I realize that while people may indeed fail me and turn away, there is an underlying goodness to the Universe which brings to me new friends and new situations. These gifts heal and soothe me. I see the merciful hand of providence despite my pain.
Work is a part of my identity but it is not my essence.
You must do the thing you think you cannot do. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT.
Non illegitimi te carborundum, the graffiti in prisoner-of-war camps is said to have run. The rough translation, very important for artists, is “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” Artists who take this to heart survive and often prevail. The key here is action. Pain that is not used profitably quickly solidifies into a leaden heart, which makes any action difficult.
The process of identifying a self inevitably involves loss as well as gain. We discover our boundaries, and those boundaries by definition separate us from our fellows. As we clarify our perceptions, we lose our misconceptions. As we eliminate ambiguity, we lose illusion as well. We arrive at clarity, and clarity creates change.
Art? You just do it. MARTIN RITT.
Often, creativity is blocked by our falling in with other people’s plans for us. We want to set aside time for our creative work, but we feel we should do something else instead.
When the mind becomes quiet, you feel nourished. SWAMI CHIDVILASANANDA.
Remember, there is a creative energy that wants to express itself through you”;.
Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown. CLAUDE BERNARD.
It’s a luxury to be in the mood to write. It’s a blessing but it’s not a necessity. Writing is like breathing, it’s possible to learn to do it well, but the point is to do it no matter what.
There is no emergency. My divine timing is perfect and serves you well. Trust my sense of right action. Your successful unfolding is my great joy.
Fostering our children’s creativity, we are fostering our children’s spirituality as well.
We knew each other in Taos, New Mexico, where a deep source of our creativity sprung. I know her now also in Santa Fe, walking her dog through the chamisa.
Today, I deliberately practice open-mindedness. I cultivate a willingness to experience subtle realms.
In my travels, I encounter practitioners who have used the tools for years. “I’ve done Morning Pages for fifteen years,” a man recently told me. His Morning Pages – three pages of longhand, morning writing, have filled journal after journal. He doesn’t give them up, because they “work.” A woman tells me the second primary tool, Artist Dates, a once a week, festive, solo expedition, have given her a life of adventure. Used together, Morning Pages and Artist Dates do transform lives.
In daily life there is an inner transition I can consciously practice. This is the transition from fear to faith. Faced with ambiguity and uncertainty, I can choose to believe things will work out for the best.
Gently set all ego aside and be a channel for my thinking to come into the world.
Trying to do “one more thing,” we do much less.
The success of Morning Pages hinges on our doing them as close to awakening as we can.