The Mission

Christ Life Art was started by me, local Oklahoma City artist Shawn Collins, as a way to use everything I create to point people to Jesus. My mission statement is to encourage faith, by cultivating a deeper love of God, through a wider view of his glory.

When our view of who God is and what he has done for us grows, it naturally draws us deeper to love, treasure, and faithful follow our creator and savior. My work has this aim, it has a mission, and my creating is ministry.

The Ministry

My ministry of creating takes shape through two primary forms.

Visual Exhortation (Proclamation)

I believe God has physically gifted me with the ability to create and has spiritually gifted me in exhortation. So I want to proclaim Christ with what I create! I fell the most inline with my calling when I’m speaking, sharing, and urging people to look to Christ through my artwork. This is why I call the artwork I create Visual Exhortation.

Visual: relating to seeing or sight.

Exhortation: an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something.

I want my art to help people love, cherish, value, trust, and praise Jesus Christ. I want my work to hang on someone’s wall and when they walk by it, it speaks out to them with encouragement and reminders of Christ’s work in their lives.

To better couple my art with proclamation, at the beginning of 2020 I started producing video devotions to go with my artwork. This gives me an opportunity to make the message clear, show how the meaning of the art comes from God’s word, and give someone who displays my art the resources to share that message with others.

I make some of my art available for sale, but I also give some away. One way I do this is by making PDFs available for people to download and print for themselves to display in their home or office. Another way is through what I call Hope Drops. This is where I drop handmade prints around Oklahoma City for people to discover. I also hold online giveaways through social media. The goal of Christ Life Art is not to grow an art business, but to share a message. If something I create helps point someone to Christ, I want them to have access to it.

Made for Glory (Testimony)

I believe a thriving community of faith involves the sharing of stories. God’s word commands us to tell of his wonderful work, proclaim his deeds, and remember what he has done. This should be done first and foremost concerning the works of God we have documented in the scriptures, then second, we should share the works he has done in our lives personally.

Made for Glory is a podcast dedicated to helping people see the expanse of God’s glory through the sharing of real life testimonies. It is a space where stories can be shared to encourage one another in our faith by hearing about moments of deliverance, endurance, and transformation. Moments where God’s grace showed up in the darkest of circumstances and shaped someone to enjoy God’s glory more deeply and reflect it more clearly.

Along with sharing the stories, I create a handmade wood ring for every guest. These serve as reminders of what God has done for them, and of his promises to continue shaping their lives. It also allows them to share their story with anyone who comments on their unique the ring.

The Mark

The Maker

Thanks for learning all about Christ Life Art! You can find ways to support the work I’m doing here.