green wall paint photo

A Discipline of Awareness, Prayer, and Praise

Makoto Fujimura reflects on making art

In my studios in Princeton, New Jersey, and Pasadena, California, in between pouring precious pulverized minerals onto handmade paper to create the prismatic, refractive surfaces of my art, I rest in my quiet space, waiting for the paper surface to dry. As I wait, I write. Art making, to me, is a discipline of awareness, prayer, and praise. Imagination gives us wings to create, but it is through Christ’s tears and the invitation to the feast of God that we can be partakers of the New Creation. I take note of the process by writing, and my thoughts in between, as I have done since my student days.

— Makoto Fujimura in Art + Faith: A Theology of Making (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2020)

Ryan serves as a pastor at Grace Bible Church. His ministry ranges from preaching, teaching, and writing, to listening, being present, and walking with others through some of life’s most difficult experiences.

He lives with his wife and children in Escondido, California.

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