This isn’t the fun part, thinking about what blocks me; who and what in my life has discouraged me from believing in my capacity to create. Or in myself.
And since I’ve done this exercise many times before, I decided to go right to the list of champions: those who wish me and my creativity well.
The thing is, when I stop and pay attention to this, when I make the prescribed list — it’s an impressive list. It’s a list of excellent poets and writers, all of whom have told me my work is good. Terry Tempest Williams, who isn’t even on my teacher list since I met with her only one time, told me many years ago to stop going to workshops and start publishing.
So who is this?
I still find this immensely funny, even in this context; even though I’m the one face down. Except, apparently I’m the trickster as well.
Maybe it’s not so amusing in this context.
Seriously, how is it possible to have so much encouragement (the readers of this blog, for instance) and still feel so much doubt about the quality, the usefulness, of my work? Clearly I’m not as resolved about this as I thought.
I want to observe how fortunate we (the participants in this Artist’s Way experiment) are, to have the technology, the time, the resources to indulge ourselves in this way. Such introspection is a luxury. Not that we ought not enjoy it; just that I feel the need to acknowledge its rarity.
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