Better late than never?

Project ended two weeks ago...I guess it's time for me to wrap up this blog. I started to write this post when I was still in the city, but words just weren't happening coherently. Now that I've had some down time, I've been able to take a few steps back and see things more clearly.

I don't think I can really summarize what we did very well without writing a book. Relationships were built, art was made, learning happened. The show went well. I know I'm a little biased, but I really enjoyed the art. People put themselves into it, and the struggles of creating didn't tear relationships apart. That's huge. At least to me.

Bits that I really loved/learned from: 1- Collaborating. If you haven't done it, I suggest giving it a try. It can be frustrating, but if you seek God throughout, it's really rewarding.

2- Theology and Arts. It challenged me to think about why we create, how we should create, and what it means to glorify God in our art. Since I'm nearing a place of transition into the workplace, it was very beneficial to be thinking about how the decisions I'm making in regard to my art/work reflect my views on God.

3- Interacting with people outside the studio. I got to know my neighbors at The Markle, and I had several very memorable conversations during our times doing Soularium and during the homeless outreach. If you pray, please take a few minutes to pray for Denise, Caroline, B, Ellie, and Reema.

4- The people that make up the 2010 arts track. I loved being around the people on the arts track. We all come from different places and perspectives, with God being the common thread. I learned things about myself and others through the building of these relationships. It was good, and I hope to continue to get to know as many of them as I can. God is good :)

This project was really hard for me at times. It was exhausting. I felt really out of my element on a fairly regular basis. Most days I was very aware of how inadequate my abilities were at some point or another. God showed me bits of my heart that I didn't realize were there, and that was hard to see. But it was so good. And I can see God working in those areas now that I'm letting Him into them. It's been (and will continue to be I'm sure) interesting trying to figure out how to let God fix the broken bits and change me into who He's created me to be.

If you want to know more specifics, please ask me questions. I'd love to talk about it and share stories. I may update every so often as memories surface and words become more coherent.

You can keep up with what I'm doing on a regular basis at my film blog.

Crunch Time

The opening is this week. Thursday night. We're all scrambling to put the finishing touches on our projects. Daniel is spending hours on end in the darkroom writing and recording the music for our film. He's about halfway there. Kristine and I are prepping the gallery space and providing moral support. The entire project is cutting out leaves. It will take every person involved with this project to make this happen. That's one of the things I love about it. It's collaboration out of love, not obligation. There's no "I'll do this for you if you're there for me later." We're all in this together.

I love art students. I love listening to their perspectives and the way their brains work. There was a random moment about a week ago where someone found a ball of yarn and proceeded to connect each of us together with it. And people just laughed and let him. We sat there & continued with our meeting, tied together with yellow yarn. No one really questioned his logic.

Another awesome thing about the students this year is their attitude. The schedule we're keeping and the topics we're exploring and the city itself have created an environment where many of us are getting the opportunity to see the parts of ourselves that we don't like. It's really hard, but people are pulling together and working together despite the difficulties. And giving those parts of themselves to God...I've heard several comments about how this is a blessing that we're getting to learn these things about ourselves. I've never heard anyone thank God for allowing them to see their sin except in the context of salvation stories. It's awesome.

A few of us got stuck on a train on our way into the studio earlier, and one of the girls commented on our schedule in comparison to the other tracks (which tend to have more free time). It wasn't a negative conversation though. I watched as another student commented "I wish we had more time to experience the city, but I'm glad we're on the arts track with this schedule." Her logic? Our time at home is this hectic. Life isn't going to slow down any in the near future, and this project forces us to learn how to live our lives for Christ and rely on God in the midst of the chaos.

I'll say it again...I love our students. (the staff are great too) :)

Like I said, it's crunch time. Back to work. Be praying for us. If you're in the city, come to our show...and help with PR. Change your profile picture to the Intersection flyer.

Editing

We're in the editing phase of our project finally. We've got a little more left to shoot, but we have most things shot & ProRes-ed. (I know that's not a word...At least not yet.) The goal is to start composing the music tomorrow...and finish everything by Tuesday. Please be praying for all of us.

We're having some trouble with technology. I'm learning how to make it work for me not against me, but that takes time. Which we're a bit tight on. I had hoped to have something for Daniel to start composing to by today. The editing of this isn't incredibly complex in regard to story, but the footage itself is a lot for the computer to process, so it takes time. On the plus side, while we're waiting for the computer to do it's thing, I've been able to help cut out leaves for the Invitation group. I secretly love it. I spent close to four hours cutting leaves out of invitations today. It was very monotonous, but it definitely had a hand in keeping my stress level down. Keeping my mind occupied is a good thing when I'm watching the clock.

