been a little while since I've reviewed any children's books. I like to offer up a few recommendations in batches with a common theme. In this case, all four of these books use animals to teach children it's OK to be different, to go against the grain and express your truest self. And sometimes, the courage of one original helps free others from unnecessary conformity. As an added bonus, all of these books are lovely to look at, provide a good dose of humor and were enjoyable for my boys and for me even after several reads.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Tiger lives in a Victorian-styled town of hushed, buttoned-up, social norm-abiding animals. One day, Mr. Tiger does the unthinkable and sheds his dapper suit to roam free in the wild. Onlookers gape, friends tsk and mothers cover their youngster's eyes with their paws. But the once restrained feline can't resist this taste of freedom and adventure. Will Mr. Tiger be forever banished from civilization for following his inner urging? Will any of the other townsfolk ever experience the bliss of the jungle? I won't give away the conclusion, of course.

As a side note, I really like the clean, bright, geometric style of Brown's illustrations. If you enjoy Mr. Tiger, check out My Teacher is a Monster (No, I'm Not), which promotes acceptance, and The Curious Garden, which celebrates life in the midst of urban adversity.

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

The flip-side of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, the protagonist in this zany Willems tale secretly enjoys putting on clothes. As much as other naked mole rats deride Wilbur for his risque fashion statements (such as wearing a suit), he can't resist the feeling of fabric on his furless skin. Plus, he argues, when he gets dressed up he can be fancy, or cool.. or even an astronaut!  The story comes to a head when the mole rats appeal to their venerable leader, who questions poor Wilbur at a public hearing. Wilbur's simple response has a dramatic effect! This book helps open up discussions about doing things because we've always done them that way. It also allows you to discuss with children when it might be OK to buck the social norm.

Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Gaston is the oddball in his refined French poodle family: Mrs. Poodle, Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo and Ooh La La. Even though Gaston has trouble matching his sisters' abilities to Yip (not Yap) and to sip (Never slurp), he still enjoys the security of a loving home. One day, Gaston's identity is shaken as the Poodle family run into a Bulldog family, also with four puppies: Ricky, Rocky, Bruno and.... Antoinette, who happens to be a poodle. The moment is decidedly awkward, and without any discussion, Antoinette and Gaston trade places and families as they leave the park. Though Gaston and Antoinette look like they belong in their new arrangements, they struggle to truly fit in and miss their real families.

This story is a great opener for talking about how we can't judge others by appearances. All the characters in this canine tale come to the right conclusions at the end, making it a good book for talking about adoption.

Froodle by Antoinette Portis

Everyone knows that little brown birds are supposed to say "peep," but Little Brown Bird "didn't want to sing the same old song." When she busts out a boisterous "Froodle sproodle!" Crow tries to intimidate her back into the appropriate behavior for little brown birds. Little Brown Bird doesn't relent. In fact, she comes up with even more outlandish bird song until the entire neighborhood takes notice.

I think this is the only book of the four that I definitely enjoyed more than my boys. I've had this aspiration to become a bird watcher when I'm old and retired, and I pride myself on having a pretty good ear for bird calls, so the subject of Froodle piqued my interest immediately. But educationally, this book opens up a discussion about experimentation, facing peer pressure and perhaps even observing animal behavior in nature.

Robot Reading Round Up

My older boys love all things robot.  They've watched Pixar's Wall-E and DreamWork's Robots dozens of times. They can spend (ahem) hours (ahem) manipulating digital robot creations with the free app "Robot Lab" from Toca Boca. They create tangible robots out of Legos, cardboard boxes and themselves. Joe and I have tried to channel their interests into literary and educational books. Here's some of our favorites:

Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino is a playful story of a young robot who begins his day dutifully downloading his daily ration of information until a cooing pigeon on the windowsill beckons him to go on an impromptu field trip. Once unplugged, Doug explores a bustling city, eagerly absorbing sights like the panoramic view from the top of a skyscraper, sounds like a screaming siren, and sensations, like squishy wet cement under his feet. He also helps a new friend and learns a life lesson about love. My three-year-old, Rockam, likes to point out the robots interspersed with human city folk in the stylized urban scenes. I enjoy the bright, retro illustrations. Also, the pacing of the book, with just one sentence per picture, makes it easy to read and holds both boys' interest to the sweet conclusion. The story's message is also one I don't mind sharing: learning should not be limited to the classroom or computer; approach the world with curiosity and gain life's greatest lessons.

