The Artist's Way

But we can learn to comfort our artist child over unfair
criticism; we can learn to find friends with whom we can
safely vent our pain. We can learn not to deny and stuff our
feelings when we have been artistically savaged.
Art requires a safe hatchery. Ideally, artists find this first
in their family, then in their school, and finally in a
community of friends and supporters. This ideal is seldom a
reality. As artists, we must learn to create our own safe
environments. We must learn to protect our artist child from
shame. We do this by defusing our childhood shamings,
getting them on the page, and sharing them with a trusted,
nonshaming other.
By telling our shame secrets around our art and telling
them through our art, we release ourselves and others from
darkness. This release is not always welcomed.
We must learn that when our art reveals a secret of the
human soul, those watching it may try to shame us for
making it.
“It’s terrible!” they may say, attacking the work when the
work itself is actually fine. This can be very confusing.
When we are told, “Shame on you” and feel it, we must
learn to recognize this shame as a re-creation of childhood
shames.
“I know that work is good.... I thought that was good
work.... Could I be kidding myself? ... Maybe that critic is
right.... Why did I ever have the nerve to think... ?” And the
downward spiral begins.
At these times, we must be very firm with ourselves and