Little Crosses, Camille Wheatley

Artist: Camille Wheatley

Title: Little Crosses

Medium: Digital photography

Price: $400

Dimensions:  18 x 24 inches

Artist Statement: What does it mean to fill the measure of your creation? What does it mean to fill the measure of my creation?

Do you measure your creation by what you’ve accomplished?

By the children you birthed?

By the children you wish you had?

By how many years you’ve been married?

By the number of degrees you’ve earned?

By the job you have?

By how many friends you have?

By how many likes you get on social media?

By the number of diapers you’ve changed?

By the meals you’ve cooked for your family?

By the hours you’ve devoted to caring for a loved one?

By the Sabbaths you’ve spent attending church?

By the meals you’ve delivered to those in need?

By the artworks you’ve created?

By the books you’ve read?

By the steps you’ve taken?

By how many days you’ve exercised this week?

By how many hours you slept last night?

By how many miles you traveled today?

By how many countries you visit in your lifetime?

Or is it measured by the sunsets you’ve watched?

The mountains you’ve climbed?

The snow you’ve shoveled?

The seeds you’ve planted?

The vegetables you’ve harvested?

The number of houseplants that have survived your care?

The pets you’ve cared for?

The gifts you’ve given?

The unfulfilled desires of your heart?

Does any of this matter? Which of these add up to fill the measure of one’s creation?

As I spiraled deeper into contemplating what exactly makes up the measure of a person, I realized that maybe it’s not about what we do or accomplish or gain that makes up our measure, but it’s about what we willingly give up and give away that adds to the measure of our creation. This paradox reminded me of Jesus Christ’s invitation found in Luke 9:23, that “If any man [or woman] will come after me, let him [or her] deny himself [or herself], and take up his [or her] across daily, and follow me.”

Jesus Christ invites each one of us to take up our crosses individually. Now, I can’t possibly compare what I do to the infinite sacrifice the Savior made for us all, but Christ’s invitation to “take up your cross daily” helped me realize that I take up lots of “little crosses” daily. “Little crosses” represent anything in which I’m willingly helping someone other than myself, including (but not limited to): doing laundry; washing dishes; making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my family; comforting an angry, upset, or crying child; texting a friend; driving a carpool of kids; trying to exercise patience around an extremely unreasonable daughter; serving occasionally in the temple; grocery shopping; studying the scriptures; serving in my calling as gospel doctrine teacher; visiting a neighbor; cleaning up after the dog; etc. A “little cross” represents making time for and doing anything for someone else that lifts and helps them, instead of doing something that would be more self-serving.

In creating this artwork, I first assembled a number of objects in the shape of a cross on my kitchen table, a worthy altar upon which I lay many an offering of time and love. Each of these objects in the makeshift cross symbolically represents items that I have put on the altar and laid on the cross. I assembled these items and photographed them while I was in the middle of performing many “little crosses” - making bread, doing laundry, and going about other household service activities.

Once I had developed the photographs of this cross, I then cut out and assembled little crosses from the photographs in a repetitive manner across the artwork, alluding to the reality that most of my own “little crosses” repeat day after day after day, with small variations. Just as Christ was lifted up on the cross to lift all of us, so do my small acts, my “little crosses”, serve to lift those around me and help them in small and simple ways on their journeys in life.