A Creative Life
- vorsorge3
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)
In 1953, Ann Ree Colton and Jonathan Murro founded the Niscience ministry for the purpose of blending religion, philosophy, science and the creative arts. In Niscience, all things have a spiritual purpose. Therefore, art can become part of one's creative soul expression, spiritual development, and union with God's Omnipresence.
Every year, around the timing of Ann Ree Colton's birthday (August 17), the Niscience Foundation holds an art show to celebrate and showcase the creative arts output of the Niscience Founders and members. The Art Show is a reminder to us that creative expression is one of the founding purposes of the Niscience ministry. While the Niscience Art Show occurs once a year, when we can incorporate regular creativity in our lives, our lives become creative lives, abundant lives.
Niscience Art Show
In the 2025 Niscience Art Show, there were 27 artists represented, ranging in age from age four to well into their 80s. There were a total of 161 individual pieces of art. Member artwork included paintings, drawings, mosaics, photos, rock, fiber, bonsai plants, and three-dimensional art, including sculpture.
Each item on display was an artistic and unique creative expression of the soul of each artist, their soul beauty, and their love of God and life. The Niscience Art Show demonstrated that we can all be creative in so many diverse ways. The amazing thing about the Niscience Art Show is that it shows that each and every one of us is an artist, even if we do not think we are. All we have to do is let go and let God in.
I am an artist, illumined beyond my little comprehension; for the threshold of God revealeth mighty things to me. (Ann Ree Colton)
Niscience Founders
The Niscience Founders were voluminous producers of art. The Niscience Foundation has cataloged over 1,000 individual pieces of art from Ann Ree Colton and Jonathan Murro. (For a sampling, click here)
In producing their artwork, they used oil paints, watercolors, pastels, chalks, inks, pens, pencils, colored markers, charcoal, and tempera. In other words anything and everything. The Niscience Founders painted on canvas and art boards, drew in sketchpads (even on the cardboard backing) and on sheets of paper. They made mosaics, ceramics, and sculptures.
The Niscience Founders drew artistic inspiration from everything -- from the everyday common to the celestial. On the everyday end of the spectrum there is art of a vase of flowers, birds, and a scene with a dog named girl. On the spiritual level, there are portraits of the apostles, persons in the Bible and other historical persons. There are paintings of the various angels as well as events in Jesus' life. Celestial paintings include those related to the archetypes and the birth and formation of the solar system.
Jonathan Murro recounts in his book, God Realization Journal how he asked the Father in 1972, "How can Ann Ree do what she is doing?" Later, he asked the Father, "Why was it necessary for Jesus to come to the world?" He received a two word answer to both questions, "Versatility Illuminations." Jonathan writes:
The words "Versatility Illuminations" have enabled me to perceive more clearly the logic in a great truth: God is a Versatile Creator; therefore, each person created in His image is potentially a versatile creator. Now I can understand why anointed teacher-prophets, such as Ann Ree Colton, are gifted in several fields of creative expression blessed by a continuous union with the worlds of inspiration and revelation. These versatile ones are God’s way of telling the world that each person will eventually be creatively and spiritually versatile as the “image of God” in him is increasingly quickened over the ages. (Jonathan Murro)
Creative Beings
While art for art’s sake is a worthy endeavor, to the spiritual disciple, creativity and the creative arts becomes part of the spiritual life. Pure expressions of creativity unite one with their soul uniqueness.
The Niscience Founders did not limit themselves to only one art form. Rather they connected with God through different creative expressions and art forms. God is not one-dimensional. God and the dharma are diamond-like with many facets. Thus, we can unite with Him through different art forms.
There are many types of art and creative expressions, each of which reflects a different facet of creative beauty and union with Our Lord. Poetry, music, cooking, and gardening are are just a few other ways we can be creative and unite with God through our creativity.
When we create art, we employ our physical senses. Art unites us with the physical world, but when we are open to art as a pure soul expression, art can transport us out of the physical into the spiritual. The right use of our five senses in the creation of pure art forms helps give us a sensitivity to the Divine. And the more we become sensitive to the Divine, the more we express the Divine into the physical world. Pure art has transformative properties, not only for the artist, but for those who become opened through what the art is expressing. From Ann Ree:
Illumined and selfless poets, composers, sculptors, and artists devote their talents to portraying the eternal existence of man. (Ann Ree Colton)
As humans, we are creative beings. We yearn to create. We were all born with creativity -- just look at young children -- they are uninhibited in their creative play. When we live a creative life, our lives are full and abundant. Through an abundant life, we are connected to God's universe and God's providence. The creative life is intentional. The creative life is a choice we make. Without a creative life, we are automatons, responding to our ancestral gene compulsions. Through a spiritualized creative life, we respond to our unique and beautiful soul compulsions -- we are connected to the universe and the world around us. Through a spiritualized creative life, we are no longer passive bystanders to our own lives. We become full participants in life, walking the path of co-creative serving with Our Lord. When we tap into and unlock our creative gifts, we are open to wonder, joy, and transformation -- not only for ourselves, but to the world around us.
Man minus the discovering aspect is devoid of God, and must rely solely upon himself. When the discovering aspect becomes the intelligible part of one's mind and thoughts, life is lived joyously with creativity. (Ann Ree Colton)
And from Ecclesiastes:
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
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