A Chat with Joby-Part I

I’ve ahd the chance to interact with some awesome people during the past 2 years at Mosaic Los Angeles; one of them is Joby Harris, who oversees all of the visual art at Mosaic. This is part I of an interview we did late last year.

RM: Joby can you tell us what the creative process looks like for you, how it plays out?

JH: Well I produce art for our gatherings at Mosaic. A good example I guess is the Christmas series we have coming up…for me the artwork I produce comes out of the title I get given. The subject matter comes from Mosaic’s navigators, and so I source as much info from them as I can get, I have to be proactive about that. I’m looking to capture in an image what the series is about. I guess I think in terms of films; the art posters they produce that capture the film. What I’m creating, it’s a teaser to get people thinking and feeling before they even hear a message; like a good trailer for a movie you want to go see it, even though the clip is only a minute long. So for me details are secondary. I’m asking can this series be communicated in one piece? Can the art and title grab the attention of people like a good movie trailer or poster will?

RM: Do you need stimulus for that, or is your brain always moving with ideas?

JH: Yeah I always come back to this verse in 1 Cor 14 that’s kind of the foundation of all I do, where Paul says that people keep secrets in their hearts; that God is able to reveal those secrets, if we’re willing to seek him out. So I’ll take a series I’m working on and look at it’s about, and really pray that I’ll design an image that connects with and draws out the secrets in people’s hearts. I want to tap into those with what I create. Because there is unspoken things in people’s lives that this series and these pieces of art can draw out; people look at and say I resonate with that, or agree with that, even before they sometimes know why. Because God is working through it, tapping into the things that are unspoken.

RM: Do you find art draws out your secrets?

JH: Totally. I resonate with colours and shapes and images that make me feel a certain way; so I actually try to stay away from the literal image…or from telling people what they should think, as I see some churches doing. I’m trying to bring people into the event, letting them bring their own experiences to the art that they see. My experience with art is that colour and shape actually affect people’s moods. So I don’t put too much meaning into it, I want to get people’s attention long enough to give them something they hold onto. And as their life experiences change, they see the art as a reference point and Mosaic as an option in their life increases. It’s like credit card ads; they send you tonnes of ads, more than you need, not because they think you’re needing it but because they know your life experiences will change. So when your car breaks down you think “maybe I need a credit card” and bang there is a letter right there somewhere. I want my art to be like that. I’m putting a seed in people’s hearts; that Mosaic is here, so long as they hold onto the card, we’re an option for them. The deeper the connection to the art, the longer they hold on. I guess I also focus on creating art that hints at a literal meaning, rather than literal art which is giving it all away.

RM: Do you think art doesn’t exist without people connecting to it?

JH: Yeah a lot of people create because they feel they have something within them that needs to be expressed, but it’s wasted; no-one ever sees it or gets it the way they want them too. So they blame their audience; but I’ll say it’s bad art. They claim the viewer has to understand what’s happening in the artist; I think the artist needs to see what’s happening in the people. Art shouldn’t be inwardly focused, wanting to be understood; art is outwardly focused, speaking to the needs and secrets of the audience, the people.

RM: So you’re wanting to understand others as you create?

JH: Art is prideful. It makes people work hard to understand where you’re coming from; and if they never get it, they never understand it and it’s their fault. There is an arrogance to that. People pick and choose. Like in Perth, Australia recently I was at an arts festival. People were walking around, locals going from booth to booth; they wanted desperately to understand the art and enjoy it. But there was such an arrogance about the art, they couldn’t figure it out, even though they were so wanting to. So with art there is this opportunity to create something that resonates with people and taps into their hearts. It takes thinking of others as you create; I’m not creating for myself anymore, I’m creating for others.