The Artist's Way

If you break a screenplay down into daily increments, that
small smattering of writing can get done quickly and
promptly—before the dirty laundry. And it can carry you
through the rest of your day guilt-free and less anxious.
Most of the time, the next right thing is something small:
washing out your paintbrushes, stopping by the art-supply
store and getting your clay, checking the local paper for a
list of acting classes ... As a rule of thumb, it is best to just
admit that there is always one action you can take for your
creativity daily. This daily-action commitment fills the form.
All too often, when people look to having a more creative
life, they hold an unspoken and often unacknowledged
expectation, or fear, that they will be abandoning life as they
know it.
“I can’t be a writer and stay in this marriage.”
“I can’t pursue my painting and stay at this dull job.”
“I can’t commit to acting and stay in Chicago ... or Seattle
or Atlanta ...”
Blocked creatives like to think they are looking at
changing their whole life in one fell swoop. This form of
grandiosity is very often its own undoing. By setting the
jumps too high and making the price tag too great, the
recovering artist sets defeat in motion. Who can concentrate
on a first drawing class when he is obsessing about having
to divorce his wife and leave town? Who can turn toe out in
modern jazz form when she is busy reading the ads for a
new apartment since she will have to break up with her
lover to concentrate on her art?