Inspiration for a New Year

I first heard of Andrew Peterson through my sister. Kristi was a big fan, and she made a habit of attending his Behold the Lamb concert at Christmas. One year, she asked Joe and me to go, and while I didn’t know many of the songs or artists, I was charmed by the show’s idea and the talent of the artists who performed. 

I loosely followed Andrew Peterson after that. Kristi bought the kids a CD that he did with some friends, Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies, which they found hysterical. I sang “Beautiful Girl” from that album to my daughter for years after we lost the CD. Kristi would talk about Andrew Peterson from time to time, although I still wasn’t listening to much of his music, and I attended Hutchmoot, a conference about art which he helps lead, online this year. I followed him on Instagram, and I found his humor exactly right. 

I wrote this post last winter, but I can’t get over this book. It’s a good one to read now, as inspiration for a new year.

Then for Christmas last year, Joe made sure I got a copy of Adorning the Dark, Peterson’s book about art and faith. I read it slowly, giving myself time to think and process, because every chapter was so rich. Peterson wrote about his background, the way his career was built, his private struggles, his faith, and his dreams, as well as his ideas and theories about how art and faith intersect and how Christians can express and make art. He lives these beliefs in the context of his calling, and I was left with a profound sense of respect and a new way to think about my own art.

At the end of the book, I put the bookmark back in at the beginning and started it all over again. I love the very real way he shares thoughts and feelings, and how honest the book felt. Reading his words, I realized I may have missed the boat on his music, and I had Kristi send me a list of favorites to start checking out on Spotify. 

Peterson’s thoughtful writing echoed many things I already thought about writing, and gave me a new frame to think about others. Writing about God without seeming preachy is challenging for me, probably because I’m a naturally bossy person, and often I end up editing  whatever I tried to say about my faith, and then I despair of ever getting this faith and art thing right. But I need to keep going, to keep practicing, to keep stretching my abilities through all the rough attempts, with the hope that someday it will get easier and better.

In the meantime, I’m glad I can take lessons from those who have been there already.

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