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman and, again, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, is another story about robots and humans interacting and having fun together. But while the protagonist in Doug Unplugged is an automaton, Boy + Bot allows readers to see the story from both a human and robotic perspective. The plot follows a young boy and a bot, who, after a serendipitous meeting in the woods, spend the day frolicking until bot bumps his power switch and promptly turns off. Boy, worried about the well-being of his new friend, carts him home in a little wagon and tucks him into bed, hoping rest will cure his seeming illness. When bot is accidentally switched on in the middle of the night, it's his turn to misunderstand his human friend, who is now soundly sleeping. This is another enjoyable read for both kids and parents, who will have to whip out their best monotone robot voice for all of bot's lines. If you're into deeper meanings like I am, you might be able to tease out some lessons on enjoying simple pleasures and valuing cross-cultural friendships.

Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future by Kathy Ceceri contains a number of simple (and some not-so-simple) projects to build a foundation in robotics. Joe bought this book for Stephen's fifth birthday intending to create some father-son bonding moments. So far, they've created "Art Bot," "Knock-Over Bot" and a simple solenoid (yeah, I had no idea what that was either.) It's a fun challenge for them to find simple household items to convert into robot parts. As I write, those two are off to RadioShack to buy a small solar panel for their next invention. While a lot what's in this book is advanced for a five-year-old and his 30-something history major father, they've both really enjoyed creating robot projects together. Based on my second-hand observations, I'd recommend this book to older children interested in building robots, or younger children who have a willing accomplice in their parent.

Ralph Masiello's Robot Drawing Book is one of a series of drawing books by Masiello, and was my pick for Stephen's birthday. This little softbound book offers several step-by-step tutorials for drawing creative robots, as well as a visual warehouse of extras and spare parts. Stephen has already drawn his version of most of the robots in this book and Rockam likes to say "I wanna dwaw wobots!" (Which is Rockam-speak for "I'll point to the robot I want and you draw it for me.") I don't think either of my sons are really natural-born artists, but I was pleased with how Masiello's book drew out Stephen's creativity and attention to detail. You can see a few of the bots he drew below :)

Living Artfully: Reflections on "A Million Little Ways"

I just finished Emily P. Freeman's new book, A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live, which intrigued me because I've been going through a season of trying to live with a more purposeful, deliberate mindset. Freeman's premise is that just as God is the Master Artist who created the universe and you and I from the dust of the ground, we are made in His image as both his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) and as his co-laborers that create the art of declaring His glory when we live full, abundant lives in Him. She also briefly points out the original Greek for "masterpiece" is "poiema," the root of the modern English word "poem." This is not a scripture heavy read, but her thoughts flow from this biblical insight in a way that could inspire readers out of a ho-hum, hum-drum existence into a freedom to pursue the skills and creative endeavors that make them feel "fully alive." The book is broken into three parts, with the first part explaining how she defines the artist and artwork, the second part offering exercises to uncover your inner artist and preferred medium, and the third gently nudging you toward unselfishly making art regardless of your misgivings.

What exactly is Art?
While "art" is in the tagline of the book, Freeman tries to be inclusive by stretching the definition to include things like calculating, doctoring, train building, mothering and other skills that don't necessarily seem very artsy. I appreciate that the author wanted to inspire even those who never liked art class, but I don't think she needed to try to convince such a broad audience. The majority of readers interested in this book probably already have some aspirations to traditional artistry- be it cooking, woodworking, storytelling or crafting. I also found that trying to apply the artist metaphor too broadly made it harder for me to really uncover my own God-destined artwork. As a mom of three, when I read that mothering is included in valid artistic endeavors, I initially felt a little deflated and discouraged from pursuing my lofty, crazy ideas (currently, to write and illustrate one children's book each year and to get this blog up and running enough that people will start sending me free books to honestly review :). I'm passionate about my kids, but should mothering be enough for me? However, further reading found me nodding my head in agreement with Freeman once again.

