Musician, composer, poet, painter, author, teacher, and director of church music/organist: all of these titles describe me. These art forms influenced my journey through life and created my desire to be the most loving and artistic Christian woman I can be. I believe God plants seeds in all of us, seeds that form the foundations of our human needs and our hearts’ desires. We have physical characteristics and human behaviors that identify us, but our intelligent and emotional being develops in the heart of our souls, the arts. God gave us talents to help beautify His creation, and it is up to us to fully develop our full potential.
My strongest gift from God is my core center of music. As a young person, music was my “go-to-art” form when I needed a place to reflect on changes in my family situation or to thank God for everything He was doing for me. When I realized I loved working with children, teaching music was a natural step towards adulthood. Today, music is my heart’s resting place, the place where Christ walks beside me as a friend and carries me as a protector. When the HIV epidemic exploded across the world, I was inspired to write the string quartet, “Ariel’s Rainbow,” for the president of the Pediatric Aids Foundation, as she fought her own battle with Aids after needing a blood transfusion in child birth.
Writing poems, painting statuary, writing memoirs, teaching music to all ages, and church music are ways to help others find peace, hope, and love in this ever-changing and perplex world. I have written over 150 poems as an outlet for expressing my own ideas of courage, integrity, compassion, honor, sacrifice, and my love of Christ. I have a passion to help others find their abilities in music of all kinds through a wide variety of teaching methods. I have written two books, Listen to the Voices of Your Heart, and The River Flows On. After retiring eleven years ago from public school teaching, I began writing my memoirs to reflect on how God has always been by my side, in the hope that others would be inspired to build their own relationships with Him. The joy of painting developed when I began painting outdoor statuary for my landscaping. My gardens became another way to artistically thank God for His creation and the talent He gave me in building and maintaining beautiful theme gardens around my home.
Perhaps my most creatively intense passion for music is my ability to praise God with a church pipe organ. The pipe organ is God’s largest instrument, and I enjoy leading a congregation in worship, helping them reach God with their jubilant voices, and creating a truly passionate service every weekend. There is nothing more powerful than ending a Christmas Eve service with “The Hallelujah Chorus” from “The Messiah,” sending people out with joy in their hearts, causing them to step up to God’s call for service, and bringing hope to a cold and dark world. It is only through opportunities to serve and love that we become God’s angels of peace.
So why do I pursue many art forms? They make my life more meaningful, and they are my gifts to God for everything He has done for me. Make a joyful noise to the Lord our God, and be glad in it!
Anna Hartt
