Know About Creating: Interview With Nick Sungenis (Part 2)
In the last episode of our Know About Creating series, Liberty and Nick wrap up their conversation on music, philosophy, and life. Nick dives deeper into the philosophy of music, explaining how music can help us understand the nuance of life and sharpen our ability to reason through our actions. He also discusses the fascinating science behind the effect of music on living beings, and offers encouragement for people who want to pursue music as a career, or pick up an instrument for the first time!
Essentially Musical
Nick says that musicality is part of humans’ nature. “We are essentially predisposed and so ripe for becoming more musical because we have a fundamental level of musicality,” he told Know Why.
The more we play and understand music, the more we can understand about life, added. That’s because students of music learn that there is a right or wrong time to play certain notes, and that depending on the instrument, playing the correct note accurately requires a lot of nuance.
It’s the same with life. “There’s sometimes a lot of nuance to life and actions,” Nick said. “Reason will guide us to make the right selection, whatever it is.”
More Resources
Follow Nick on Instagram to stay up-to-date about his forthcoming book, Living the Harmonious Life.
Have you ever wondered why people love music so much? Music instructor and author of the forthcoming book Living the Harmonious Life, Nick Sungenis explains that humans are intrinsically musical. In Part 1 of his interview with Know Why, Nick argues that if we pay attention to music fundamentals like harmony and balance, we can understand what makes us happy in life. Don’t miss this philosophically rich conversation, and be sure to check back next week for Part 2!
God is Musical and So Are We
If you’ve read either J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion or C. S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew, you’re familiar with the concept of fantasy worlds being created through music. Nick beliefs that concept is more than fiction. “Music is something so essential to God himself,” he told Know Why. This explains why humans are naturally musical, too.
Music, Virtue, and Happiness
Applying musical concepts like harmony and tone to other areas of our life results in virtue and happiness, Nick said. He explores this philosophy more in his forthcoming book Living the Harmonious Life.
In addition to teaching us more about ourselves, enjoying music can serve as a needed balm in the midst of stress.
“There’s so much chaos in the world,” Nick told Know Why. “Music can be such a great way to bring more order and beauty and goodness in our souls, in our hearts, and our minds.”
In Part 2 of their interview with Know Why, Jonathan and Chelsea Boes (World Magazine) share insight on consuming secular literature, searching for the good in a broken universe, and the complicated facets of the Christian conscience. Parents of two, they also share thoughts on fostering a love of stories in children and embracing the mysteries of faith. Don’t miss this fun, thoughtful conversation!
Can Christians Enjoy Secular Literature?
Chelsea shares a story about blacking out the curse words in TheCatcher in the Rye, which she was assigned to read in high school. Since, then, she’s realized that Christians don’t have to be afraid to interact with stories that portray sin. “If you can’t read John Steinbeck because he swears, you can’t possibly be talking to your plumber,” Chelsea said. At the same time, however, “Our relationships with conscience as Christians are complicated.” She thinks that one’s ability or willingness to withstand certain content in literature or other forms of art may have to do with when in their life they became a Christian.
“We are surrounded by darkness,” Jonathan added, “And if we are totally unwilling to stick our hands in there and get a little messy, we’re going to miss the goodness and beauty of God that is hidden there.”
“In Christ, evil does not have power over us.”
Jonathan Boes
He also said that while Christians should be wise about what is healthy for us to consume, we don’t need to be afraid of secular content.
“In Christ, evil does not have power over us,” he told Know Why. “We do not need to approach the world with this default sense of fear that something will infiltrate us and infect us. We can actually go out with confidence knowing that we can look for the redemptive.”
Talking to Kids About Story and Reality
When it comes to passing a love of stories on to one’s children, Chelsea and Jonathan admit that it’s hard. Jonathan says you should gently nurture a love of stories, allowing kids to discover what they love for themselves. Chelsea shared about creating habits, like reading the Bible with coffee in the mornings with her daughters, and also creating fun experiences for her kids, like a book club for her third grader’s friends.
While talking to children about stories and literature is important, so is talking to them about the real world. Former host of the Concurrently podcast, Jonathan said that when it comes to talking to kids about the hard realities of the world, honesty is key—even if that means acknowledging that we don’t have the answer to every problem.
“There can sometimes be a temptation to pretend that we have all the answers,” he said. “That might work for a season but eventually will be seen through. I think it’s a lot more powerful to be honest.”
