Encouragement for Artists
Sometimes being a Catholic artist in NYC - or wherever you happen to live - can be lonely and isolating. We don’t feel like we fit in one world completely as we are. On this blog, we have compiled resources for you from fellow Catholic artists that can help when you’re feeling blue, confused, anxious, or just lost. Check out some of the advice and encouragement NYC Catholic artists have given over the past year.
from our Catholic Artist Connection Happy Hour!
Find a community to both hold you accountable and to support you in the high and low times. This is a big city with lots of people but can often feel incredibly lonely, so find those people you can sit down for coffee with when you feel stuck or to have a drink with when you are celebrating your first NYC show! I would be nowhere without family and friends who remind me of the important things when I forget.
Know that your worth is not defined by your success or failure in your art. Your worth is defined by Christ– Christ has come into your life, Christ has died and has risen for you, and Christ desires the best for you. Your identity is in Him before your career or anything else. While it is tempting, keep yourself grounded (either through family, friends, Church community, prayer, the Sacraments, etc) in the reality that Christ is a constant amidst the oftentimes unstable, chaos of your artistic pursuits.
Catholic Artist Connection board at Christmas
You are not crazy for loving showtunes and loving Jesus, you are not crazy for being proud of how you did at your audition and doing a sign of the cross after you walk out of the audition room, you are not crazy for desiring to share your passion and gift of performing/ arts with the world, while knowing that the gift comes from your Lord above. There are plenty of souls who have been called to an artistic discipline who are sitting next to you at Mass, so be encouraged on your walk and your pursuit of your art, with Christ at your core.
Don’t be afraid, and give yourself some grace and slack in expectations when you first arrive. (Of course, don’t slack in your devotion to doing what you know is necessary in pursuing excellence in your craft, but DO cut yourself-slack in your expectations of immediate or worldly “success”). And make sure to get out of the city every now and then! Take the train up the Hudson or somewhere cute on Long Island. Get out of town every now and again.
From Storm King, a sculpture park just north of NYC
Surround yourself with people who treat you with the respect and dignity you deserve. This might seem like general life advice, and it is, but as a Catholic you’ll find yourself facing challenges in the city, and as an artist in this city, you’ll certainly be challenged. But at the end of the day, when you lay your head down, wherever you find a spot, you have to know you are safe and loved. Nothing is worth your respect and dignity, and do everything you can to maintain it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you feel trapped and afraid. You aren’t the only artist (or Catholic) to feel this way in this city.
Be brave. David Mamet says that all art is just brave men and women getting up and telling the truth. Art takes courage, as does living in New York City, as does being a Christian. Don’t be afraid of failure or disappointment - just keep being brave.
If you haven’t had a really full, authentic belly laugh recently, find someone who will make you laugh and hang out with them or call them on the phone. Gotta have that joy fully stocked at all times.
NYC is an incredibly challenging place to live - spiritually, financially, emotionally. If anything, allow the church to be a quiet place to sit and find solace in the silence, and let the Big Guy do the rest.
We want to hear from you! What advice do you have for Catholic artists?