It's encouraging to see God working in people's lives through this project. Including mine. Though usually it's more frustrating in mine...it can be really hard to see your weaknesses. Especially those that you didn't realize you (still) had. God is faithful in showing us our weaknesses, but He's also faithful in sticking with us & guiding us through them. I miss certain things & people at home, but I'm really glad God has me here. And I'm really thankful for the people who have helped me get here. I appreciate you all more than words can express.

Please keep praying for us. We've got a lot to get done before the opening next week. I have no doubt that it will get done the way it needs to be done though. God will get us through. This is all for His glory.

Things Progress

The students have been here for two weeks now, and we're really getting into the swing of things. We divided up into seven groups this past weekend, each with a different word: Invitation, Anticipation, Reunion, Intimacy, Betrayal, Sacrifice, and Pursuit. Last night we pitched ideas based off of these themes. Overall, it went well. We're all still adjusting to how to critique and accept critique in a setting like this. We're all in this together, and we're not making 7 individual pieces, we're making one collaboration that includes seven pieces.

My group is contemplating anticipation. The words were chosen randomly, but it ties in really well with us. All of our mediums utilize time, and so much of anticipation is watching the clock. We've decided to make a short film...technically two that complement each other. It's going to be hard, but it will be awesome if it comes together. Please be praying that God stays the center of our endeavors. We're about to take on a pretty big task, and it won't happen without Him.

I'm adjusting to the schedule finally. Your prayers have helped. I'm not nearly as exhausted or stressed after 12 hours in the studio as I was last week. There's still stress, and there's still exhaustion, but it's in moderation. I have Psalm 62:5 written on the wall in front of my workspace, so everytime I look up, I'm reminded to find my rest in God. It's been helpful.

I'm still short on support. We've been asked to have everything in by the end of the month. That's today. I've asked everyone I can think of. Most people who have given so far weren't even asked to give. I know God will provide...whenever I start to forget, I listen to Consider the Ravens and/or read the passage that it's based on. If you're willing/able to give, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I will be posting more pictures soon. I need to acquire a card reader to transfer them from my camera to the computer. For now, here's a photo of the first colla

boration exercise (Art in a Bag) that a friend took:

oops...I almost forgot Fact of the Day again.

Fact of the Day: I like peanut butter and bananas together...actually peanut butter is good with a lot of things.

update #3

This is going to be a bit short, but I wanted to get something up. This experience has been good, but things are hard that I was not expecting to be hard. I'm exhausted, mentally & physically. I'm getting enough sleep, but I'm tired like I haven't slept in over 40 hours (those of you who know me well know that I'm familiar with that feeling). I'm used to being able to sleep random hours (anywhere from 3-12) each night and be fine. I don't know if it's the city, the structure of project, or even a spiritual attack, but it's getting to me. It's a struggle that I didn't anticipate (ha. that's my word for our collaboration groups). I'm still learning how to deal with it.

I've spent the last hour up on the roof just praying and listening to music. God is good. I'm finding rest in Him. I just wish I didn't need it so badly by the time I have a chance to just sit with Him.

Please be praying for the project. We're all feeling exhaustion, and we're not that far into it. Pray that we find rest in God, and that we won't fight God or each other in our stress.

The end of week 1

It's been a good week...some of the days early in the week were difficult, but a good difficult. God is stretching me.

This year we'll be doing a few things differently. The days are more structured than they were in 2008, and we're incorporating a few new things such as our "T&A" times. One of our directors recently spent a year studying Theology, Imagination, and the Arts, and she will be sharing some of that knowledge with us through Theology and Arts times. They've been really cool so far. During our lead into the first T&A time, a few questions were posed:

What compels me to create? Does God enjoy creating? Where is the evidence of this? If God creates to display His glory, can we accuse Him of vanity? This last one was initially a shock, but I found it interesting that nearly all of the small groups that discussed this question came up with the same answer & reasoning...I was going to share our answer, but I changed my mind. What do you think?

One more question: If God creates to display His glory, what should our creation display?

I'd like to encourage you to think through some of these questions, especially if you like to create.

Our first discipleship group session was this week, and it went well. I was worried when I first met my girls that I'd be too socially awkward and be unable to lead our time together. I was worried for nothing though because God is good, and He led our time together. The group this week also included one of the directors, and the four of us clicked. It was good. We continued to talk and hang out for a while after our D-group time was officially over.

We met our mentors last night. Another girl, Kristine, and I have the same mentor. She's also a filmmaker, and I'm excited to get to hang out with two other Christian women filmmakers. And we're all at different stages in life, so we all bring something different to the table. I'm excited to see how that relationship develops.

Other Highlights : Babette's Feast (a play at the IAM space), students arriving,

Fact of the Day/Week: We've got a really good group of students & staff this year for the arts track....I'm sure the other tracks are awesome too, but I've had limited contact with them.