About the fear of being seen trying

Earlier this week, I spontaneously bought a ticket for a concert later that day. Very unlike someone who needs to be mentally and practically prepared for a trip to the letterbox, let alone for an event on the other side of town. But I love Maisie Peters’ music and had missed the original ticket sale, so when a ticket became available, I had to get it. It was spectacular! Apart from her being a phenomenal singer-songwriter, it also reminded me how much I adore smaller gigs.

Another thing that happened this week is that I started The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: the self-help book for creatives in the form of a 12-week programme, written in the 90s and still incredibly successful. I can see why. Sure, it’s a tad woo-woo and I could do without the religious bits, but in the first few chapters alone I’ve already come across several concepts that clearly served as inspiration for other, more recently written books.

The Artist’s Way is filled with some serious tough love that has already made me feel personally attacked a few times. Example: ‘Stop comparing your draft against the finished masterwork of other artists.’ As someone who writes half a page and then completely abandons it because the writing is not to the same standard as a published novel that took years, several rounds of edits and an entire team to perfect, I need to hear these things. As for practical stuff, there are weekly tasks to complete and two main, overarching principles: Morning Pages and Artist Dates. How does any of this relate to the first paragraph…