Even So

Hi. I’m Dan. 

A few months ago, I was asked to step into the role of Executive Director of Hearts & Hands. At first, I was a little flattered. It’s a nice thought to realize that other people want to work with you. I attempted to do my “due diligence” to understand the role that was in front of me. I talked with a few people who were already involved. I talked with a few people who were not involved to help me determine my emotions around this idea. Ultimately, I accepted the position and started to get to work. 

As I began to dig into the job, I realized that there were reasons why I had not been involved prior to this position. I couldn’t see myself in this organization. I didn’t see a place for me and my art in this group. They weren’t my tribe. 

How disappointing. 

But here I am, working as the head of Hearts & Hands. There is no user’s manual. There is very little structure. So, I’m going to turn on my headlamp and explore. If you want, I hope you’ll come along. Come with me. 

One of the primary ideals that I see in H&H is the notion of community. I’m a product of WELS and ELS education. Grade school, High School and College. Now, this far into my life (I’m 44, divorced with three kids) I look back on those education years and recognize that in many ways, I was missed. I slipped through the system. I’ve alway been an artist, but I was pushed into sports. I was deeply spiritual, but was left at just the milky answers. I’m not saying this to play the victim here, I’m attempting to see if you are like me. 

C.S. Lewis described the beginning of friendships something like this: “Oh, you like baseball, hey me too.” It’s in that “me too” where we find common ground and the seeds of friendship. You see, I believe that H&H could be my tribe. I’m hopeful to meet you, my fellow artist. 

Look, I resisted the title of artist for many many years. My last name is Jaspersen. If you’re in the orbit of H&H, you’ve likely heard of Jason Jaspersen. He’s my big brother. Jason and I are close, and I love him dearly, but you can imagine following him in school. I avoided fine art classes through my entire schooling. I embraced performance art and now, I’m a professional magician and storymaker. But for most of my life, I shied away from Artist as a self describer. Maybe that’s you too. Maybe you don’t see yourself as an artist. Maybe that type of title was beaten out of you. Maybe you were told that you have to find a way to make money, and art won’t do that. Maybe you were made fun of for some of your drawings or poems or ideas. Maybe you’re like me, a bit of an orphan. 

Here we go. This morning, a friend of mine texted me a handful of audio samples of her singing. I didn’t know you could sing. Soulful sounds streamed out of my phone as I poured my coffee. They were familiar songs sung by a gorgeously scared soul. There was another dimension of beauty in this little exchange of art, she was sharing part of her soul with my soul. I cried. 

Perhaps you have an old notebook of poetry. Maybe you have a current notebook of poetry, idk. 

The version of H&H that I see in my mind is a place for your creativity to meet the souls of others. Whether you’re a singer, poet, dancer, writer, chef, florist, actor, painter, juggler, comedian, knitter, photographer, graphic designer, or however you outlet your creative heart. I hope you find a place among H&H. 

Oh, oh! And not just Christian Art! Bring your weird stuff. Bring your dark stuff. Bring your counter-culture stuff. Bring your soul. 

The reality is that we are a collective of Creative Christians. As such, we care about your soul. Sometimes that’s a very dark place - hence my cool headlamp. Creative Christians ought to be ready to dive into the deep dark places just as much as we enjoy basking in the Light. If your art comes from a deep dark cave, bring it. I want to check it out. I want to meet your soul. 

Hearts and Hands exists to help you bring your soul out into the Light. This does not mean that we are afraid of the dark, it means that we know how to seek the Light, even in the dark. Here, hold my hand, I’ll show you. 

Let me tell you about a piece of magic that I’m working on. This is a dream, still, but soon it will be experimented with on stage. There is a beautiful old trick called the Egg Bag. This trick is a few hundred years old, and is a very common entry in the modern magician’s show. Historically, this trick is rooted in generosity. You see, the performer would reach into a small bag and pull out an egg. He would hand that egg to a child in the audience and tell them to bring it home. “It’s breakfast tomorrow.” How generous! Then the magician would reach into the bag again and bring out another egg. He would hand it to another kid, and another, and another, and over and over the magician would provide breakfast for dozens of kids. It was a beautiful idea. 

Today, most magicians use a plastic egg and don’t hand out eggs to the kids in their audiences, bummer. 

Do you remember the film Hook? Robin Williams plays a grown up Peter Pan. Early in that film, Captain Hook visits Peter’s home and kidnaps his children. He leaves a pirate dagger stuck in the wall with a ransom note. Hook was luring Pan back to Neverland for one last war. 

If you remember at the top of the movie, Peter had forgotten that he was Peter Pan. He had forgotten how to play. He had turned into a pirate - the arch enemy of Peter Pan. 

The dream version of this Egg Bag trick for me is loosely inspired by that setting. Many adults (the majority of my audiences are corporate adult groups) have forgotten what it means to play. They have grown out of it. How sad. To be very honest, the egg thing is an incredibly difficult logistical problem that I don’t want to solve. So, I want to do it with bouncy balls. Simple, innocent, deviously playful bouncy balls. I want to lure these modern day former Peter Pans back to a place of imagination and play. One of the final productions from the bag will be a folded up treasure map. The map will actually be a map of the building we’re in, and it will lead to a bag of chocolate or something similar. Yes, I want to send grown men and women on a treasure hunt with a pirate map. Fun, right? 

This trick is part of my soul. As a former child, I know that I have forgotten what it means to play. I know that I have become too busy and too full of adulthood to have a sword fight with my kids. It happens. This egg bag trick is a joyful rebellion and I hope you’ll join me. 

Hearts and Hands is actually a joyful rebellion too. It’s a reminder to seek the light. Yes, I’m acutely aware of how harsh the world is. I have suffered loss and heartbreak and pain too. Remember, I’m a divorced dad. 

I have a small but very visible tattoo on my forearm. It says in a simple font, “Even So.” That’s it. Nothing fancy, just Helvetica. Or maybe Ariel, I don’t remember. It’s on the front of my forearm, so I see it when I brush my teeth. It’s a gentle reminder that even though bad stuff happens, even though darkness swirls around us, even so, I will turn on my headlamp and seek the Light. Even So. 

Hearts and Hands is a joy filled rebellion against the darkness. It’s a place where we can stop, stabilize our boat, adjust our sails, and seek the Wind. I hope you’ll join us. 

I know that you stopped writing poetry because you were afraid you’d get made fun of. And I know you stopped drawing because you were afraid it wasn’t worth anything. And I know that you had to seek an education and career which would pay the bills. 

I know. 

Me too. 

Even so. 

Seek the Light.