I got to interview Rob Bell at my school today in front of my peers. I was nervous. My pants stayed dry though. So overall, success.
Here are a few quick thoughts:
• Rob was very kind and gracious. He does this sort of thing all the time, and I, admittedly, never do anything of the sort. Still, he was very kind to me personally.
• The danger of celebrity is that we lift up individuals and say to everyone else This is what you should strive to be! Yes and no. Yes, strive to be caring and generous. No, don’t strive to be someone else. Study the people that you admire, be they artists, pastors, authors, athletes, academics, politicians, or anyone else who catches your eye for whatever reason. Study them relentlessly, but don’t study them to be them. Study them, then find your own voice. We don’t need another Rob Bell. We’ve got one, and he’s nice. What we need is you and everything you bring to the table. So you want to be a great author? Fantastic. Read Vonnegut or Dillard or Twain or whomever, but don’t write like them. Write from your own voice. Resistance will tell you you’re a failure if you don’t reach some status of cultural greatness. Fight that voice, because it’s a lie. We are each a success when we are most fully ourselves. When we are most fully ourselves then we form a beautiful community.
• The best interviews I’ve ever seen are when I’ve witnessed the humanity of the person being interviewed come through in the conversation. I felt as though I got a small glimpse into Rob Bell’s humanity, but I was hoping for more. I understand that he does this sort of thing all the time, and he has his stock answers. Who wouldn’t? And I’ve never interviewed anyone in my life, so I’m sure my questions weren’t the most engaging. But still, I would have loved to have seen a bit more of Rob the man and a bit less of Rob the performer. Also, MHGS is highly relational, so I think we’re used to very engaging interpersonal interactions. I also wonder if I really showed up in the interview, or if my desire to be seen and recognized came through more strongly?
• My main take away: I need to be me, you need to be you, and Rob needs to be Rob.
I don’t know if my school recorded the interview, but if I ever get a copy of it I’ll try to post it.
it might not hurt Rob to be a little more like Jesus though
sobering thoughts, i know i am guilty of celebrity worship at times.
thanks for the perspective.
I went to a conference at Mars Hill (the church) a LONG time ago – before Rob Bell sort of gained any sort of what we might call “celebrity” status. He was in the process of putting together a series on the ten commandments, and let this little group of 50 of us in on his thought process – both spiritually and creatively. It was an interesting experience – this rag tag bunch of college kids sitting in with a bunch of professors, pastors and theologians participating in the design of a sermon series… But even though Rob had a very commanding presence (he’s so tall!) I loved the fact that he let us in on the fact that he steals stuff from other teachers, doesn’t have all the answers – in fact, has more questions than answers – and doesn’t always feel 100% confident in the answers he DOES come up with. It was really cool to see him kind of go through that process – made him feel much more “human” than the whole celebrity status we’ve given him.
I hope you enjoyed the interview though… I’d be interested in hearing it!
hey josh,
I was thinking about something along the same lines (as to what kind of art teacher do I want to be…and what do I want to encourage students to be/do…) so I posted this a few months back..
http://aubreypeth.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/on-design-technique-and-you/
Thanks for the thoughts on your post…it’s a good reminder, and, surprisingly I just talked to my students yesterday about what it means to develop/find their voice within their life (and artistically). If you ever do more extensive writing on this that could be read in a public school…which, meh, maybe I’ll just read it anyway (*kidding!…ok I’m not*) let me know.
“Write from your own voice. Resistance will tell you you’re a failure if you don’t reach some status of cultural greatness. Fight that voice, because it’s a lie.”
Great insight- it’s so easy to get lost in the crowd…