He jests at scars that never felt a wound. — William Shakespeare In this tenth chapter, we are Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection. Lo and behold – turns out that some of the most necessary self-protection we need is from ourselves! So we are gently, but honestly examining the last stronghold of our most volatile, … Read more
The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we’re afraid. — Richard Bach We’ve been examining how we block our creativity by using deeply rooted behaviors of self-sabotage and distraction. As soon as our artistic process starts to … Read more
My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you? — Erma Bombeck Even as the end is almost in sight for our Artist’s Way journey, we arrive at some of the toughest final barriers to our … Read more
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way. — John Holt, Educator (1923-1985) Today we begin our next chapter. Just as the year 2009 winds down, the end is also in sight for our work with The Artist’s Way. But there is still some crucial work to do, in terms … Read more
Be really whole And all things will come to you. — Lao-tzu Today, we finish up the exercises from Chapter Nine, “Recovering a Sense of Compassion.” I hope that this chapter truly has opened up some of your deepest blocks, so that compassion and love for your inner creator are unleashed to flood through your … Read more
Annie: I’ve heard you help people with horse problems. Tom Booker: Truth is, I help horses with people problems. From The Horse Whisperer Today we begin to find useful ways to deal with our creative U-turns, how to even turn them into the great opportunities in disguise they might be. The first step of course, … Read more
It’s never too late – never too late to start over, never too late to be happy. — Jane Fonda Taking what Julia calls a creative U-turn is common among creative people. In fact, she declares that every artist does this at some time or another (often, more than once). As examples, based on her … Read more
Don’t be afraid to take a big step. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps. –David Lloyd George Last week we started exploring what Julia calls the “Creative U-Turn.” It often happens just as we are about to have a breakthrough (but of course, we don’t necessarily know this at the time). It’s … Read more
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
Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself. — Miles Davis Just like a human child, our inner artist self is nurtured and inspired by a loving, supportive environment. Most of us have already spent a lifetime having our creative selves being shamed, punished, and forced to sit … Read more