Artsy

For the last couple of weeks, my examples have been displays of how Christianity is performed through Instagram with a focus on words either in the photo or in the caption. But one of the benefits of Instagram is that it allows for broader freedom not restricting their users to only speech. While my three examples this week still follow the trends I mentioned in last week’s blog, they illustrate them in a different way than what I have found in the past. I found that a lot of Christian users live out their religious devotion through some of their hobbies, and in particular this week, through art.

The first example is a picture of an abstract painting, and painted in the corner, it says, “Father, let my heart be after you.” Through the caption we discover that the user painted it herself, but even without it, its reflection of her daily interaction with Christianity is very apparent.

The second example is a framed craft that says in fancy writing “Choose joy.” Just by looking at the picture it is hard to tell whether or not it is a painting or just colored on a paper, but through the caption we discover that it was given to the user by a friend, and it was meant as a means of encouragement.

The third example is a crafted canvas surrounded by paper plates with paint colors and brushes in a park with the words “darkness even in light” painted in the corner. This picture actually displays the process of it being painted and illustrates clearly the hobby in action.

The messages sent from these three examples are transmitted more through the image than the words. They are all still a reflection of the user’s personal time with God, but the image represents that they are accomplishing it through a specific hobby. These posts are also aimed towards other Christians because it is other Christians that can relate and be encouraged by them. Incorporating their personal relationship with the Lord into their everyday lives is something that Christ-followers have in common, and these posts are meant to express that. The primary message being sent here is that being a Christian seeps into many aspects of the simple, everyday life, including our hobbies.