The Artist's Way

5. Make a list of friends who nurture you—that’s nurture (give you a sense of your own competency and possibility), not enable (give you the message that you will never get it straight without their help). There is a big difference between being helped and being treated as though we are helpless. List three nurturing friends. Which of their traits, pa

7. Inner Compass: Each of us has an inner compass. This is an instinct that points us toward health.

Chekhov advised, “If you want to work on your art, work on your life.” That’s another way of saying that in order to have self-expression, we must first have a self to express.

BURIED DREAMS, AN EXERCISE

9. List five people you wish you had met who are dead. Now, list five people who are dead whom you’d like to hang out with for a while in eternity. What traits do you find in these people that you can look for in your friends?

8. List five people you admire. Now, list five people you secretly admire. What traits do these people have that you can cultivate further in yourself?

6. Call a friend who treats you like you are a really good and bright person who can accomplish things. Part of your recovery is reaching out for support. This support will be critical as you undertake new risks.

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace, and power in it.

Pointed criticism, if accurate, often gives the artist an inner sense of relief: “Ah, hah! so that’s what was wrong with it.” Useful criticism ultimately leaves us with one more puzzle piece for our work.

1. Receive the criticism all the way through and get it over with. 2. Jot down notes to yourself on what concepts or phrases bother you. 3. Jot down notes on what concepts or phrases seem useful. 4. Do something very nurturing for yourself—read an old good review or recall a compliment. 5. Remember that even if you have made a truly rotten piece of ar