Customer Reviews

Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit: A Reflection on Creativity and Faith

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"I am a poet, not a scholar," says Luci Shaw in the last chapter of BREATH FOR THE BONES. And as a poet, she has provided a book for people interested in the mysteries of muse and the process of creating. The book jacket features type (words) only, no distinctive graphics other than a few swirls of color. To clarify the picture, the publisher has printed lots of words, even a subtitle to the subtitle: Art, Imagination, and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith."

An upfront "note to readers" acknowledges that this book is "the compilation of many poignant words found in Luci Shaw's writings, lecture notes, workshops, journals, interviews, essays, and poems." It is the retrospective that might be expected of --- and hoped for --- from a writer who has aged into a respected "seasoned" category.

Shaw may not be a theologian, but it's hard for her to conceal her training, as a child schooled in a parsonage and as a one-time college student who minored in New Testament Greek (with a major in English). There's theological reflection here, evidenced in chapters titled "Discovering the Creative Heart of God" and "Meeting the God of Metaphor," both placed in part 1, again, comprehensively titled ("The Basics of Creativity: Foundations of the Creative Process"). And a subsequent chapter starts off by proposing that the Holy Spirit is the muse of the Christian poet. Like the biblical writers themselves, Shaw turns to similitudes to explain the workings of the Spirit --- or breath --- of God. "I cannot turn on the writing art or transcendence like a faucet. My job is to wait and see --- literally to wait for the Spirit, with the Spirit, and to see."

Though it is far from a how-to manual, part 2 includes content that is a bit more "hands-on," summarized as "The Details of Creativity: Exploring the Creative Process." I especially enjoyed chapters on journal writing and risk taking. Young writers or artists can learn so much from Shaw --- that creating is a process: "As a keeper of a daily reflective journal, I find that as soon as I put words and ideas onto paper [or computer]...they begin to gather to themselves more images, more words and ideas." And that a creative life calls for risk. Shaw's writing is most engaging when it's personal and anecdotal; her risk chapter includes an extended account of a sailing expedition with metaphorical overtones. And a final chapter summary? "Perhaps the role of those involved in the arts, then, is to awaken ourselves and others to beauty --- in all its risk and in all its richness."

An appendix gives chapter-by-chapter "writing exercises and questions for discussion." It's a shame that these don't appear throughout the book, so as to be more "in your face" when the material is fresh in your mind. Be sure to read and contemplate the questions as you take a breath and exercise your bones at the end of a particular chapter.

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

[...]


Breath for the Bones is a red hardcover with a yellow book jacket that evokes marbled paper. At the beginning, the "Note to Readers" states: "This book is the compilation of many poignant words found in Luci Shaw's writings, lecture notes, workshops, journals, interviews, essays, and poems. Any gaps and spaces throughout the text reflect the quilting together of these materials to form a meaningful sequence of concepts with a thought-provoking readability" (p. vii). As a 20 year reader of Shaw's poetry and prose, I am grateful to have so many of her reflections on faith and art in one place.

The Introduction begins with Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NRSV): "Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything" (p. ix). As Shaw explains, faith and art are "breath for the bones to each other" (p. x). This is the book's major theme, and it is developed in many ways. Intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of being a writer who is a Christian are all addressed. Some days I read this book and find an encouraging conversation with a trusted author; other days it brings me into a writer's workshop and challenges me to work harder on craft. I have also been blessed with new insights into the construction of poems that have helped me through difficult times--one of the rewards of rereading.

This book has two major parts. Part One is "The Basics of Creativity: Foundations of the Creative Process." Examples of its titles include "Entering into Beauty" and "Meeting the God of Metaphor." Part Two is "The Details of Creativity: Exploring the Creative Process." There are also six chapters in this section, with titles including "Understanding the Shadow Side of Creativity" and "Tracing the Creative Process of Poets and Poems." Appendix A then offers writing assignments and discussion questions. Appendix B is a recommended reading list for further study and enjoyment.

Breath for the Bones concludes with a long list of Acknowledgments and Notes. Among others, Luci Shaw honors Lil Copan "...for her gift--many weeks of her own time unraveling into a coherent whole the tangled mess of essays, lectures, poems, and journal notes that I had thrust upon her. With skill and efficiency she sorted and reordered materials of mine in a task that had seemed impossible to me, too close as I was to my own writing" (p. 202). This expression of gratitude pictures perfectly the rich and generous nature of the entire book. It is indeed a beautiful quilt. (Reprinted with permission from Time of Singing; Fall, 2008. [...])

Luci Shaw's book is a must read for any creative who longs to integrate their artistic craft with their walk of faith. Her writing is so refreshingly personal and can be transferrable between all the artistic disciplines. I was so enamored by her writing, that I read the whole book in one week (something very unusual for me). I highly recommend this book to any artistic type. It will encourage you with new freedom to do what you were created to do.

I found this book was not an enjoyable read. I believe that the creativity and imagination in art is FIRST and foremost a gift from God, and the amount of faith one has in God adds to their creativity and art. But first and foremost, where do you get your faith from? Or, from whom do you get your faith? I could get into more detail on this area, as a Christian. I found there to be so many quotes from other people.....almost constant on every page, that it was difficult to determine exactly what the author herself really believed. Every gift we have comes from the one who made us, and knew us even as we were being knit in our mother's womb.....Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior :)

The book lives up to the title. Its a thoughtful and affirming look at creativity. Any artist will find something to be encouraged by in this book.