The Temptations of Self-Sabotage

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference. — Elie Wiesel Are you having any trouble relating to our discussion about enthusiasm and lavishing love on … Read more

Dreams or Nightmares?

Hope is like a road in the country; there never was a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence. – Lin Yutang We have been talking about how our need for greatness can overwhelm us, causing us to procrastinate, delay, and then beat ourselves up for our inability to … Read more

Antidotes to Fear and Procrastination

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. — Marianne Williamson In the post from Zen Habits I mentioned yesterday, author Leo Babauta tells us that patience and perseverance are essential. He tells … Read more

The Bind That Blocks Us

We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. — Ralph Waldo Emerson We are beginning Chapter Nine, Recovering a Sense of Compassion, by examining the power of words. As you know, words have enormous power, from spells to curses, from treaties to laws. The old childhood … Read more

Chapter Nine Begins: Recovering A Sense of Compassion

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. — Sylvia Plath Welcome back! I’m so glad you have found your way here to my new digs and that you are still with us on this journey of The Artist’s Way begun at Imbolc (Feb.) this year. I hope you haven’t abandoned ship (which you will see … Read more

Respecting What Is

No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently. — Agnes de Mille We’ve been working with the idea that instead of the ultimately self-defeating practice of being paralyzed by the prospects of where our creative path may take us, it is extremely important at this stage … Read more

Anxiety Addiction

Evergreen Surrealist Pearl FryarI walk slowly, but I never walk backward. — Abraham Lincoln I left you with a real cliff-hanger yesterday! Rather than moving gently ahead one step at a time in our artistic recovery, we have a tendency to be addicted to Big Drama, so we rush madly to the precipice of complete … Read more

Time and Patience

Andy GoldsworthyThe two most powerful warriors are patience and time. — Leo TolstoyWhy is it so hard to take things in baby steps? Why are micromovements (which seem ridiculously obvious, once you think about them) such a revelation? I think that part of it comes from an unspoken expectation for humans to now move at … Read more

Incredible or Incremental?

You can’t use up your creativity. The more you use, the more you have. — Maya AngelouAfter a lifetime of repressing and thwarting our creative urges, we may want to swing radically back in the other direction. So, we may suddenly find ourselves overwhelmed by the enormous changes we feel will be necessary, once we … Read more