Grab some coffee and jump into this fun conversation with Jonathan and Chelsea Boes. Chelsea is the editor of WORLDKids Magazine, a culture writer at WORLD Magazine and a columnist at the Asheville Citizen Times. Jonathan is a writer, podcaster, and video creator and the multi-media editor for God’s WORLD News. Chelsea and Jonathan talk about why humans are drawn to stories, how faith informs their creativity, and why the creative process doesn’t have to be rushed. Come back next week for Part 2—a deep dive into Christians’ relationship with literature.
Why Stories Are Significant
Jonathan and Chelsea both believe there is significance in the human drive to tell stories. For Chelsea, it flows from a place of loving people and wanting to capture life. For Jonathan, the inclusion of so many stories in the Bible—as opposed to merely practical information—reveals that stories are important to God.
“God chose to give us stories.”
Jonathan boes
“As Christians there can sometimes be a sense that we just want to get to the ‘meat,'” he told Know Why. “Sometimes the story can even seem like an impediment to that. But I think there’s something really important in the fact that so much of the Bible is presented in story.”
Embracing the Process
As an extrovert, Chelsea understands how the desire to “be seen” can conflict with the often lonely work of writing and the impatience of not knowing what the outcome of that work will be. But she believes that no time spent writing is wasted—even if some stories never see the light of day. Time spent working on your art is like time spent exercising a muscle.
Making appointments with yourself to write daily can help you grow, and also removes the pressure to create something quickly, she told Know Why.
Listen next week for Part 2 of Know Why’s interview with Chelsea and Jonathan!
Does AI threaten the creative process? Jared Boggess, illustrator, Art Director for Christianity Today’s print magazine, and Creative Director of Fish Coin Press, joins Know Why Podcast to discuss why the process of making something matters. While humans are made in the image of God and are therefore creative, Jared explains, our process of making has been different from God’s since the beginning of time. Listen to know why you should enjoy the process of creating art.
Enjoyment in Work
Jared says the fact that we were made in God’s image means we were created to make things. But our process of making things is different than God’s. While God spoke the universe into existence, humans have always had to work to bring new things into being.
According to the Bible, humans were meant to work even before sin entered the world, Jared told Know Why. “Work itself is not bad. Labor is not bad. What came with the fall was our experience of it.”
“You might be in the wrong line of work if you never find yourself enjoying putting in the work.”
Jared Boggess
AI could subvert that process, Jared argues, allowing us to mimic instantaneous creation rather than putting in the work of making.
Jared believes that people should enjoy the process of their work, not just the result of it. “You might be in the wrong line of work if you never find yourself enjoying putting in the work,” he told Know Why.
Potential Tools
Jared thinks there may be helpful uses for AI technology, but insists that when it comes to art, AI is not simply another medium. He also warns that those who use AI to generate creative content should ensure that they do so ethically, since artificial intelligence has stolen content from other creators in the past.
However, he also doesn’t think it diminishes the need for new artists in the world.
“AI certainly does not remove our need to create,” Jared said, adding that as AI grows in popularity, human-made art may become even more valuable.
Ross Boone (artist name Raw Spoon) is back! In Part 2 of his interview with Know Why Podcast, Ross shares his formula for finding your mission in life. He also talks with Liberty about the power of stories, even dark ones (both true and fictional), to reveal the heart of God and point people to the light. Listen till the end to hear Ross turn the tables and interview Liberty for a few moments about her life’s story and mission.
Find Your Mission
In Part 2, Liberty notes that Ross has used seemingly divergent skill sets (mechanical engineering and artwork) to create his Creature Habits App. Ross believes people can find their mission in life by identifying their skills and passions and using painful parts of their life story to help others. For a more detailed description of Ross’s formula, listen to the first few minutes of the episode or click on the “Find Your Mission” link below.
“If we want to speak to the deepest parts of our humanity, we’re going to have to go to the deepest parts of our pain.”
Ross Boone
The Power of Story
True stories have the power to impact us deeply—but so do fictional stories. Ross believes Christians should be honest about the condition of the world in our storytelling. “Christian art doesn’t have to be rated G,” he told Know Why. “If we want to speak to the deepest parts of our humanity, we’re going to have to go to the deepest parts of our pain.” Is there a line for Christian artists and consumers when it comes to content that is “safe” or “clean?” Listen for Ross’s thoughts on navigating this issue.
