When you hear beautiful music or stand before a work of art, have you ever felt a stirring within, a sense of something more?
Coming July 7th, 2026
Art Is How God Loves Us is a radiant exploration of art as a spiritual gateway. In this deeply personal and spiritually rich book, Merideth Hite Estevez--Juilliard-trained oboist, writer, and creative coach— beautifully illustrates how a spiritual perspective on art guides us toward our Creator and our most authentic selves.
Through stories of music, visual art, nature, and everyday life, Estevez reveals how beauty and brokenness alike can become places of divine connection. Whether standing before van Gogh's olive trees, listening to Brahms in a moment of doubt, or witnessing the chaos of parenting, we see how God's love is expressed through the creative process--both for those who appreciate art and for those who create it.
Estevez redefines art not as a measure of talent but as "Atoms Responding to Transcendence"—a way God speaks, heals, and draws us closer. With poetic language and theological depth, she encourages us to see ourselves as works of art: beloved, unfinished, and held by a Creator who never stops creating.
Complete with reflective exercises ("Ars Nova"), a study guide, and a creative creed, this book is ideal for artists, spiritual seekers, and anyone longing to reconnect with joy, beauty, and divine presence. Art Is How God Loves Us is a celebration of creativity as communion—and a call to live as God's art in the world.
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About the Author
Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a creative catalyst, helping self-identified artists and the creatively curious discover and recover the joy of making. As an oboist, Merideth has performed with top orchestras in the US and abroad and has served on faculties of numerous universities and schools of music. Her education has taken her all over the world, including to Yale School of Music, a Fulbright Scholar to Germany, and The Juilliard School, where she received her doctorate in oboe.
As a coach, she has helped thousands of artists overcome creative blocks through her popular online creative recovery clusters and serves as a coach to artists and arts leaders of all kinds, from major museum directors and deans of art schools to writers for TV and film to Emmy-winning actors to hip-hop artists. She maintains a busy speaking schedule, helping corporations and other institutions harness the power of creativity to heal and transform lives.
Her writing illuminates the spiritual journey of the artist through the lens of creative nonfiction, exploring the intersection of art, faith, and the human experience. Her award-winning podcast, Artists for Joy, is currently in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide, and her first book, "The Artist’s Joy," debuted at No. 1 in the Creativity category on Audible. She shares poems and essays weekly on her popular Substack, “Arts Open Door,” and her second book, “Art Is How God Loves Us,” debuts in July 2026.
When she's not creating, you'll find her attempting the perfect sourdough in metro Detroit, Michigan, where she lives with her husband, Rev. Edwin Estevez, and their two children.
Advanced Praise for Art is How God Loves Us
“Merideth Hite Estevez invites us to a feast of poetry, paintings, and paying attention to all the ways God revels in God’s creation. An awakening to ourselves and the world, this book is a love letter to the millions of ways God cares for us and enriches our lives with beauty.” ”
“Part memoir, part spiritual guidebook, Art Is How God Loves Us is a gorgeous and deeply heartfelt look at our most important conversations: the ones we have with the Divine. How can we dance with creativity as we would with the Divine? Estevez shows us the way. Her insightful reflections on art are far-reaching and fascinating. Her deeply personal stories take readers around the globe and into her heart. She shows how the holy is illuminated through the art we encounter and the art we make ourselves. The book is filled with inspiring, playful exercises that invite any person—self-declared artist or otherwise—to deepen their relationship with themselves, the created, and the Creator. I’ll be coming back to this book again and again!”
“I was brought to tears multiple times while reading this book. Merideth Hite Estevez’s words will break you open, leaving you teetering on the edge of heartache and joy. Her stories and lessons are uniquely hers and yet strangely familiar. Art Is How God Loves Us will unravel you, but whatever it tears down, Estevez rebuilds with hope and truth. This book is for every season, feast or famine, and for every person, artist or otherwise: because, as she highlights, each one of us is an artist in our own right— living and creating in abundance—if only we have eyes to see.”
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