The Artist's Way

anorectically declining the small gifts of life, we turn aside
the larger gifts as well. Those of us, like my artist friend,
who are engaged in long creative works will find ourselves
leaching our souls to find images, returning to past work, to
tricks, practicing our craft more than enlarging our art.
Those of us who have stymied the work flow completely
will find ourselves in lives that feel barren and devoid of
interest no matter how many meaningless things we have
filled them with.
What gives us truejoy? That is the question to ask
concerning luxury, and for each of us the answer is very
different. For Berenice, the answer is raspberries, fresh
raspberries. She laughs at how easily pleased she is. For the
cost of a pint of raspberries, she buys herself an experience
of abundance. Sprinkled on cereal, cut up with a peach,
poured over a scoop of ice cream. She can buy her
abundance at the supermarket and even get it quick frozen if
she has to.
“They cost $1.98 to $4.50, depending on the season. I
always tell myself they are too expensive, but the truth is
that’s a bargain for a week of luxury. It’s less than a movie.
Less than a deluxe cheeseburger. I guess it’s just more than
I thought I was worth.”
For Alan, music is the great luxury. A musician when he
was younger, he had long denied himself the right to play.
Like most blocked creatives, he suffered from a deadly duo:
artistic anorexia and prideful perfectionism. There were no
practice shots for this player. He wanted to be at the top, and