The Artist's Way

I have had ample opportunity to experience firsthand what it
means to lack creative support and what it means to find it.
Often, it is the difference between success and failure,
between hope and despair.
What we are talking about here is the power of breaking
isolation. As in any other recovery process, this act is a
potent first step. Creative recovery, like any other recovery,
may be facilitated by the company of like-minded people.
For recovery from something, twelve-step groups seem to
work especially well. For recovery to something, creative
clusters show remarkable results.
When people ask me what I think is the single most
important factor in an artist’s sustained productivity, I know
I am supposed to say something like, “solitude,” or “an
independent income,” or “childcare.” All of these things are
good and many people have said so, but what I think is
better and more important than any of these things is what I
call “a believing mirror.”
Put simply, a believing mirror is a friend to your creativity
—someone who believes in you and your creativity. As
artists, we can consciously build what I call creative clusters
—a Sacred Circle of believing mirrors to potentiate each
other’s growth, to mirror a “yes” to each other’s creativity.
In my experience we can benefit greatly from the support
of others who share our dreams of living a fuller life. I
suggest forming a weekly cluster and going through the
exercises in the book together, sharing and comparing each
answer. Often someone else’s breakthrough insight can