My husband and I had an interesting discussion the other day. I wanted to put it out there and see what you all thought.
I believe everyone has a voice they hear, which we will call a Muse so we don’t all sound crazy,whether it be in writing, music, acting or painting. I think even if it’s not one of those it can be in organizing and cleaning, numbers, business or even discovering Pluto isn’t a planet. We all have a need to listen to that Muse and follow it. Some may ignore it which causes depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse-or just overeating and watching sitcom reruns. For the sake of this post I will be talking about the more creative or artistic Muses and those who try to listen(although organizing is an art that I will never hear the Muse of).
JK Rowling heard the voice of an 11 year old wizard who discovers he is “The Chosen One”. George Lucas heard the voices of Jedis on both the dark and light sides of The Force (he even heard the voice of that Jar-Jar Binks embarrassment!). Stephanie Meyer listened to a vegetarian vampire and Native American werewolf. Shannon Hale recently heard the voice of a Mormon housewife who becomes BFF with a big time movie star. Not only did these people hear these voices, or Muses, they put it down on paper and/or the big screen for us all to enjoy.
A friend of mine has been working on an awesome yet tragic short story which I have had the pleasure of reading (I am so excited for when she is rich and famous so my bragging of our friendship will be even cooler!). It truly is an excellent piece of work. She was telling me this was the first time she had heard the voices of these characters and knew them as though they were real. One of those characters happens to have a mouth of a sailor on him which she struggled with but went with it saying, “I guess Deseret Book won’t be publishing me”! I for one didn’t have a problem with the language, there really isn’t much but it seems necessary for this character who is an angry teenage boy. Usually, angry teenage boys don’t go around saying, “Darn it, that stupidhead!” when someone wrongs them. That does not ring true, in my opinion.
So, one day I was telling my Luveykins about her story and I asked him, “Being Mormon, where is that moral line that you shouldn’t cross in your work/craft because of what you know and have been taught?” Granted, with my friend’s story, it’s just some cuss words that we all know we shouldn’t say and I am sure she doesn’t use them in her daily life, but the character she created does. Again, no big deal to me. But then I watch a certain actor(s) who takes roles in movies doing and saying things no good Temple recommend carrying young man should do. It is proven time and time again that you cannot be a big time movie star and a ‘card holding Mormon’. Not with sex scenes and doing other things that make the movie rated-R, which, technically we shouldn’t be watching, right? Am I making sense?
So where is the line between my friend and Bro. Sleeps With Actresses?
Sister Meyer was taken of the shelves of Deseret Book so you have to special order them because of all the complaints from customers. About what, really? Because she wrote about Vampires? Or is it the sexually charged teenagers who abstain but get a little hot and heavy? By the way, these are probably the some of the same people who think Star Wars and Harry Potter are about the Plan(which, they totally are)!
Do writers singers and painters that happen to belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have to stick to only using the Gospel as their Muse? Can you not be Mormon and be successful in the arts in all circles not just Mormon circles?
ElRey brought up another really good point. His dream is to one day own a restaurant. The type of restaurant he wants to do would typically serve alcohol. Does he provide it and let his customer make the choice or is it wrong to even have to buy and if that’s the case, what about the grocery stores owned by members of the Church who sell beer?
So, how do you follow your Muse but not cross that moral line? There are some who balance it all really well, like Shannon Hale (my secret BFF, she doesn’t know, yet..only cuz she won’t answer all my emails…maybe I should call her…), she keeps it clean but she also has fun and it feels real, not censored. But not everyone would have the same ideas, obviously.
I know the ability to write, sing paint etc, etc, all come from God and He wants us to use them, strengthen them and can even guide us in the direction to go. How do you know when you have gone too far and left Him and your morals behind? When is it that you take over and push Him out? Can you even tell? Did I make any sense?
……Aaaand…DISCUSS!!
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17 comments:
Wow.. first that all totally made sense. And secondly.. you know I have no idea and that is really hard. The first thought that popped into my head was Orson Scott Card, he is LDS and his stuff is definitely a little out there sometimes and some consider it not appropriate. With the whole Twilight thing, I know I would not want a 10 year old or probably even 12 year old to be reading them, especially Breaking Dawn.. yet at the same time she does teach to wait until marriage.
All I know is it would be very hard. I have day dreamed at times about someone just coming up to me and "discovering me" and I am suddenly a big Hollywood actress but I refuse to do roles with sex scenes, etc.. and when people say we'll won't it hurt your career then I would say while I love doing this who I am is most important to me... yes I have fantasized about this a few times. But if I didn't have another option and was only an actress and wanted to succeed, it would be hard.
