Its “Secret Origins”

No matter if you are a painter of fine art, a graphic artist for an advertising agency or even a comic book artist; we all have something in common. We are all, one way or another “Illustrators”. We illustrate concepts whether with paint, pixels or pencils.

Now, let’s look at the word “illustrate” to see why it’s a moniker that applies to us:

The word “illustrate” comes from the Latin “illustrare” meaning “to make bright”.
A “light-bringer”.

“To make clear or intelligible”. You as an illustrator “shed light on a subject”. You make things easier to understand.

Artist and designers have an uncanny way of:

• Communicating a message, thought or idea: You graphic designers do this everyday!
• Making the intangible tangible. I think about my digital painting “Endure”. What does the concept of enduring look like?
• Recording facts: Artists throughout time have done this all through history. How do we know what George Washington looked like? Artists gave clarity to that. What did the Roman Coliseum look like before it fell into ruin. Artists documented it so that now we are enlightened as if we were there.

This ability to see the unseen, communicate the intangible and bring clarity to the unclear is a direct gift from the Master Creator, Himself.

It is the gift of discernment (to perceive, recognize, comprehend). It’s why artists always seem to see things a little differently than everyone else! Here is an example of it, seen here as God empowers His artists as they prepare to create His temple:

“… and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding (discernment, perception), in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works…” Exodus 35:31

We illustrators possess a God given ability to UNDERSTAND: to see the unseen, communicate the intangible and bring clarity to the unclear.

The closer we grow to the One that gave us this ability, the more we’ll find we can use it.

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Think about a time when you were given the chance to do a creative project, commission or gig that was a pretty big opportunity. Now picture it as one of those projects that you knew would be almost too much of a challenge, be it skill, time, initial investment or whatever.

You know that feeling you get when you now that the opportunity’s yours, but it will take you really digging down deep to pull it off? Almost a feeling of inadequacy.

You are excited at having the opportunity, yet you know that it’s out of your league.

Welcome that feeling! It’s an indicator that the stage is set for God to show up. An indicator that your creative talent is about to be used in a way that will prove only God can do it.

Being Able to Do What You Can’t Do:

If you’re an artist that has decided to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you can be confident that God’s power and ability is made perfect when the odds are stacked against you.

It may sound crazy, but you can actually welcome that feeling of inadequacy. Now, this is not to say that lesser quality or craftsmanship is to be expected from or delivered by the Christian artist. Nor is it to say that training and practice are not needed. On the contrary, this may be the method of preparation for when God works through you.

When you, the artist, are weak in human ability, you can be strong in divine ability:

God can accomplish more through your weakness that you ever could at full strength on your own. His Word teaches us the following:

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

So what steps do you take to make it happen?

First and foremost, you must have a relationship with Jesus Christ in order for this to work. This principle is not earned, but an entitlement of that relationship.

Prayerfully acknowledge God’s promises through scripture: I encourage artists to pray before embarking on the next project, especially the project that seems to be “out of your league”. Study the scripture mentioned above and others like it. Pray for God’s fulfillment of those scriptures (His Word) in your life. He promised it to you, that’s why He wrote it down!

Take action and walk it out: When you sense that God has opened a door or presented an opportunity, take action, being confident that He will fulfill His Word. Be sure to learn what God directs you to learn, practice what He presents to be practiced, and simply prepare yourself to be ready when He opens that door for a project that can only be accomplished under His ability through you.

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