I personally really enjoyed chapter 7 of Imagine. This chapter is all about how the time, people, and culture change over long periods. I think Turner is trying to get his readers to understand that art is going to change with time. And while Christians are called to stick firm, the changing of culture is out of our control. We have to understand that we can change with culture too, as long as we keep our morals and values. Things are going to change; people are going to change. And sometimes (most of the time) there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it, except sit back and watch. With that being said, we have to be sure that our art is capturing the culture at the time. We have to take into account all of the things going on during the time period, and we have to be sure that we accept the change that is happening around us. We can't be oblivious to the changes that are happening, or honestly we might look a little naïve. Be aware of the change, and accept the change.
I also think that Turner is trying to get us to see that art builds. Turner gives the example of the television. He says that the TV is a combination of all forms of art: painting, photography, acting, directing, and playwriting. Turner wants us to see that art is going to change with new innovations that we have. Over time, the TV has become more and more detailed, because of new art forms. Art is going to change with time, because people will come up with more inventions or ways of doing things. We have to accept the fact that art is going to change, and we have to appreciate it. We need to be thankful that there are so many ways to do things artistically.
One thing that Turner says that really impacts me is this: "This is what a lot of Christians do in the art world: they don’t listen to what has already been said; they don’t sit for a while on the sidelines catching the drift of the arguments; they just assume that the world is waiting to hear what they have to say." I think all people, especially artists, can take something away from this one sentence. Sometimes when we want to get our ideas across, we do not think to listen to others ideas as well. You can be the most creative person in the entire world, but if you are not willing to listen to other's opinions, nobody is going to want to work with you - whether you bring lots of success or not. People want to be heard; they want to have a voice. So I think that really impacts me because it makes me think twice about the way that I do things. It makes me really wonder if I am doing enough to let people know that I care about their opinions. Also, it makes me think about something else. When someone asks me for my opinion, it makes me feel like they really value my opinion, and they value how I feel about a situation. We know how that feels, so we should ask people for their opinions when we really respect them. Personally, I think asking someone for their opinion is a sign of respect.
I also think that Turner is trying to get us to see that art builds. Turner gives the example of the television. He says that the TV is a combination of all forms of art: painting, photography, acting, directing, and playwriting. Turner wants us to see that art is going to change with new innovations that we have. Over time, the TV has become more and more detailed, because of new art forms. Art is going to change with time, because people will come up with more inventions or ways of doing things. We have to accept the fact that art is going to change, and we have to appreciate it. We need to be thankful that there are so many ways to do things artistically.
One thing that Turner says that really impacts me is this: "This is what a lot of Christians do in the art world: they don’t listen to what has already been said; they don’t sit for a while on the sidelines catching the drift of the arguments; they just assume that the world is waiting to hear what they have to say." I think all people, especially artists, can take something away from this one sentence. Sometimes when we want to get our ideas across, we do not think to listen to others ideas as well. You can be the most creative person in the entire world, but if you are not willing to listen to other's opinions, nobody is going to want to work with you - whether you bring lots of success or not. People want to be heard; they want to have a voice. So I think that really impacts me because it makes me think twice about the way that I do things. It makes me really wonder if I am doing enough to let people know that I care about their opinions. Also, it makes me think about something else. When someone asks me for my opinion, it makes me feel like they really value my opinion, and they value how I feel about a situation. We know how that feels, so we should ask people for their opinions when we really respect them. Personally, I think asking someone for their opinion is a sign of respect.
http://www.thecrowd.me/the-art-of-change