As Mormon artists, I feel like we have certain challenge. Having been given the fully restored gospel, there is a truth that we as Mormons should understand that others may not. To me, this means that we Mormon artists should absolutely always strive to have the Spirit with us. However, I don't think this means that we have to sugarcoat everything with our art. Why wouldn't we want to face the troubles we see in the world? Everyone certainly has issues, and Mormon's are not exempt from this in any regard. I think an issue that we find in Mormon art is that we often try to make things too "Sunday School" as Dean Duncan would say, where everything works out well, and there is never any conflict. This is never the case in the real world. The real world is a tough, dark place sometimes, and I honestly think we are doing a diservice to other if we never acknowledge that. Does this mean that we glorify that bad things in the world? Certainly not. Rather, how can we, as Mormon artists, find a balance where we acknowledge darkness and evil without accepting it? To me, it's simple. If we plan on showing strife and wickedness in our art, we need to show how these problems can bring people to the light. We can present them without glorifying them. This is why I often find some R rated films more edifying than PG-13 films. If we don't find war truly horrifying, are we more prone to dismiss the horrors of those in war?
In short, we as Mormon artists need to stop being so "butterflies and daisies" and take a step into the real world. We can do this without accepting the wrongs of the real world, however, and I think this is something we Mormon artists have struggled with for a long time. It's not impossible.
I also think that this is a very important point. As Mormon artists, I do feel as if we have a responsibility to create wholesome entertainment, however, this does not mean showing off the darker side of life--that’s how life is, and it is important to not live entirely in a ‘Mormon bubble’. When presenting such things, I do not think we need to condone behavior (etc.), however, I do feel like we need not make things seem so much better than they are. This, on many occasions, can be very edifying for an audience.
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