Inspired by Beauty?

Have you ever been struck by the beauty around you? Have you ever taken five seconds out of your busy schedule to glance at your surroundings? Or for that matter, been in awe at the simplest, sweetest human experiences? Like holding a baby and watching his/her expressions, or glancing at the tangled branches of trees as you're walking somewhere? Perhaps it has been the Voice of the ultimate Creator speaking to you through lyrics in music when you most needed to be moved. Maybe it was the music itself as you tapped your fingers on an instrument, and you dared to asked what story was being told by the beauty of the notes you played. My life has been and continues to be a series of more and more awe-inspiring experiences found in the ordinary. And here is where you cue that song, "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLachlan and the image is somewhat complete.

I propose to toast to true beauty, goodness, and enlightening art often with the cup of life I've been given. One way I'm hoping to do so is by initiating inside of Project Pulchra a series called "Moments of Beauty" (cough, through art in its many forms).

What is this all about, and how does it work?

I'll direct a question at you. What works of art have inspired you on your Catholic/Christian journey (secular and religious)? Who have been your inspirations and mentors? How have their creations moved you and challenged your thinking? Have you seen/heard/read/watched something recently which you want to make others aware of for the purpose of discussion? This is what "Moments of Beauty" will be about.

What I used to do before the days of this blog is occasionally send emails to a dear friend with a new song I heard, or a clip from a video, or a quote for pondering. All of these had in some way inspired me in my faith journey or were for sheer ridiculous amusement.

If some work of art strikes, jars, moves, capitulates your sentiments, makes you uberly explode with joy, makes you question, brings healing, helps you be more at peace- etc, etc, please do this blog a favour and share it!

Now in point form for people who need a black and white format:

1. Title your post "Moment of Beauty: (and then insert some title here which has to do with what you want to say, without the brackets)". Wow, that was overly specific.
2. Tell the story of your moment of beauty. Include insights you gained and any online links with which others can experience what you have.
3. If you want to discuss upon a moment of beauty, then comment away!

Let's thank the Lord for the awesomeness of being alive and being human. Let's delight in and share with one another His creative work through ourselves and others, whether the authors knowingly gave Him glory, or unknowingly did so.

**Note: Moments of Beauty can also include things you've been inspired to write, compose, create. As long as they've lead you closer to the well-spring of your creativity. Also known as the Holy Spirit.

Welcome to a Catholic/Christian version of Art Appreciation.

What's in a Name?

I really don't know where to start with my posts, I have years worth of journalling to translate into this project...so I will go at it piecemeal and eventually all will come out. My mum likes to quote a proverb about how the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time...I've never known where on earth she got it, but it applies here.

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I will start by explaining the name. Project Pulchra. Why?

The short answer is that I really didn't know which direction this would take (I still don't!), and so I wanted a name which placed the fewest possible limits on what we're doing, while still giving some indication as to what we were about. So, it's a project, a venture, a putting out into the deep not knowing how it's going to turn out.

So, Project. Project....what? Beauty? Art? Catholic Art? Christian Art? It was tricky finding a catchy, unique name relevant to what we're doing that didn't already exist somewhere on the internet. All that and it had to be something appealing too.

I almost didn't want to use the word "art" in the name because people tend to put limiting factors on the word in their minds...it can call forth a lot of stereotypes. To some people "art" can call to mind an elitest, often irrelevant thing inaccessible to the average person, like the stereotypical abstract painting everyone pretends to understand (I'm not knocking abstract art, btw). To other people, art is a school subject they dropped as soon as they could...or, worse, took for easy marks. Some people consider art to be something which other people are talented in but which they themselves are not, and so they cannot partake in it. I'm not saying there is no definitive definition of the arts, but I don't know what it is. That's something we can explore here. One thing I do know is that the arts are about Goodness, Truth and Beauty.

So, beauty. Project Beauty? I wasn't content using the English word "beauty," because I felt that the term had been hijacked and smeared around by things like the so-called "beauty industry." Don't believe me? A quick Google search for "Project Beauty" brings up ProjectBeauty.com, "brought to you by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery" (The second "Project Beauty" hit is a nobler endeavor by two teenage girls with the goal of healing the emotional damage done by a culture where the first hit for "beauty" is plastic surgery).

To rehabilitate the word "beauty," we'd have to approach it from another angle. Maybe putting beauty into another language would loosen it from more cosmetic, sometimes utilitarian connotations. I remembered from back in my Treble chorus days this piece of music (I don't know the ensemble in the link, but it was the nicest recording I could find on youtube). Pulchra. Latin for beauty (nearly all of my limited knowledge of Latin comes from choir).

Project Pulchra.

It has been pointed out to me (by someone who will remain nameless) that it's an ugly name for a word that means beauty. But I like it. It's kind of earthy... and it challenges one's conception of beauty....like how stones and dirt and bumblebees and those terrible ocean-bottom-dwelling creatures with flashbulbs on their heads are beautiful same as diamonds and sunsets and waterfalls. Like how people are always beautiful, which is sometimes obvious but sometimes really isn't. It's unconventional, and all-encompassing. Besides all that, using the Latin links this project to the Church in a deeper and more subtle way than calling it something like "The Really Awesome Catholic Art Project."

To top it all off, it's even alliterative. I almost always adore alliteration.

Project Pulchra

[First of all, let it be stated, let it be known that we don’t really know what we’re doing.

If we waited until we knew all there was to know, and until we knew what we were doing, we would never start. And we need to start.

The only thing we really need to know here is that the Holy Spirit knows what He’s about. Come, Holy Spirit!]

“You are the custodians of beauty: thanks to your talent, you have the opportunity to speak to the heart of humanity, to touch individual and collective sensibilities, to call forth dreams and hopes, to broaden the horizons of knowledge and of human engagement.” – Pope Benedict XVI

Welcome to Project Pulchra!

This is a place to share our thoughts and ideas about connecting our faith with the arts and the arts with our faith, thereby enriching and revolutionizing culture. The hope is to gather together and unite everyone who is passionate about proclaiming Jesus Christ and witnessing to His beauty, truth and goodness.

We also hope to be able to compile some sort of database of resources and initiatives which other people have already been doing in the area of faith, arts and culture. If you see something amazing happening out there, especially if you’re involved in it, please share!

All are encouraged to read, comment on and share in this dialogue! If you are interested in contributing to the Project Pulchra blog, please e-mail projectpulchra@gmail.com