The Artist's Way

enough/not original enough/not young enough ...” But
saying nice things about ourselves is notoriously hard to do.
It feels pretty awful at first. Try these and see if they don’t
sound hopelessly syrupy: “I deserve love.” “I deserve fair
pay.” “I deserve a rewarding creative life.” “I am a brilliant
and successful artist.” “I have rich creative talents.” “I am
competent and confident in my creative work.”
Did your Censor perk its nasty little ears up? Censors
loathe anything that sounds like real self-worth. They
immediately start up with the imposter routine: “Who do
you think you are?” It’s as though our entire collective
unconscious sat up late nights watching Walt Disney’s One
Hundred and One Dalmatians and practicing Cruella
DeVille’s delivery for scathing indictments.
Just try picking an affirmation. For example “I, __
(your name), am a brilliant and prolific potter [painter, poet,
or whatever you are].” Write that ten times in a row. While
you are busy doing that, something very interesting will
happen. Your Censor will start to object. “Hey, wait a
minute. You can’t say all that positive stuff around me.”
Objections will start to pop up like burnt toast. These are
your blurts.
Listen to the objections. Look at the ugly, stumpy little
blurts. “Brilliant and prolific ... sure you are.... Since when?
... Can’t spell.... You call writer’s block prolific? ... You’re
just kidding yourself ... an idiot ... grandiose.... Who are you
kidding? ... Who do you think you are?” and so on.
You will be amazed at the rotten things your