Hey guys!

Last week, I turn 40. Besides it being "over the hill," this age marks a really special occasion for me. It will be 20 years of following Christ. Given this, I thought I'd spend several weeks highlighting some takeaways about God's work in me as a Christian and as an artist. Check out the Ages 21-25, Ages 26-30, and Ages 31-35, and Ages 36-40.

💥 INSPIRED BY

Four Transformations in 20 Years of Being An Artist in the Missions World

After four weeks of engaging my last twenty years, here are four transitions I've experienced from being an artist in a missions world:​​

1. The Reconciliation of the Artist and the Missionary. When I came to Christ around age 21, I also experienced a sort of, “arts baptism,” essentially believing that to follow Christ meant potentially not choosing art as a career path. Now at 40, I have realized that "Artists are missionaries to future generations.” I no longer see art as a secondary tool to church planting. I now see art as the very context that makes Christ accessible to others.
2. From Institutional Dependence to Organic Ownership. I moved from a phase of waiting for mission agencies or church leaders to take initiative to taking responsibility for your own intellectual and artistic real estate. I transitioned from the “Propaganda” of institutional church to the “Play” of the church-as-organism.
3. The Shift in “Good Works.” My definition of a “good work” transformed from evangelizing classmates to making myself useful. This shift allowed me to see interests for building frameworks, digital platforms, and taxonomies as Kingdom services.
4. Family as Legacy, Not just a Unit. My view of family shifted from a “missions unit” to a generational garden. I also moved from the simple idea of establishing a marriage to building a family legacy, using summits, rituals, and shared art projects with the hope that my kids are trained not just in theology, but in a culture of creativity, meaning-making, and context creating.

I spent my first decade as a believer (20-30) trying to figure out who I was supposed to be (the rockstar, the preacher, the pioneer). But I spent my second decade (30-40) discovering how God actually wired me. It has brought a lot more freedom and joy, for sure.

I am entering my 40s with a skyscraper vision: no longer distracted by strip mall endeavors, but focused on building a corpus of work that makes Christ accessible through the art of my life.

🛠️ EQUIPPED BY

Four Types of Missionary Artists

In the spirit of sharing what I've learned, here is a framework that you might find useful. I can say with confidence these four quadrants have been my own personal journey.

1. The Sacrificer. Starting at the bottom left, one view Christian artists might have toward their art is that of sacrifice. In this space, one might view art as mere propaganda for the gospel. It's functional. It served an end: ministry. In this quadrant, art merely equals signal. This is the "I Want You" army recruiting poster of the twentieth century.
2. The Helper. Moving up, artists can view themselves as helpers. They believe art is intended for mirror someone/something else's mission (hence, they're dependent on someone outside of yourself). Art moves beyond mere information (as utilitarian) to revelation. Utilitarian art focuses on What. This is Van Gogh's Starry Night. It's tapping into your imagination to do something to you.
3. The Frameworker. The frameworker views art as scaffold. Art-making then is not for propaganda but creating frameworks for others. Instead of detailing a car, you realize you could create engines. "You're work helped me see things differently than before." Examples include The Bauhaus Curriculum or when artists created training guides/books.
4. The Cultivator. These artists make context. Aesthetics are created for others' imaginations to thrive. Cultivators view art more like making a garden for many things to be created and scaled. "I want you to feel this thing when you're engaging my work." Cultivators create atmospheres. You find this in Rothko's final work before his suicide, The Rothko Chapel.

🎨 WHAT I'M MAKING

WRITING A BOOK ON MISSION FOR ARTISTS

Big news! I’m working on a book that helps artists and creatives catch a personal vision for God's mission. It’s still in the early days, but I’m looking for beta readers.

If you’d be up for that, hit Reply and let me know your preference:

1. “I’m ready to read it now! It’s okay if it’s incomplete, with some rough edges”
2. “I’m definitely interested! Let me know when it’s been through a revision or two”
3. “Let me know when you publish it!”

What did you make this last week? (email me and I'll share it with in my next newsletter)

🚀 SENT WITH

Nathan Barry

-Matt