So after all my ramblings I guess I have to say, very good thought provoking entry and I am not sure. :)
I agree that is a tough call to make but being the drama geek. I so want to play Mrs. Hannigan in Annie and Fantine in Les Miserables. Both are sooooo against what the church teaches as Hannigan is a drunk and Fantine is a whore to provide for her baby.
So...I guess that is the only comment I can make on that one...
All I have to say is...will you tell on me if I go see the new Johnny Depp movie? It is based on a true story. (my 1st rationalization).
Actually, I think we call good evil and evil good a little too much lately. It seems more and more that to be accepted by the world one must turn up "The shock factor" to get the attention they want. I definately think there can be a balance though and those that find it will be the timeless pieces. I think Shannon Hale and Orson Scott Card have the kind of uplifting creativity I would like to have in the library of my mansion in the sky.
There is opposition in all things, no one is perfect, I don't ever want to be the judge to my fellowman and I really like the 13th article of faith. (This is from an accountant who still loves Little House on the Prarie though so take it with a grain of salt.)
i had a teacher at byu who said if you wanted to truly be an artist you should study at another school that allows you to sketch nudes. i totally agreed, that one, byu shouldn't have nude drawing classes b/c of moral issues and two, that learning to draw the human body would actually involve seeing one, so i thought it right to get that experience from somewhere else. another example, steve's dad worked for a beer company at one time (buddweiser maybe?) and was in the stake presidency, but not everyone was cool with that. where do you draw the line is an excellent question. i think you just have to take it situation by situation. but in general, i think the saying goes, the exception is usually the exception, so stick with what you know and believe to be right, cause that's usually right. anyways, that's my two cents for the night!
Yeah...I think that when it comes to work...unfortuntly, you gotta do what you gotta do...Whether its serving alcohol at a bar because that your job, or stitching up Billy in the ER on the sabbath! However...I think there is a line to cross though...I dont want you getting any bright ideas that you can rob a bank or star in a XXX movie, just because you think its "your job" Which brings us again to the qwuestion...where exactly is that silly line drawn???I guess I was no help....lol
You bring up a good point. I just think the individual has to take it to the Lord. If you can keep the Spirit and you are square with Him, then you can take the heat from the critics. If you have doubts about what you are doing-- if it's okay or not--chances are it's not. I say a good prayer and listen session are in order to make these kinds of decisions... if you start to feel shame or guilt or distance from the Lord, then chances are it's not right-- It's one of those "between you and the Lord" kinds of things.--- that's my opinion.
I think Larry H Miller is a good example of what we're talking about. He owns movie theaters where 'R' movies can be watched and he also owns the Utah Jazz and the Salt Lake Bees where they sometimes play on Sunday and you can buy beer.
I remember watching the Jazz play the Bulls in the NBA Finals one Sunday and the cameras got a shot of Larry Miller deep in the bowels of the Delta Center not watching the game being played. He had gotten there thinking the game would be over but they were still playing. He never watched Jazz games that were played on Sunday either in the arena or at home. So he waited until the game was over before he went out on the floor to do his team owner duties. It didn't mean other people couldn't watch. We all have our agency.
I remember Larry telling a story on the radio about how he was deciding back in the late '70s or early '80s whether to buy the Utah Jazz and keep them in Utah or let them go. He went to see Gordon B. Hinckley in the Church Office Building to ask his advice. This wasn't a church sanctioned meeting, rather just a man asking the advice of an older and wiser man. Hinckley asked him if he was prepared both financially and personally to own the Jazz and become a public figure, living the rest of his life in a fish bowl. Larry answered yes, saying he realizes the changes that will come with the purchase. "Good!" said Hinckley. "because the church very much wants the Jazz to stay in Utah." Hinckley knew that there would be games played on Sunday and beers sold in the arena. He also knew that there would be a place where the community would come together and cheer on their home team and have fun and rally together in the spirit of competition. Nothing wrong with that. Hinckley also explained to Miller that every newspaper in the world would print their sports scores and when people saw the Jazz's score from last night's game they would think 'Utah' which would possibly lead to them thinking 'Mormon'. Pretty good world wide press. I think about that conversation every time I'm watching the Jazz and they go to a commercial on a city shot and right in the middle of the shot is the beautiful Salt Lake Temple. A seed worth planting!
Mindi, good blog. I'm with Debbie. I think the "culture of the church" (us members) get to involved with judging others and looking down on their decisions. Christ preferred hanging with the publicans and the sinners, while the Pharisees and Sadducees walked around talking about how great they are. Life, and the gospel just isn't that simple.
