If we have plain old ordinary fear then we are within reach of a solution. Fear has been with humankind for millennia and we do know what to do about it-pray about it, talk about it, feel the fear, and do it anyway. Artistic fear, on the other hand, sounds somehow nastier and more virulent, like it just might not yield to ordinary solutions-and yet it does, the moment we become humble enough to try ordinary solutions.

Artistic anorexia & sexual avoidance have the same root fears – fear of intimacy, fear of exposure, fear of failure”.

Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself.

At it's essence, art is an alchemical process. Alchemy is a process of transformation.

Sometimes the dying live more fiercely and wisely than the rest of us. (146)

While there is no quick fix for instant, pain-free creativity, creative recovery (or discovery) is a teachable, trackable spiritual process. Each of us is complex and highly individual, yet there are common recognizable denominators to the creative recovery process.

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