Lucas Testro

Judging your early artistic efforts is artist abuse.

messes are the artist’s true friend

- Bird by Bird

There will be many times when we won’t look good - to ourselves or anyone else. We need to stop demanding that we do. It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time.

Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation, while writing needs to breathe and move.

- Bird By Bird

In order to be an artist, I must:

Show up at the page. Use the page to rest, to dream, to try.

Set small and gentle goals and meet them.

Remember that it is far harder and more painful to be a blocked artist than it is to do the work.

Remember that it is my work to do the work, not judge the work.

…the recovering artist must avoid taking the first ‘think’. For us, that think is really self-doubt: “I don’t ‘think’ this is any good

So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.

- Brenda Ueland

Leap, and the net will appear.

- The Artists Way