Matt Appling - Life After Art: What You Forgot About Life and Faith Since You Left the Art Room

MOODY PUBLISHERS
CHICAGO

2013 by
MATT APPLING

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Edited by Brandon OBrien
Cover design: Connie Gabbert Design and Illustration
Cover image: Connie Gabbert
Interior design: Smartt Guys design

ISBN: 978-0-8024-0739-9

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Life after Art will help you recover what was lost or stolen from your childhood throughout the arduous journey of life. Reclaim the untainted creativity, imagination, and optimism of your youthand discover the very person you were meant to be.

BEN ARMENT
Creator of STORY conference and Dream Year

How many years has it been since you were covered in paint in your elementary schools art room? After reading Life after Art, you may want to go back. Matt takes readers on a journey to the art room to discover our purpose in life which can be found in our God-given ability to create beauty for the world to see.

ANNE JACKSON
Speaker and author of Permission to Speak Freely: Essays & Art on Fear, Confession & Grace, and Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic

As someone who is trying to be an artist, this book spoke to me. As a dad of two creative daughters, this spoke to me. As a Christian, this spoke to me. The bottom line is that Matts written a book that communicates an important hope. And it will speak to you too.

JON ACUFF
Speaker and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Quitter and Stuff Christians Like

Matt has written the book I always wanted to write. Hes taken art and made it grace. Hes taken creativity and made it humanity. Hes taken adults and made them children, again. With thoughtful questions, humorous anecdotes, and crisp story telling, Matt paints a picture of what heaven can look like on earth. In the same way I frame my paintings, I wish I could frame the message of Life after Art and hang it on my walls for all the world to see. This book has been a long time coming and it will make artists out of all of us.

EMILY WIERENGA
Award-winning journalist, artist, and author of Save My Children and Chasing Silhouettes

Our time-obsessed culture of productivity has piled so much upon our adult lives that weve let slip the things that truly enhance our spiritual, emotional, and even physical well-being. Matt Applings call to return to the timeless joy of making beautiful things is powerful. More art. More creating. More mess. As a visual artist and a grown-up overcome with responsibilities, this is a message I needed to hear.

JASON BOYETT
Author of O Me of Little Faith and Pocket Guide to the Afterlife

What I love about this book is its commitment to call out the best in each of us. All of us want to live the extraordinary life Jesus promises, but many miss out on it because of hurt, failure or disappointment. Life after Art commissions us to recapture Gods vision for our life and pursue it with passion.

JUSTIN DAVIS
Cofounder of RefineUs Ministries and coauthor of Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isnt Good Enough

When we were kids we were told we were artists, but over time we forgot how to be artists. Matt reminds us that being an artist and making a life filled with beauty should no longer be relegated to our kindergarten classes. In my humble opinion, being an artist means changing the world, and Matts book will help you do exactly that.

BLAINE HOGAN
Creative director, actor, artist and author of UNTITLED: Thoughts on the Creative Process

Relearn what you have been taught to forget. Allow the art of your life to greater speak so others can see what they cannot hear. Journey with Matt and explore life and faith through one of the most powerful mediums on the face of the earth today, the arts.

ERIC SAMUEL TIMM
Communicator, artist, founder of No One Underground and Painting Hope

Matt Applings voice is charismatic, enthusiastic, and refreshingly honest. He addresses a host of issues including creativity, postmodernism, failure, and beauty with earnestness, simplicity, and a keen sense of humor. However, what is truly unique about this book is the Christian worldview he applies through story to inspire you as a creator.

G. JAMES DAICHENDT, EdD
Professor at Azusa Pacific University and author of Artist-Teacher: A Philosophy for Creating and Teaching

I wish I could go back to kindergarten and be in Mr. Applings art class. But reading Matts book, I kind of can. Life after Art is a simple and compelling message, reminding my grown-up self that I have everything I need to create beauty in the world with my work, my faith, and my lifean insightful and encouraging read.

EMILY P. FREEMAN
Speaker and author of Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life

This book is a tremendous resource for any creative who can identify with having vibrant dreams as a child, but youve lost it and feel creatively stuck as an adult. Life after Art will reveal some powerful truths towards helping you find fulfillment and discover the life you were created for.

PETE WILSON
Founding pastor of Cross Point Church, communicator, and author of Plan B and Empty Promises

For all the beauty-makers in the world,
most especially the people who have made my world beautiful:
my parents and brother who drew the earliest designs on my life,
and my wife, Cheri,
who adds vibrant, joyful, beautiful color to my every day.

Chapter One: All Children Are Artists
Why we are all born naturally creative

Chapter Two: The Challenge Is to Stay an Artist as an Adult
How we lose our naturally born creativity

Chapter Three: Life without Beauty
Society suffers an epidemic of lost creativity

Chapter Four: Coloring inside the Lines
Relearning how to create within the boundaries of life

Chapter Five: Freedom to Fail
Relearning how to take necessary risks

Chapter Six: Born to Create
Relearning how to be a creator

Its four o clock in the afternoon and my office is a mess. Scraps of paper litter the floor, as if a windstorm has blown through the room. The walls are smudged with fingerprints. My own hands are stained and my fingernails are caked with paint and chalk and ink. I wear an apron with dozens of colorful scars. I hang the apron on its hook, flip the light switch, and lock the door with a sense of satisfaction. The mess around the room is evidence of the days accomplishments.