Creativity flourishes when we have a sense of safety and self-acceptance.

Leap, and the net appears.

Art is an act of the soul, not the intellect. When we are dealing with people's dreams - their visions, really - we are in the realm of the sacred. We are involved with forces and energies larger than our own. We are engaged in a sacred transaction of which we know only a little: the shadow, not the shape.

There is no such thing as being done with an artistic life. Frustrations and rewards exist at all levels on the path.

Practice being kind to yourself in small, concrete ways. Look at your refrigerator. Are you feeding yourself nicely? Do you have socdks? An extra set of sheets? What about a new house plant? A thermos for the long drive to work? Allow yourself to pitch out some of your ragged clothes. You don't have to keep everything.

Writing is like breathing, it's possible to learn to do it well, but the point is to do it no matter what.

All of us contain a divine, expressive spark, a creative candle intended to light our path and that of our fellows.