Continuing the series we started called “Artists In Action”, where I interview Christian visual artists and designers who are actually working in their craft.
The interview today is with web developer and graphic designer Devin Smith. Devin works for a leading advertising agency in Greenville, SC. Read the interview below and visit Devin’s blog here>>.
1. Tell us who you are and what you do as an artist/designer:
Well, my name is Devin Smith, and I currently do front-end web development and the occasional graphic design for Erwin-Penland. On the side I like to draw, do amateur photography, paint, and probably some things I’m forgetting right this second.
2. Now tell us about your artistic/creative background:
My mom started teaching me how to draw as soon as I could hold a pencil so that I would stop bugging her while she was trying to draw, haha! I moved from teddy bears to Ninja Turtles, and my dad convinced me to go to school for Graphic Design when I was a senior in high school. I went to the Art Institute of Charlotte and got an Associate’s in Graphic Design, and then spent some time at the Art Institute of Atlanta working on my bachelors, which I hope to finish one day. After leaving AiA, I started doing freelance work here in Greenville and then wound up getting a job at Erwin-Penland and it’s been great ever since! The Lord has really, really, really blessed me beyond measure.
3. What role does God play in your life and in your work?
The Lord is it for me. Seriously, He gives me purpose. I feel like when I do work for God, I’m putting a dent in the world’s system. When you can do it as good, or better than the world, you are proving that God is not second rate to anyone. That’s the world’s perception of Christian stuff: It’s second rate. It’s mediocre. It’s untalented. God told me shortly after I got saved that my mission was to make the church stop looking cheap. Anything that the church does to spread the message of Jesus that is as polished as the world’s standard gets me excited! That’s my mission in this life: to do the work the Lord has called me to do, and to do it at a level that competes with the best that this world has to offer and exceed it by setting new precedents.
4. What advice can you give the rest of us?
1) Know your mission and be passionate about it. Whatever God put in you that drives you is what you’re going to be best at. When you find it, give it everything you’ve got and never forget that He gets credit and it’s all about winning souls. You’ll do well if you do it His way. And it’s not that hard when you have a relationship with Him!
2) Don’t complicate your walk with Jesus. First off, it’s all about Jesus: He’s the fullness of the Godhead. Secondly, it’s all about Jesus: Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Talk to Him, read His Word, draw nigh to Him and He’ll draw nigh to you. That’s the straight up juice in your battery for God. The only thing that excites me about this whole thing is knowing that I have a real relationship with a real God that I can talk to at any moment. Man, just jump in the Bible and take a swim. I have really learned that God can speak to you so much more if you just spend time in His Word. And when you pray, believe that He hears you. He’s alive, man. He’s still listening!
3) Do something that will pay the bills while you’re pursuing your destiny. Graphic/Web Design is great, and I can list of a bunch of reasons why God had me get into it before pursuing things like comic book illustration and animation, which are my real passions. But also: It puts food on the table. It’s a profession that is in high demand. Your comic book/paintings/sculpture/you name it might not fly for a while, but you still gotta eat in the mean time. Get wisdom from God about how to pursue your destiny without suffering unnecessarily, but don’t be afraid to trust Him when He asks you to suffer through something or go a path less traveled.
I’m most excited about the comic book I’m working on called Crusader. It’s really in a fledgling state right now (fledgling, what a British word!), but the Lord is putting the pieces together for me as I obey Him at each step.
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it’s encouraging to hear the perspective about christianity not being second to anything. That’s really inspiring. I always like to see talent that is focused on doing God’s work rather than being caught up in the noise and nonsense of the world. It’s All about Jesus. Amen Brother!
Thanks for the feedback, TBC.
And welcome to our Community!
Tony-
This was a very interesting post and interview. I actually enjoyed the inspirational slant, as well as the advice given out. Very nice work. I look forward to reading future posts and interviews.