Liberty’s Story
At the end of the episode, Ross asks Liberty questions to help identify her mission, leading Liberty to share part of her personal journey with faith and doubt.
Ross Boone (artist name Raw Spoon) is an author, illustrator, mechanical engineer, and theologian. He’s also had his share of doubts about faith and the Bible. Using those struggles as his creative engine, today Ross encourages others through artwork and stories. In Part 1 of his interview with Know Why Podcast, Ross shares how he uses digital tools including AI to create art that enhances biblical understanding. He also discusses how his app Creature Habits aims to reorient our distractions toward positive purposes. Listen and check out more of Ross’s creative resources below.
Doubt, Faith, and People
Ross told Know Why that he used to struggle with guilt over doubts and questions he had regarding Christian faith. He turned to creativity to process those doubts and questions, and now helps others wading through the same questions through his art.
Overtime, Ross realized that doubt is an important part of one’s journey with faith. “If you weren’t ever left in longing or left with questions, you wouldn’t have to dig deeper,” he said. He’s found that seeming dissonances within Scripture actually point to the complexity and nuance of humanity—much like art.
“If you weren’t ever left in longing or left with questions, you wouldn’t have to dig deeper.”
Ross boone
He believes Christian art needs to do a better job of portraying this reality. “Art has alerted me to the fact that we are complex, because I recognize when stories and portrayals of humans are done poorly.”
AI and Art
Ross believes that digital tools, including AI, have the power to bring depth and complexity to our understanding of biblical principles. He uses AI to generate art that accompanies Bible passages available in his app, Creature Habits. He hopes the art will help users visualize and understand biblical morals in fresh ways.
He notes that AI isn’t replacing the creative process for him as an artist. Rather, AI is a tool he is using for the benefit of the viewer in a specific context.
“Every new, modern technology is a tool for us to do what we want to do better,” he told Know Why. “We just have to be careful we don’t become a slave to these tools.”
Bestselling author and illustrator John Hendrix joins the Know Why Podcast to talk about the intersection of art and faith. A critically acclaimed artist and lifelong Christian, John shares why beauty has inherent value, argues why Christians should support artists, and explains why pursuing art as a profession matters in today’s world. A professor of art at Washington University in St. Louis, John offers advice and encouragement to aspiring artists. We also discuss some of John’s published (and forthcoming) graphic novels, so don’t miss this episode!
Art and Faith
John told Know Why he has been a Christian and an artist for as long as he can remember. As a child, he was often artistically inspired by the beauty in his home church. He sees art and creation as intrinsic expressions of his belief system.
“You cannot decouple creativity from expression of Christian faith,” he said, noting that “everyone is a creator,” even if they don’t consider themselves artists.
“We are made in the image of a Maker, and that is why we love making stuff.”
John Hendrix
John also shared how throughout his life, he’s wrestled with seasons of doubt regarding Christianity. “I think if you do not have doubts in your faith, you’re probably not really wrestling with it,” he told Know Why. “The doubts are a sign that it means something to you.”
The Value of Beauty
Christians can sometimes have a complicated relationship with the arts, and Johns sees a few reasons for this. For instance, Christians are often focused on practical ways to advance the gospel, and focusing on art can feel like an “indulgence.”
John understands the concern, but thinks the focus on practicality is misguided. “The sunset is not doing a particular work in spreading the gospel, unless you believe that beauty is fundamentally connected to some of God’s intrinsic values, which—news flash—it is,” he said. “So supporting the arts, in some ways, means succumbing to a mystery.”
He believes that churches should welcome artists and even implement programs to support them.
Encouragement for Aspiring Artists
The decision to pursue art professionally can result in both judgment and concern regarding everything from finances to the legitimacy of the pursuit. John encourages young artists, insisting that devoting one’s life to art is not selfish, but sacrificial—and meaningful for the world.
“Artists do not have the same earning power in general as Wall Street brokers, and that’s ok,” he said. “The goal of life on this planet is not to maximize your earning potential.” He says following one’s calling and living rightly are what matter most.
“The calling into the arts is a very broad one and it is totally worthy of your life.”
John Hendrix
Regarding illustration specifically, John says that “there is no better time to be an illustrator than right now.” There are so many devices and books that need illustration today, he continues, and illustration brings “clarity.”
“What does God value in the world?” John asked. “He values clarity. Clarity is a value. And it’s a value that is very difficult to do and to bring to the world.”
