The Artist's Way

trigger one of our own.
Remember, we live in a culture that is toxic to art. A
remarkable number of toxic myths about artists flourish. In
addition to our purportedly being broke, irresponsible, drug-
riddled and crazy, artists are also deemed selfish, out of
touch with reality, megalomaniacs, tyrants, depressives and,
above all, people who “want to be left alone.”
At the very least, we are sure we will be.
Ask budding artists why they are afraid to move deeply
into their creativity and they will tell you, “I’m not sure I
want to spend the rest of my life alone.”
In America, we seem to confuse artists with cowboys. We
see artists as self-contained, driven loners who are always
riding off into the sunset to do our thing—alone. If you’ll
pardon the joke, the cowboy analogy is so much bull. Most
of us enjoy a little company. One of our great cultural
secrets is the fact that artists like other artists.
Think about it for just a second: What did the
Impressionists paint? Lunch ... with each other. What did the
Blooms-bury Group write about? Dining out with—and
gossiping about—each other. Whom did John Cassavetes
make films with? His friends. Why? Because they believed
in one another and enjoyed helping each other realize their
dreams.
Artists like other artists. We are not supposed to know
this. We are encouraged to believe “there is only so much
room at the top.” Hooey. Water seeks its own level and
water rises collectively.