Recovering A Sense of Power: Growth

Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself. A creative recovery is a healing process. You are capable of great things on Tuesday, by on Wednesday you may slide backward. This is normal.

Growth occurs in spurts. You will lie dormant sometimes. Do not be discouraged. Think of it as resting.

Very often, a week of insights will be followed by a week of sluggishness. Writing morning/warmup pages will seem pointless. They are not.

What you are learning to do, writing them even when you are tired and they seem dull, is to rest on the page. This is very important. Marathon runners suggest you log ten slow miles for every fast one. The same holds true for creativity.

In this sense, Easy does it is actually a modus operandi. It means, "Easy accomplishes it." If you will hew to a practice of writing three pages every morning and doing one kind thing for yourself every day, you will begin to notice a slight lightness of heart.

Practice being kind to yourself in small, concrete ways. Look at your refrigerator. Are you feeding yourself nicely? Do you have socks? An extra set of sheets? What about a new house plant? A thermos for the long drive to work? Allow yourslef to pitch out some of your old ragged clothes. You don't have to keep everything.

The expression "God helps those who help themselves" may take on a new and very different meaning. Where in the past it translated, "God helps only those who earn help," it will now come to signify the amazing number of small free gifts the creator showers on those who are helping themselves to a little bounty.

If you do one nice thing a day for yourself, God will do two more. Be alert for support and encouragement from unexpected quarters. Be open to receiving gifts from odd channels: free tickets, a free trip, an offer to buy you dinner, a new-to-you old couch. Practice saying yes! to such help.

The scientifically inclined among you might want to make a good, thorough list of clothes you wish you had. Very often, the items on the list come into your possession at disconcerting speed. Just try it. Experiment.

More than anything else, experiment with solitude. You will need to make a commitment to quiet time. Try to acquire the habit of checking in with yourself. Several times a day, just take a beat, and ask yourself how you are feeling. Listen to your answer. Respond kindly. If you are doing something very hard, promise yourself a break and treat afterward.

Of course, you know, this means that I am asking you to baby yourself. We believe that to be artists we must be tough, cynical, and intellectually chilly.

Leave that to the critics. As a creative being, you will be more productive when coaxed than when bullied.


by Julia Cameron, 'The Artist's Way'