Raymond Li
In my search and quest for meaning and purpose, I was rather lost. I believed that Christian artists have a special calling, a uniquely defined and designed role to play in God’s Kingdom. I thought I knew this, but it was not exactly clear. I attempted to fulfil this divine vocation by spearheading initiatives in church to bring up the awareness of using our gifts (not just art) to reach the world.
I set up an art interest group, Art Appreciate Club, as a meeting place for art lovers (Christian and pre-believers) to meet, learn and share. Though I was born an introvert, I actively went out to meet creatives from different local art groups (urban sketchers, drawing clubs) and even share the joy of art with strangers. Frankly, I felt rather lonely in all I did.
I came to know Arts Release in 2019, and it opened my eyes to see beyond my own little world in the art scene. In search of my identity as an artist, I finally found a connecting point to fellow Christian artists. It was a big revelation to me as I was exposed to abundant possibilities and came to appreciate the “soft power” that art can have in God’s ministry.
Most important of all, I got to know that I am not alone. If I were to name just one thing I treasure most in Arts Release, it is the togetherness. Once a fellow artist shared an image she saw: an army of God’s artists, all holding our unique “weapons” (brushes, pencils, iPads) and marching forward. We may be limited by our own horizon, but God in His divine provision has prepared fellow artists around us. We do not travel this art journey alone.
As artists, our situation is rather unique. Sometimes, we have an unspeakable loneliness that puts us in a vulnerable position. The constant pursuit of individuality and its daily struggles – the spirit of comparing, the lack of inspiration, confidence, or courage to make breakthroughs, failure in new attempts, learning new things all the time… In the end, we are very much on our own; there is no pre-defined curriculum to map out our path.
Hence, knowing one another and being there for each other as artists gives me a great sense of peace and assurance that we are no longer alone. In Him, we will be united one day. This is our journey of faith. May we stay close together and be an encouragement and support to one another.