As soon as the nakedpastor store signed up to Wazala it caught our eye. The name itself was unusual, and prompted us to check it out. The Wazala team quickly circulated the artwork around, and we found ourselves discussing issues that many of us dared not to earlier. Many opinions about different subjects arise, but we all found ourself in agreement of one thing, questioning our own attitude. This is why we had to connect with David Hayward, the man behind the art, and give you the opportunity to reflect.

Tell us about yourself
I was born and raised in Canada, but have lived and studied in the USA as well. I even married an American, Lisa.
Even though I remember drawing since I was a small child and preferred the arts in public school, I ended up getting a Masters in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, as well as a Masters in Religious Studies and Ministry from McGill University in Montreal.
I was ordained to the ministry in 1986. But in 2010 I left the professional clergy. I am still interested in how people can find and follow their own spiritual path with courage and joy, as well as in how people can freely gather and form community in healthy ways.
I live with my wife Lisa on the beautiful Kennebecasis River near Saint John, New Brunswick, on the east coast of Canada. We have 3 grown children close by. And a dog.

What prompted you to start a blog? Tell us about the Naked Pastor.
I started a blog called nakedpastor in 2006, and initiated my public analysis of religion, religious community and spirituality through my writings, art and cartoons. Because the ministry is a very stressful career, much misunderstood and where many clergy suffer in silence, I felt I needed a place to “bare my soul” as a pastor. Hence the title “nakedpastor”. Much to my surprise, thousands of people are challenged and entertained by nakedpastor every day. Nakedpastor is a place where my passionate interests in religion, spirituality, philosophy and art can integrate. I didn’t expect it to become as popular as it has, although I would love it to get even more popular. Mainly because I think it genuinely helps people. I might also add that nakedpastor was a contributing factor in my leaving the ministry.
My art, cartoons, writings and my book “nakedpastor 101″ have found their way all around the world.

Some would say your art is provocative. How would you describe it?
Some do find my work provocative. Even offensive. Some think I am an enemy of religion. But this isn’t true. I am an enemy of its abuses. That’s for sure. And that’s what my cartoons take aim at. I consider them rather like political cartoons but for religion.
My paintings, on the other hand, are usually labelled tranquil, solitary, peaceful and sometimes melancholic. I really love working with watercolor on paper. That is definitely my favorite medium. My cartoons and drawings have got most of my attention lately, so I’m not doing as much painting these days. I’m not too happy about that.
I started a new series called “Sophia”. It is the story of a young woman’s journey from silence, oppression and slavery, towards her own independence and wisdom. Many of them are nude, but I think they are tasteful and discreet. These have raised a lot of interest, especially from women. In this way they are quite provocative. I have about 40 so far, and I hope soon to have 52… enough for a collection in a graphic novel format.

Your work is available for sale in your online store. What encouraged you to start selling it and how has been the feedback so far?
I have been selling art online for years now. I’ve used other sites for this and have enjoyed some success with them. These were very helpful for selling my art while the popularity of my blog grew. Now that my blog has quite a bit of traffic, I was looking for another solution. So when a friend told me about Wazala and I tried it, I found just what I was looking for: a way for people to purchase my art without leaving my site. My blog was popular enough to provide a market, a customer base of fans, and Wazala fit seamlessly in with it. Plus there are none of those annoying fees. I like the monthly flat rate. Oh… also… the store is very modern, clean and user-friendly.
My Wazala store is growing and I continue to experiment with it, trying to find the best way to use and promote it. It is selling my work. I’m always learning and things are always changing. So it’s a never-ending process of development.

Your donation button allows visitors to donate. Can you give us an idea on what efforts this money is going for?
I do have a Paypal donate button on my site. But that’s just because I’ve been too lazy to create my own Paypal button to just say “pay now” or something. People use that donate button to pay for other services I provide, like one-on-one coaching, online speaking events, commissioning of art pieces, or for just donating to the operation of my site because they’re fans.
However, I have had the opportunity to give my time, money and effort to charitable causes. For instance, last year I was invited as a blogger to go to Haiti to assist in the relief efforts after the earthquake. It is something I will never forget. My blog was a huge factor in me being invited and able to go.

If there is universal message that you wish others would understand from your art and writings, what would this be?
I always encourage people to find the courage to explore, discover and walk their own spiritual paths. I always take aim at organized religion and authority to suffocate independence and intellectual curiosity. Freedom is of utmost importance to me. How we can be responsible, just and compassionate while free is my perpetual question.
I think this is what my paintings, drawings, sculptures, cartoons and writings are all about.

Checkout David’s artwork and writings at the nakedpastor site.