The artist accepts the limitations of form, not with fear and dread, but as the starting point of creation.
Laurence BoldtAs Colin Wilson has written, "modern civilisation, with its mechanised rigidity is producing more outsiders than ever before-people who are too intelligent to do some repetitive job, but not intelligent enough to make their own terms with society." Those "intelligent enough" to make their own terms with society are what we will later refer to as artists of life. The outsider views himself as a product of a culture he rejects-the artist views himself as a culture-builder.
Laurence BoldtWithout self-expression, life lacks spontaneity and joy. Without service to others, it lacks meaning and purpose.
Laurence BoldtConcentrate on what you need to do... Do step one. Begin! That's the important thing- Did you do step one? Did you actually do it?. . . It's not a matter of 'Can you do it?' If you do it, you're doing it.
Laurence BoldtLack of self-confidence is, more often than not, simple laziness. We feel confused and uncertain because we do not know. But instead of making the effort to investigate, we procrastinate and worry. We tell ourselves we can't instead of learning how we can. If we used the mental energy we expend in worry and fear to get out and find out about what we do not know, we would see our self-confidence grow. Lack of self-confidence is not overcome by faith, but by action. It is a lack, not of certainty, but of effort. Too often we are certain that we can't before we give ourselves a fair chance.
Laurence Boldt