Ethos is a Greek word that describes the character or guiding beliefs of a time or people. It also connotes the power of cultural icons and artifacts (like music or visual arts or language) to shape and reinforce those ideas.
What makes up the ethos of my family?
When I received the notification of acceptance into the first ever Ethos juried art show in this inaugural event in my home town, I was elated! Making stuff is an integral part of us. While the Engineer and I are both, well, engineers, we are both makers. We are happiest not clicking a mouse at a desk, but bringing ideas to real, tangible life. Before I even submitted an application (using Zapplication), we talked about whether or not this show would be in line with our family’s . . . ethos. After we nodded our collective “yes,” I set some requirements and goals for myself because, well, it wasn’t super likely that I was going to sell a bunch of my work (although it would have been nice)!
Goals:
- Get out into the community and support community driven art in Franklin,
- Show the children what it looks like to “go public” with yourself in a vulnerable way (read about it in my previous post),
- Emphasize the value and significance of beauty,
- Get a point-of-sale system up and running,
- Inspire other people to make art as part of life,
- Learn how to price my own art
and, let’s be honest. As a homeschooling mom:
- Do something finite and not related to food with a definite beginning, middle, and end.
On Saturday
Once the booth was set up and I got to browse around and visit with some of the other artists (there were 27 of us), I counted myself blessed indeed to even be accepted in the same show as these other Creatives. I said offhand to a friend who came by the booth that day, “these are like, real artists!” What exactly did I mean when that thought escaped through my mouth? Well, I guess it meant that these were men and women sold paintings and prints for a living! Or who had transformed parts of their homes into dedicated art studios and storage for their acrylic pours or mosaic work. They lived on the road during art fair season. Making and selling art was their primary or secondary vocational calling. All of the artists were a part of the local art scene in the Midwest, and there was even one man who had driven all night from Brooklyn, NY to be a part of this show. Weeks or months and sometimes years went into the making of each of their works.
Contrast that with my relationship to art.
Maybe it started like this for each of them, I thought later that weekend. Because I love the arts. I love dance and to dance, fiber arts have a special place in my heart (I always look for a yarn shop wherever we travel), and my favorite expensive date is dinner and the symphony. When the Engineer and I traveled to San Antonio earlier this summer, I started with the hunt for art galleries and local art and food hot-spots (food being an art all its own). But for as long as I can remember, I’ve been compelled to create in response to life. It’s part of how God made me in his image. I can remember the feeling of being lost in a project in grade school, or getting to use the “special and good” art supplies in a class in the 11th grade. I remember pulling an all nighter on a history project becuase I wanted the visual composition to be just right (sorry mom, for spilling that rubber cement on the living room carpet). I like grafitti on train cars. I remember seeing for the first time Debra Weiss’ garments and trying to figure out what made them so appealing. My most vivid memories alone with Jesus include me responding in some way with a sketch, painting, or poem. Visions are a real part of my spiritual journey. Applying those visions to something tangible is also real and important in me feeling human. If I was in jail I would probably braid grass blades or use the dust to draw.
But I’m not a producer of art. Even with a few commissions in the past and a lot of gift-making, I’ve never repeated pieces or made any 2 things that remotely resemble another completed piece. I don’t produce it to sell it. So I don’t really produce what sells or interests others . . . which means that art as a vocation doesn’t look like it’s going to be in my future. (But really, who am I to determine that? Sometimes a calling makes itself known through tiny imperceptible shifts.) But making stuff is just a part of everyday life. It manifests in the way I cook, dress, spend money, time, and think about and see the world. Art makes me compose life differently than I would if it weren’t so much a part of life. The world around me is full of raw materials disguised as trash or pantry ingredients or donations to Goodwill. Expressing God’s truths as Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in words and images and sculpture are all a part of our family.
The weekend was refreshing and perspective-giving
Working up to it was enjoyable and having a specific event to focus creative energy onto was great! The family really pulled together to help set up and tear down the booth and enjoy the festivities themselves. Second born won his first ever art-related prize, and I even sold a painting that really, truly moved the buyer. That sale also happened to make up all of the sunk monetary costs of entering the show. All of the goals were met in some fashion and some other unexpected lessons were learned. Art will always be a part of my life. But probably not in the form of art shows. Will I ever do another show? I don’t know, maybe, next year in Franklin.
PS: (See photo) One of my favorite artist friends came by and was instrumental in the sale of that painting. She and I will be putting an art date on the calendar in the next few weeks. We haven’t done one in years, but here is how it goes: we gather random materials into a box and get together and create out of that box for one hour. No more. Whatever happens, happens. Art is even better in community!