Watch out though, taking advice from an Obama supporter and someone who is married to a democrat may revoke your temple recommend.
fascinating post. There is definitely a line. Everyone will draw it in a different place.
I have a background in Theater as well and have seen many plays and musicals with very bad language that represent situations and people with much looser morals than me and I have been profoundly impacted by them.
Here's the thing. The point of art in general is to challenge your beliefs and this is what makes many Orthodox people nervous. They want art to just be about entertainment. The way that our societies have formed their evolving opinions about morality and ethics is by telling stories or life scenerios.
Scriptures give us story after story to discuss and reflect on. We tell these kind of stories at church in our lessons.."Steve stole a candy bar, he reacted this way, and this is what happened. What do we learn from this?" Our testimonies are greatly influenced by all these stories (sometimes lore) and experiences. As you pointed out even Star Wars has profound truths to offer people who are willing to reflect and learn from it.
In order for theater, or writing to be an effective art it needs to represent REAL life. There's no way to make sense of or deal with the conflicts of our existence without acknowledging the more uncomfortable aspects. Is it necessary to see real footage (or a realistic recreation) of the events in Rwanda to wrap our minds around what happened there and how it relates to our experience? Is it possible to talk about right if you do not contrast it with wrong? Is it possible to discuss what "wrong" is without portraying anything uncomfortable.
Many people swear and have recreational sex. It is a reality that we need to come to terms with. Christ was not afraid of interacting with sinful people. He was confident in who he was. People who are "sinful" in these ways probably do not believe they are being sinful. They are trying to be happy the way that they know how. Shielding our eyes from their behavior does not give us any understanding of their mentality.
There is a huge difference between witnessing immoral behavior and being immoral. I think it's bad when it comes from inside you.The only one that knows your true motivations is you and that is why there is no perfect standard that we can follow on this.
This is so long I know. Sorry. I loved this post though. Thanks for giving me something to reflect on.
:)
This is an interesting post and I find that it kind of strikes a nerve with me. I personally have a hard time in general with “Mormon art.” I think otherwise talented people make the mistake of pigeon holding (am I using that expression correctly?) themselves in this genera that reaches a very limited audience. People don’t like to be preached to whether it be through songs, works of fiction (books or movies), or artwork. The second that people sense that they’re being taught a lesson, they shut off. I think Mormon’s are used to being preached to. We expect it even, but other people find it offensive and condescending. Really great works of art, in my opinion, have a positive message (or lesson if you insist) subtly hidden within.
My opinion:
Church Movies: Can’t stand the movies. Poorly written, poorly acted, and inadequately supported financially. The Book of Mormon movie was by far the worst.
Church Books: (Fictional novels) I’ve been know to read Anita Stansfield and Jack Weyland and there are some that I find entertaining. But the last Anita Stansfield book I tried to read was so preachy I couldn’t even stomach the first chapter.
Church Music: This is 50/50 for me. There are some songs that stir my soul and help me feel closer to the Lord but many others are so bad they make my ears scream.
Church Art: I don’t mind it, but my husband refuses to let us have any in our home because of how “kitschy” he thinks it is. He doesn’t want people to assume just by looking at the art on our walls that we fall into a certain Mormon stereotype.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if I, as a Mormon, am expected to like all the garbage that is Mormon art and disregard all other art that I find truly entertaining, though provoking, and stimulating…then… I kind of want to wait for the next train if you know what I mean.
Awesome comments, everyone! I love it!
I am with you, Shannon and Chris, I get a whole lot more from something real than a preachy novel or a song that is trying really too hard to get me to cry and call it the Spirit!
I really think for any story, art movie whatever it has to be real. If you watched a movie with a bunch of gangsters, they will shoot guns, swear and possibly fornicate. I guess if that's not for you then don't watch it.
I just wonder how far you can go with an idea before it causes problems within you or in your ward (hehehe). I have often re-thought writing certain stuff because I know some of my awesome ward members are reading all this(love you guys!).
As a writer (eek) I don't want to write a sappy Mormon love story and I don't always want to write about my relationship with God. Sometimes I want to write about the nitty gritty and have it be okay with me. You know? I am just learning how to actually right how I am REALLY feeling as opposed to what I would be okay with whoever happened upon my notebook("I swear everything is okay always and I am so happy about everything!!"). It's hard but it is also cathartic.
We certainly don't always need a lesson everywhere we go! I love finding out about different cultures and ideas and lives. I find myself comparing my life and what I know with them. If nothing else, it certainly makes my testimony of what I know and believe stronger and more secure.
