Mormonism and Creativity

A quick glance at a Mormon church building tells you a lot about the faith itself. Mormon properties are always beautifully well maintained and furnished. Simple, clean, and elegant. Just like the beauitful people attending the Church. The virtue is in the polished efficiency of it all...of life as a Mormon. The ideal Mormon life is as perfect and uncomplicated as the visage of a polished white Mormon temple. It's kind of like when they told me at Young Womens to say "I'm doing great!" when asked.

Sometimes, I write poetry that's very vulnerable and, well, complicated. I feel like the world is imperfect. If I pretend like it's perfect, I feel like I'm in spacey denial.

I guess the Church is right on one point: the surest way to have a perfect life is to, well, believe everything's perfect. But that's too simpleminded. It goes against my conscience. Above all, I can never be an artist with that mentality, because art is about emotional depth. People who go through life with the intent of making it as pretty as possible--a fashion show of virtue--stay on the surface of things.