the Artist's Way - Week Seven - Day One

I apologize for the lateness of the next few posts. They are trying to Kill me at work. :)

Week Seven - Recovering a Sense of Connection

Art is not about thinking something up, it's about the opposite, getting something out.

If we are trying to think something up, we strain for something that is beyond our grasp. We get something down, there is no strain. Instead of reaching, we engage in listening. Art is the act of tuning in to the unconsciousness. We do this by listening.

Perfectionism is another enemy. This is the refusal to move ahead. Midway through the process, the perfectionist insists on stopping and rereading, rather than finishing the project. They have no rough drafts. Every draft is meant to be the final. You must learn that mistakes are made and can be corrected, but to succeed a whole must be produced first.

Something worth remembering is anything that is worth doing, is also worth doing badly.

For today, finish this sentence five times: If I didn't have to do it perfectly, I'd try ...

I must refrain from this exercise. I'm not a perfectionist. I don't mind making mistakes. It is the only way to learn how to do something. I have self-taught myself many things, and of course produced many mistakes.

Are you a perfectionist?