Persuasion

Every holiday season, a heated debate renews over the validity of calling the 1988 movie Die Hard a “Christmas movie.” The action-thriller is about a terrorist plot that takes place on Christmas Eve and is foiled by its hero, played by Bruce Willis. Technically, since the story takes place on Christmas Eve, it is a Christmas movie. The pushback is that it doesn’t have the typical seasonal elements viewers associate with Christmas: no magical/fantastical North Pole, no Santa and reindeer, no kids or elves. But it does have something threatening Christmas and our notions of peace on earth and goodwill toward men—a threat that takes on a real-world form rather than a magical one.

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson continue their mini-series called A Persuasion Christmas. Each episode features conversation about a specific way pop culture is shaping our mindset and approach to celebrating the season. The first conversation, A Hallmark Christmas, covered our desire for goodness and predictability at Christmas. This installment begins with a discussion about the Christmas Spirit and how we’ve leaned hard into the merry-and-bright aspect of the season, almost to a fault. That’s why the nontraditional Christmas film Die Hard gets so much grief—it forces viewers to see the world for all it is—both good and evil, and evil doesn’t stop just because the calendar says December 25. Erin and Hannah use the Die Hard story to launch discussion about Christmas-like films that present realistic terrors. How does the action-thriller genre depict a more realistic backdrop for the Messiah’s birth? Why do we long to sanitize the nativity scene and the Christmas narrative? When we refuse to acknowledge the very real terror and brokenness in the world today, how does that weaken the rescue Jesus provides? Conversation covers everything from the historical backdrop of Jesus’ birth to the definition of the Christmas Spirit. Listen in for dialogue on topics like these for the Christmas mini-series, then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook.

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Christmas cards, gift wrap, ornaments, decor—Hallmark certainly has a corner on Christmas. But in the past few years, Hallmark has practically owned the Christmas romance space. Its annual Countdown to Christmas begins in late October, when a new film rolls out each day for 40 days and previously released films play 24/7. Hallmark Christmas movies are extremely popular to watch—and to mock for their formulaic, saccharine-sweet plot lines. Even fans readily admit the stories are predictable. But is that all bad?

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson start a new mini-series called A Persuasion Christmas. Each episode will feature conversation about a specific way pop culture is shaping our mindset and approach to celebrating Christmas. This first discussion focuses on the heavy influence of Hallmark-type movies upon those who love them and those who love to hate them. How might such predictable stories point us to all that’s good and true and beautiful? Are such movies only an escape from a world desperate for something deep? Is it possible that these movies might actually strip us of cynicism if we allow them to? Conversation covers everything from Hallmark’s formula for success with its presumed audience and the possibility that Hallmark might be the spiritual director we need right now. Listen in for dialogue on topics like these in the kick off for this Christmas mini-series, then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook.

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Pursuing the creative life in the digital age offers plenty of new opportunities and its fair share of challenges. The ease with which digital platforms allow us to reach our audience and share our work breaks down entry barriers that used to keep creators and makers isolated and unnoticed. But that easy access goes both ways—artists are now forced to install security measures for personal safety and carve out quiet spaces for proper development of their craft

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A common struggle among artists of every genre is finding a way to connect their work with the a wider audience. Finding a way to increase reach and impact is often associated with knowing the right people and having enough funding… and neither of these are a given, even for the most talented creatives among us. The digital age gives us greater access to markets and outlets, but that doesn’t mean the right people will find us or take notice.

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson continue their series called The Creative Process by inviting Erik Lokkesmoe to a conversation about marketing reach and impact in creative work. Erik’s passion for spreading great stories and finding ways to promote good storytellers led him to launch Aspiration Entertainment, a marketing company that has worked on many films including Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Silence, and First Reformed. Because Erik has a knack for improving the reach and impact of good work, we’ve invited him to share ideas for being good stewards of the work we produce. Conversation covers everything from a theology of marketing to abandoning the transactional nature of our work. Listen in for dialogue on issues like these as we process the role of reach and impact in the creative process, then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook.

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In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson continue their series called The Creative Process by inviting Mike Cosper to a conversation about productivity in creative work. Mike is a writer, speaker, and podcaster who has been quite successful in producing a body of work (and organizations). His productivity has been steady over the years, leaving many wondering how he’s gotten it done. Since many artists struggle to get their ideas from ideation to completion, we wanted Mike’s insigh

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Erin and Hannah continue their new series called The Creative Process by inviting baker and theologian (and Christ and Pop Culture staff writer!) Kendall Vanderslice to a conversation about art’s temporal nature. Kendall shares about her work that is made only to be consumed and how she frames the temporal nature of her work. Such constraints are important in today’s world, as we all are creating work that is in some sense “consumed” and temporary.

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