Art as Spiritual Practice: 5 Creators for Exvangelicals & Other Boundary-Bending Humans
Art that has challenged me and helped me celebrate what was once forbidden...
If you’ve been through a faith transition of any kind, you know it can be hard to find art that represents the contours of your journey. Today, I want to celebrate some artists that have helped me along in finding creative expression through the whimsical to the macabre, the incisive to the gentle, and everything in between.
In exploring my witchy side (and the accompanying folklore and reclamation of my woodsy upbringing), I found Annie Stegg Gerard’s work to be a resplendent companion.
Alix is a queer artist local to my area, and I absolutely love their work. The image for this post is their iconic “Them Fatale” design in enamel pin form. This pin allowed me to express my “them-ness” in a femme way.
On my journey out of evangelicalism, I dwelled in Catholicism for a bit, and Catholic saints continue to be a part of my admittedly secular-ish spirituality. Through art, Daniela of AndHerSaints perfectly captures a queer vision rooted in the teachings of Jesus.
Naomi Lord’s adorable art celebrates the beauty found in fantasy and the macabre. I first saw her work in Hot Topic and fell in love. I love work that takes something supposedly scary and reveals it for the cuteness it might actually be. Yay for boundary-bending via cuteness!
Anti-fascist affirmations from crows. What more could you want?
Now that we’ve started the art conversation, I want to know, what art has been impactful on your spiritual1 journey? Tell me in the comments.
In Wonder,
Kandi Zeller (she/they)
Mircocosm.Pub/DisabledWitch
When I describe or experience any tool/practices as spiritual, I want to acknowledge that that is not everyone’s experience. Any practice/tool I share is meant for all, regardless of spiritual label (or lack of label) or whether you experience these tools as spiritual or as some other adjective(s). Labels, while helpful in describing our experiences, are ultimately insufficient, so I want to hold space for that tension here.