In particular, Freeman proposes on p. 40 that there isn't necessarily One Big Thing you or I were put on this earth to do, other than to glorify the One whose image we bear, and we do this in many ways, if not millions of little ways each day throughout our lives. I love this concept. It takes the pressure off me to produce something for my own glory and it helps me see each task as an important opportunity to live fully in the moment and fully for God.

Freedom to Find Your Art
As I mentioned earlier, the book's second section suggests various ways of discovering one's hidden artist potential. Freeman uses examples from her own journey as a writer to show how we can find clues in our childhood dreams and preferences, remember our source in God, face our inner and external critics and take our craziest ideas seriously to ultimately uncover the art bubbling beneath the surface of our lives.

Two decades ago, when I was a teenager falling in love with Jesus, I would have never imagined that I was supposed to stir up those inner longings to create. My Christian upbringing was of the variety that discouraged introspection and cultivating one's identity apart from Christ. Even as a grade-schooler, I knew I was good at writing and enjoyed art, but I chose to pursue a college degree in biology because it seemed so much more practical and less likely to seduce my soul away from my First Love. Though I eventually ended up a writer (via an extremely circuitous route that took me to Asia and back), I often wonder what would have happened if I had felt the freedom to cultivate and cherish my God-given identity and skills from the get-go. I wish a book like "A Million Little Ways" had existed for me back then.

Overcome the Barriers to Releasing Your Art
In the third part of her book, Freeman discusses the many distractions opposing our newfound decision to take a go at making art.

When we finally admit there is something within us worth offering, when we finally recognize we have the ability, privilege, and calling to influence our families, our workmates, our neighbors, and our world in a way only we can, there still may be one statement that comes heavy with question: I don't feel qualified for the job. (124)

In addition to issues with self-confidence that might preclude us from saying "yes" to the task God's laid out before us, Freeman discusses the problem of not being able to say "no" to obligations that force us to put off more creative endeavors. Furthermore, Freeman argues we should view limitations, such as time or finances, not as signs to hold off on creating, but as challenges to fuel creativity. After all, didn't God limit Himself in a human body in order to do His great work on the cross?

Finally, the author reminds her readers that releasing art is not for self-glory.  I love this quote from page 152, where Freeman describes how the finished product-- a book, in her case--is not actually the most important creation happening:

The real art is the invisible work happening in the depths of my soul as I uncover, sink, see, listen, and wait. The book is just the souvenir. There is hope within you too, a desire longing for completion. It may not be a tangible work you can hold and point to. Your souvenir may be a relationship, an education, an investment, a charitable cause. As you stare at the stone of the hoped-for souvenir, remember the deeper work happening within you, where your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Having this view makes the pursuit of art not for art's sake seem more than worthwhile-- it seems to be what we were all made for and commissioned to do.

At the conclusion, Freeman encourages readers not to just strive to discover their art and share it with others, but to also encourage fellow artist-friends. I highlighted this passage as a hint of what such a artist community might look like:

If you are a surgeon or a dentist, we want your bag of skills. Use your training and your technique on me, I've got a cavity. But if you are a friend, leave your bag at the door. I don't need an expert. I need an artist. I need someone who will be willing to show up and let me be a mystery, someone who will appreciate me as a fellow image bearer, someone who looks to Jesus as their ultimate security and doesn't need me to be okay so they'll feel better.

I long for someone to be willing to ask me questions, not for the sake of knowing the answer, but for the delight of knowing me.

I echo Freeman's longing in my own creative journey and aspire to be such a generous friend to others so we can all express the little sparkling facet of God we were made to reflect.

Who Should Get This Book?
I heartily recommend this book for someone who feels a little aimless in their Christian walk or who might be pent up and discouraged in a church setting that looks down on non-conformity. The book is written in a meandering style, which despite being organized into several sections, chapters and subheadings, might feel a little disorganized to those looking for a clear how-to-be-the-artist-you-never-dreamed-you-could-be manual. But, if you're like me, and you appreciate an author who humbly shows vulnerability in her writing and don't mind mining through slightly rambling prose on a hunt for gems of wisdom, then you'll be rewarded with plenty of nuggets to encourage, enlighten and inspire you.