Nothing dies harder than a bad idea. And few ideas are worse than the ones we have about art.

Writing is medicine. It is an appropriate antidote to injury. It is an appropriate companion for any difficult change.

In order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take the time and care to cultivate it.

I believe that the dark night of the soul is a common spiritual experience. I believe, too, that the answer is continued seeking and perseverance. It helps to know that others have endured a loss of faith.

Perfectionism doesn't believe in practice shots. It doesn't believe in improvement. Perfectionism has never heard that anything worth doing is worth doing badly--and that if we allow ourselves to do something badly we might in time become quite good at it. Perfectionism measures our beginner's work against the finished work of masters. Perfectionism thrives on comparison and competition. It doesn't know how to say, "Good try," or "Job well done." The critic does not believe in creative glee--or any glee at all, for that matter. No, perfectionism is a serious matter.

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

There is a connection between self-nurturing and self-respect.