Profound Faith, Creative Excellence, Desirable Voices

What is Soma SoulWorks all about?

It’s the 1930s, and the film industry is exploding: money is pouring in and demand is at an all-time high. Studios are springing up overnight, ready to shovel shlock out the door in desperate attempts to get their cut. Writers, artists, and musicians are inventing rules for a brand new medium of storytelling, unaware that they are laying the groundwork for the most culturally influential industry of the century.

One day, a letter from a producer at Twentieth Century Fox arrives addressed to the President of a prestigious Christian college. Essentially, he says:

Hey, we have money coming in faster than we know what to do with it. We need your best writers to come over here and write some excellent stories with good morals for these movies that are being made. Something that people will enjoy watching, but will also enrich them so they keep coming back.

The president, however, had heard much of Hollywood’s reputation and he sent back this reply:

I would rather my students go directly to Hell, than to make a stop at Hollywood along the way.

At Soma SoulWorks, we see history poised to repeat itself and we aim to have a different answer.

 

Video Games are the nascent primary cultural influencer of our time. We may not recognize it at a mainstream level yet, but our money is where our hearts are at, and video games bring in more money than music, books, and movies combined.  This medium is still in its infancy, and is not so silently screaming for good, true, and meaningful stories. Instead of retreating from this space, we aim to lead the charge.

 

In the time of the Renaissance, Christians were almost universally regarded as the masters of the creative sphere. If you wanted a work of beauty, of prose, of quality and excellence, you turned to a Christian craftsman. Christ was at the head of the artistic mountain of influence and the world knew it.

 

We grieve that the Church of the past abandoned that authority and ceded its influence to the world at large. We endeavor to reclaim the throne of Artistic Mastery. As Christians, we are invited to have a personal relationship with the Father of all creation, the source of creativity itself, and we should have a unique relationship with the arts because of it.

 

Our goal is to make Christians once again be the most desirable people when it comes to creative endeavors. To have a Christian voice in every room where artistic products are being developed. To have Christians be the ones who have mastered the craft and Christians be the ones teaching the next generation how to do their art with excellence. To have people at every level who are informed by Christ as the bedrock of their faith. Sometimes this will mean taking solid Christians and sharpening their professional skills. Sometimes it will mean taking those who are masters of their craft and deepening their relationship with God. Most often it will mean both. But if we can once again make the Christian artist the most desirable voice of experience when someone wants to make a masterpiece, we can solidify Christ’s position as head of the artistic sphere of influence.

Do you want to support us?

Soma SoulWorks has an intentionally broad directive. Below are some of the main ways that we are attempting to achieve our mission. Engage directly at any of the following links, support our patreon, or for more directed inquiries, email [email protected]
Soma SoulWorks Podcast

The Soma SoulWorks podcast shares powerful and thought-provoking discussions that come out of lessons that are impossible to capture in text. Each episode ventures into the seam between faith and creativity as we wrestle with what it means to be made in the image of a God is a prolific creator. From interviews with industry insiders, spiritual side quests, and even a multi-part achievement guide for spirit-led living, there is a little something for everyone. New episodes are released about every other week.

Better yet you can join our Patreon subscribers…

Game Dev Fund

It’s obvious there is a dearth of games, at every level and in every genre, that reflect our view of reality. The good news is we can really do something meaningful about it with just a little effort. For most Indie game developers all they really need to bring their vision to life is a little time, and a little help. Part Y-Combinator, part Shark Tank, we started the GameDev Fund to provide seed cash and expert consultation to a handful of promising projects that we aim to see grow, in a three round structure, into more and more titles. Your tax-deductible donation goes to our first goal of raising $25k to boost two projects, followed by additional rounds in the future.

But wait, there’s more…

Patreon

Want to support SoulWorks with more than a thumbs-up? Sign up with our non-profit Patreon! Your subscription is tax-deductible and comes with special perks like early access to our podcast, patron-only posts, and Soma SoulWorks swag. Some folks treat this as their tithe and we would love your ongoing support of this mission. Patreon helps you, help us, at a level you are comfortable with or feel called to. Join with us there and engage further.

Better yet, check out the GameDev Fund…

Tempus Divum

A Christian making a powerful game, even if it’s wildly successful, is a great start but it’s not nearly enough to move the needle of culture. A studio full of talented Christian game creators is awesome but it’s also not enough. We believe that the task before us is not a “product” matter, but rather a “people” matter. To have enduring influence we aim to cultivate a whole community of creatives who are wholehearted, healthy, and rock solid in their walk. Tempus Divum (Latin for Divine Time) is a growing collection of resources for Christian professionals looking to invite God into the workplace or start their own fellowship of believers. We provide a growing body of content designed to deepen, challenge, and mature the walk of those who step upon the Path of Ever-Incresingness.

CGDC

Discover other like minded developers and studios in the games industry or join the network yourself! Christian Game Developers is an organization dedicated to helping Christians in the game industry connect with and support one another. They hold an annual conference for networking and learning about the latest technologies and ideas and we also foster a passionate community year-round, as well as help facilitate smaller, localized events.