God's Part in Our Art
, a finalist in the Nonfiction: Creative category of the 2021 Best Book Awards, explores the intersection of creativity and spirituality from an author who is both a practicing artist and a theologian. Dr. Linda Seger has studied and experienced the nuances and intricacies of the creative process and also how the Holy Creative Spirit moves us and guides us in our lives and in our art.
This book is both reflective and practical. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse about the process of creation and creating, analyzes the connotations and meanings of the verse, then discusses how it can be applied to the reader's own creativity. The book slants Christian and Jewish, but Linda believes the concepts are universal.
weaves together an occasional discussion of the original Hebrew words and what they can mean to us in our own processes, stories of artists and their struggles and decisions, (including Ernest Hemingway and Steven Spielberg), as well as quotes and insights from visual artists, dancers, musicians, poets, novelists, and screenwriters. She includes inspirational quotes, sometimes discussing how a particular quote helped her get through her own creative struggles. She deals with the challenges we often face as artists - including self-doubt, addictions, abject terror, as well as our calling and our responsibilities to ourselves and to society.
Linda is known for her ability to bring complicated ideas down to earth and make complex concepts accessible, often humorous, and able to be used immediately. The reader will find applications in each chapter that will enhance their own art projects. In her practical and understandable writing style, Linda shares what has been brewing and percolating in her thoughts and through her experiences for 50 years. Her knowledge and understanding come from her career in the film industry as an internationally-known script consultant, and continues with her experiences within the arts as an accomplished author, theater director, writer, musician, and has recently begun working within the visual arts.
Linda hopes this book will deepen the themes and stories and creativity of her readers, believing that art is a high calling and that our own spiritual development has a direct connection with the beautiful art we give to the world.