And why are we supposed to be serious about God? Did God show up and crack the whip? “You there, Annie in Ohio, I see you laughing a lot and frankly it really pisses Me off . . . “ (50)

Artists are visionaries. We routinely practice a form of faith, seeing clearly and moving toward a creative goal that shimmers in the distance - often visible to us, but invisible to those around us.

When writing becomes too dominant, it gets leached of its own power. We spend more and more time writing and we have less and less to write about.

Expect the universe to support your dream. It will.

You are your own Promised Land, your own new frontier.

But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano / act / paint / write a decent play?" Yes . . . the same age you will be if you don't.

By being willing to be a bad artist, you have a chance to be an artist, and perhaps, over time, a very good one.