Christian creatives face a unique struggle, if I may call it that. From the moment their creative talents are first discovered by their church leadership and/or Christian mentors, they’re often advised to create a specific type of art. You see, it’s not enough for a Christian creative to simply create stuff; they have to create Christian stuff.
So if you love Jesus and you’re a dancer, you’ve probably been told to be a “Christian” dancer. If you like to cook, you’ve probably been told to be a “Christian” chef. If you like to paint, you’ve probably been told to be a “Christian” painter. If you like to draw blood for medical testing, you’ve probably been told to be a “Christian” phlebotomist.
The struggle is trying to figure out what it means to be a “Christian” anything. I’m no stranger to the struggle. I can remember being told quite often that I should be a Christian cartoonist, whatever that means. I tried. When I was in my late teens/early twenties, I created a few evangelical comic strips and pitched them to magazines. They were soundly rejected because they were horrible. I learned quickly that forced faith messages are insincere and an audience sees right through that noise.
But the beauty is that Christians don’t need to force their faith into their creations. It’ll happen of its own accord, and it will be much more fluid that way.
When I started Insert Image, a comic that is steeped in the Christian subculture, it was never my intention to evangelize or convert. I believe that happens on a much more personal and relational level than a 4-panel comic strip could allow. No, my intention was to get us Christians to laugh at ourselves. Sure, the comic served as a soapbox from time to time, but I wanted to point my finger at the stuff we think is sacred but actually isn’t. In some ways, I think I succeeded at this. In other ways I failed.
Sometimes I think the strip was a little heavy-handed (the “Porn is OK” strip) and even a little mean (the “eHarmony” strip). But what I’m most proud of is the community that developed around the cartoon. Together, we discussed everything from Christianese to celebrity pastors to Bible translations, and we did it with class and kindness.
Insert Image is over, and many of the cultural references made in the strip will soon lose their relevance and edge. But I think the underlying message is a timeless one:
As Christians, we tend to take something that is supposed to be very easy and turn it into something that is overwhelmingly difficult.
We gotta stop doing that.
So go ahead and laugh at yourselves, my fellow Christians. I think you’ll find that your messages are much more well-received when you do so.
This is an excerpt from The Incomparable Insert Image. You can get the complete title, an anthology of the entire Insert Image webcomic artwork and content from ChurchMag Press by clicking HERE.
Mark says
Well said, Wes. I don’t necessarily write “Christian,” but being a Christian certainly informs my writing.
Wes Molebash says
As it should.
Melody says
I think that’s the difference though.
Sometimes Christians get so upset about the forced Christian-art, that they feel like they need to lock their faith away in order to create something good. And they try to keep it from influencing anything they make so they can be good artists.
But if our identity is in Christ and our art flows out of who we are, Jesus is going to influence our art. We don’t have to stick to slapping bible verses on sunsets for that to be true.
Wes Molebash says
Great point.
I liken it to riding a bike: If you don’t like where your bike is heading (forced Christian art), the natural reaction is to slam on the brakes (lock faith away). Neither of those options is ideal because neither of them is true.
The best option is the scariest option: take your hands off the handle bars and keep pedaling. Where the bike naturally takes you will be more interesting and more true than what any of the other options can provide. There will also be some bumps along the way which will always work to the advantage of a story. 🙂
Eric Dye says
I love this, Wes. 😀