The unconscious wants truth. It ceases to speak to
those who want something else more than truth.
ADRIENNE RICHReal learning comes about when the competitive spirit
has ceased.
J. KRISHNAMURTI(To test this, read any of the many fan magazines
—People, for instance—and see if afterward your life
somehow feels more shabby, less worthwhile. This is the
fame drug at work.)
Remember, treating yourself like a precious object will
make you strong. When you have been toxified by the fame
drug, you need to detox by coddling yourself. What’s in
order here is a great deal of gentleness and some behavior
that makes you like yourself. Sending postcards is a great
trick. Mail one to yourself that says, “You are doing great
...” It is very nice to get fan letters from ourselves.
In the long run, fan letters from ourselves—and our
creative self—are what we are really after. Fame is really a
shortcut for self-approval. Try approving of yourself just as
you are—and spoiling yourself rotten with small kid’s
pleasures.
What we are really scared of is that without fame we
won’t be loved—as artists or as people. The solution to this
fear is concrete, small, loving actions. We must actively,