The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with objects it loves. — Carl Jung As we go deeper into the healing process for our inner artist, we may find that we need a balance between exciting big dreams, … Read more
As you may know, on weekends, I post words and wisdom from others, including videos, essays, poetry, and opinions of note. Today, inspired by the exquisite blog of Cate Kerr, I offer this excerpt from the recently deceased John Daido Loori, one of the first American Zen masters. He was founder of the Zen Mountain … Read more
When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” — Author Unknown I just love how there is a magic of synchronicity that happens on the Web. Often, when I am focusing on a particular topic, as if by coincidence (but we know better, don’t we?), some of my favorite bloggers, … Read more
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
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
Procrastination is my sin. It brings me naught but sorrow. I know that I should stop it. In fact, I will–tomorrow! — Gloria Pitzer Today, we start the home stretch for this chapter of recovering our sense of strength. Having done a little more soul searching, it’s time to move forward. We begin what Julia … Read more
Grandmother Frier © Carol GerbingI cannot count the good people I know who to my mind would be even better if they bent their spirits to the study of their own hungers.— M.F.K. Fisher Concluding our ruminations today on how we use our age and other methods to stay blocked, it is time to reconsider … Read more
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few. — Shunryu Suzukii Over the weekend, I invited you to imagine how things would be different if you had received all the deep nurturing your child artist needed; as well as what your creative life might look like if you … Read more
Grandma MosesSatisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life. — Linus Pauling We move now into another opportunity to overcome some challenges and develop our creative muscles. The challenge here has to do with what Julia calls The Great Block Lie. Here it is in a nutshell: Question: Are … Read more
When God closes a door, She always opens a window, but sometimes it’s hell in the hallway.— AnonymousWe are considering the ways that setbacks and “failures” may be opportunities in disguise. To the artist, whose entire viewpoint is about finding creative, out-of-the-box pathways, you would think such detours would be second nature to us.But as … Read more