Kathryn Mecham Ed Austin Senior Seminar 10 February 2014 Words of the Prophets: The Artist One of the misconceptions

regarding the arts and maintaining a good religious standing, is that the artist will eventually have to sacrifice their religious standards or beliefs for the sake of success in their field. It is my personal belief that the arts are heavily supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that if the artist stays within respectable bounds and in this case uses their talent for the better good, they will be able to achieve successeven in the real world. The church has given talks regarding the arts, one of which is by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, What is Truth?. This talk approaches the goal of the artist in achieving truth in their work. He states, Heavenly Father is pleased when his children use their talents to seek truth. So how can the artist seek truth? Does every artist have to be painting heavenly scenes and angels in order to find that truth? It doesnt seem to be so. There is truth in all things, but as long as the subjects are represented in a tasteful manner, and the spirit can be present, then the work can be considered appropriate. Especially since the Holy Ghost is a testifier of truth. The artist in Utah feels an immense pressure to succeed in multiple fields or genres. This is partially due to the subculture of the Utah members of the LDS church. The focus on piano, dance, art, and other talents is a popular thing in the subculture. I think that this is spurred by

the support of the Church in developing your talents. However, does everyone need to be able to do everything at a superb level? Probably not. Balance in all things must be kept in mind as we seek to develop our personal talents, as well as our spiritual ones. On a less extreme note, Spencer W. Kimball has spoken on his hope that the Church can develop artists within its fold (Kimball). This would allow for the artists to go out into the world and share their light. It would be like serving a mission everyday of their career. The artist would be tempted at times to take a job, or to create something that is not sanctioned by the Holy Ghostbut if they remain strong it would be an incredible achievement. Every person has their own talents and spiritual gifts to develop. These can be nurtured through practice and training, and enhanced with the presence of the Holy Ghost. Kimball points out the fact that if we have natural talent, plus extended training, and then we add the Holy Spirit, we will be able to grow in a way that would not be possible without divine help and support. Truly, we have the ability to grow a corps of talent (Kimball). When the artist has ventured out into the world, they may remember the words of N. Eldon Tanner, in his talk Integrity. This talk focuses on the growing need that we have for people with integrity. As well as being trustworthy, courageous and honest. In terms of business, honesty and integrity is highly valued, but can be difficult to find. This integrity will bring you loyalty from customers or consumers. In terms of the arts, the integrity serves a deeper purpose of communication to the viewer. When the artist holds integrity and performs with honesty, they can touch the hearts of those who view their works. David A. Bednar also addresses the essence of honesty in his 2002 devotional address to BYU-Idaho, Be Honest. Integrity, he said, is the quality of being whole, complete and

unbroken. The artist, it seems, is always looking for something to create and in a way fill a gap in their beingor those around them. Therefore, the artist with integrity would be more likely to feel satisfied with the end result of their creative efforts. In the same devotional, Bednar breaks down the meaning of the word honesty. He traces it back through honor, and pushes it beyond the standard meaning of not lying. He says honesty is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, truth loving. What better concept to keep in mind while creating art, or dance? It is a powerful thought to think that as dancers, our movement can be a method of truth speaking, testifying of something we know. In the Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, there is a chapter on Happiness and Social Enjoyment (Young). Brigham Young discusses dancewhich at the time could have been considered something that was not sacred, but that produced immorality instead of holiness. Young states bluntly, If you want to dance, dance. Lets get around all of the hype of whether or not the art is appropriate, and get to the root of the specific work or instance. He continues, However, if you cannot keep the spirit while you dance, then dont. [] The Lord did not command me to dance and yet Ive danced. Brigham Young addresses three very important points: dance is not evil as a form of art or social enjoyment; we must keep the spirit with us at all times, regardless of the activity; and we should dance on an impulse. I believe that dance can also be used to express gratitude and joy. If the desire to dance overwhelms you, let it. Newell Dayley gave a talk, Centering The Arts in Christ, which focused on the responsibility that LDS artists have to strengthen the arts. He also states that they should take it to the 21st century. This statement alone would answer the question of whether art should stay traditional and religious. No, the artist should be able to express in their own way, with their own

talents and their own voices. We are not a cookie-cutter religion, and I dont believe it should be that way with the arts. However, he does insist that artists should be willing to place Christ at the center of their work. He points out the importance of make sure that the praise and love of man does not take precedent over the focus on Christ (Dayley). I dont think that what he meant is that everything we create must be an image of Christ, but that it must be something that he would approve of, that helps us to continue on the road to spiritual progression in some form or another. Dayley also brings up the important point that Christ challenged his followers to reach their full potential. Each person has their own personality, testimony, spiritual gifts, and other talents. We must realize that if we are developing ourselves in accordance with the standards of the gospel, we can achieve our full potential and this may or may not include the acceptance of society as a whole. But the praise of man isnt the point of creating art in the first place.

Works Cited
Kimball, Spencer W.. The Gospel Vision of the Arts.July 1977. Young, Brigham. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young. 1997. pp 183-91. Chapter 26: Happiness and Social Enjoyment. Uchtdorf, Dieter F.. What is Truth? Church Educational System (CES) broadcast Tanner, N. Eldon. Integrity, April Conference, 1977. Bednar, David A.. Be Honest [from a devotional address at BYU-Idaho], September 2002 Dayley, Newell. Centering The Arts in Christ. Maxwell, Neal A.. Creativity, August 1982. Bednar, David A.. That We May Always Have His Spirit To Be With Us. Nelson, Russell M.. We Are Children of God, October 1998.