Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery.

We can charge so many things off to our suffering-artist identity: drunkenness, promiscuity, fiscal problems, a certain ruthlessness or self-destructiveness in matters of the heart. We all know how broke-crazy-promiscuous-unreliable artists are. And if they don’t have to be, then what’s my excuse?

is impossible to write morning pages for any extended period of time without coming into contact with an unexpected inner power.

4. From the list above, write down two favorite things that you’ve avoided that could be this week’s goals. These goals can be small: buy one roll of film and shoot it. Remember, we are trying to win you some autonomy with your time. Look for windows of time just for you, and use them in small creative acts. Get to the record store at lunch hour, even

Anyone who faithfully writes morning pages will be led to a connection with a source of wisdom within. When I am stuck with a painful situation or problem that I don’t think I know how to handle, I will go to the pages and ask for guidance.

As a rule of thumb, the odds are what we use to procrastinate about doing what comes next. This is our addiction to anxiety in lieu of action.

Ten minutes of listening to a great piece of music can be a very effective meditation.

Affirmations will help you allow yourself to do it. An affirmation is a positive statement of (positive) belief, and if we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change.

My favorite childhood toy was … My favorite childhood game was … The best movie I ever saw as a kid was … I don’t do it much but I enjoy … If I could lighten up a little, I’d let myself … If it weren’t too late, I’d … My favorite musical instrument is … The amount of money I spend on treating myself to entertainment each month is … If I weren’t so