Also, I forgot, I didn't know that story about Larry Miller and Pres. Hinckley. That is awesome! I think we often worry more about what people will be saying around the drinking fountain at church than what our choice would do for our family, our soul and possibly even our community. Plus, Steve Young himself brings a lot of attention to the church whether he worked on Sunday or not!
The one I am really concerned about is Ivan- watch out, he's a democrat...{shudder}....no good can come from that!!hahahha
Writing about what you are REALLY feeling is what makes your work interesting and makes you human to other people.
A weird fact about me is that even though many of my closest friends are LDS. I never met even one of them originally within an LDS context (church or church activity)so we were never identified by that up front.
I usually don't feel comfortable around someone until I hear them admit to some imperfection they have. It puts me at ease. When the Elder's quorum president talks to me I feel like I have to pretend that I am the perfect stereo-typical humble member. I'm less likely to put my guard down and be honest. Does that make sense? I wonder if I would connect better with some members if I met them at work or someplace else?
I guess I think of it this way:
The reality is how (as an LDS person) you gifts and talents are used, and WHAT the ultimate goal is.
I do not like when supposed "LDS actors" go off and do completely inappropriate things just to "build their name"---cause they're have been plenty of others who have not done this and still have found success.
Larry H. is a perfect example. He sometimes has had to choose to do things that most of us would never do, on Sunday--not only because of his job, but other reasons (that only his extended family--which my dad is--knows about). But, his ultimate purpose and reason for such things was to make life better for others. To bring jobs to UT, to help make people happy, to serve others.
I think Donny and Marie can be examples here too. Sure, Donny and Marie have enjoyed some great blessings cause of their talent. But, they've also had to put up with way more "crap" than most of us ever have to. But, Donny donned a loin cloth, and Marie donned more than one off the shoulder dress in order to play awesome on-stage characters. They did this to truly serve others, and share their gifts. As well as to be a great example of an LDS person. I compare this, to LDS girls who purposefully wear immodest dresses just to "win" a beauty pageant--and have to admit, I feel Marie's a little more "justified".
So, to me, it's all ultimately the purpose. Is it selfish--or really, in the end, to share their gift? Is it to make money only for themselves, or to truly "share the wealth" with others?
And, remember, even the "devil" was played by an Oprah singing person of talent.
So, that's my take.
Mary P. (grew up with your husband in WJ)
I just got back from my writing conference!! I'm sorry I missed this post...awesome!! I love all the comments too :) I have SO much to tell you...let's get together soon!
Mindi!!
I need to snap out of it and start writing some thought provoking posts like this! Wow.
I got into conflict with my sister over an issue of artistry/appropriateness. (This is a little different than what everyone else has said, but it is what came to my mind)
Brokeback Mountain.
I FREAKING LOVED IT. It is, to this day, my favorite movie of all time. It made me think, changed the way I see the world, inspired me when I hadn't felt inspired in a long time.
My older sister would not watch it, talk about it, or even let me explain why it hit me so hard.
I tried to tell her that it wasn't a movie about 'gayness' and it didnt really have a political agenda, but she would not even hear one word.
I never expected her to watch it, it is rated R and I don't think it is really her genre of film, but I was shocked at how vehement she was that she would not even TALK about it. Even though it meant alot to me and it was important to me.
I would one minute feel like she was a ridiculous judgemental jerk and the next feel like 'yeah, Satan sure knows how to get to me'.
I still don't know who was right or wrong.
My perspective was that it was a film that really spoke to me and enriched my life and my interactions with others.
Her perspective (IMO) was that it was rated R, had several questionable scenes, and, whatever the actual content, seemed to be promoting an agenda contrary to the Proclamation.
Is she a Pharisee or am I a rationalizer?
Lori-
you bring up a great point. Although I haven't seen Brokeback, I have seen many a rated R movie that spoke to me like that. I wouldn't go around telling people they need to see R-rated movies but I can honestly say I have felt the Spirit strongly in movies we aren't supposed to see due to their rating.
I have a similar experience. One of my favorite musicals is Jesus Christ Superstar. I have watched the movie several times and have the soundtrack. I saw it live when it came to Utah about 15 years ago. It totally helped with my testimony of Jesus Christ. Now that I am older and a little wiser I realize it's not the most appropriate show about Christ but it still has a special place in my heart for the testimony it helped build. I still can't bring myself to get rid of the soundtrack.
I think we all have the right to choose and just because Brokeback spoke to you doesn't make you evil or less than your sister. She probably will never see your side of it but that doesn't make her bad either. I think we need to just remember we are all entitled to our opinions and free agency.
I would love to hear why you loved the movie so much. I thought it was a joke on your profile. Now I am super curious!:)
Thanks for your take!
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