Chapter Eleven – Recovering a Sense of Autonomy

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened. – Lao-Tzu Welcome to Chapter Eleven – Recovering a Sense of Autonomy It has been a long journey, hasn’t it? Well the end is in sight, my friends.  This is the second to last chapter and we now begin to wrap it up. … Read more

Creative Envy and Competition

Envy shoots at others and wounds itself. English Proverb The last hazard of the road that Julia warns of in Chapter Eight is the danger of competition. What we consider a friendly rivalry can all too easily morph into a poisonous compare-and-contrast. Like the longing for fame or recognition, gauging our work against the success … Read more

Co-creation and Genius

In Spain, when a performer has done something impossible and magic — magnificent, bravo — incomprehensible, there it is – a glimpse of God – Allah! Allah! Olé! Olé! — Elizabeth Gilbert I. know that Julia’s description of the road hazard of fame doesn’t resonate with many of us. That word, I think, conjures up … Read more

The Drought

An empty canvas is a living wonder — far lovelier than certain pictures. Wassily Kandinsky. (1866–1944) By now, I am sure you will have discovered one of the most irksome challenges on our Artist’s Way. I am referring to times of drought. This is when the morning pages get harder to stick to, but are … Read more

Recovery for the Workaholic

For workaholics, all the eggs of self-esteem are in the basket of work. – Dr. Judith M. Bardwick, author and psychological analyst for Fortune 500 corporations Finding a firm line which we recognize is a boundary between enthusiastic work and unhealthy behavior can be very difficult for those of us with work addictions. To get … Read more

Return to The Artist’s Way: Taking the Pledge

A life spent in constant labor is a life wasted, save a man be such a fool as to regard a fulsome obituary notice as ample reward. — George Jean Nathan Wow! It’s been almost a month since we worked on our Artist’s Way path here. I hope that you’ve been using this time to … Read more

Slowing Down and Stopping

There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. – Freya Stark, The Journey’s Echo How did you do on the workaholism quiz from Friday? Frankly, I am busted on almost every question. Having done this work before, you would think I would have been much … Read more