My inner writer – the part of me that is 100% artist – does not care if dinner gets made or not. My inner writer does not stew about things she cannot change or spend days or weeks coming up with the perfect quip for an annoying comment somebody made. She brushes it away like an annoying gnat and gets back to writing. She has a one-track mind in the best sense of the term. When all her family says about the dinner she finally made is: “Well, it wasn’t burned.” She throws her head back and laughs and gets back to writing.
What I love about my inner writer is she has her priorities straight. She knows that not everyone will like her work but instead of focusing on the 25% who won’t like her work or the 50% who won’t care either way, she focuses on the 25% who will love the work and are eager to hear, see, experience more. (I recall these numbers from Twyla Tharp's book, The Creative Habit.)
Some call this inner artist or writer a productive narcissist; some call her a healthy obsessive. What do you call the you that is unstoppable?
When I hit resistance, overwhelm or the sleepiness of avoidance, I call forth my inner writer who doesn’t care about dust bunnies or pot bellies or traffic jams or anything beyond writing something that is true to its self. She keeps creating, no matter what.
Being an artist is a calling. Where is this artist in you that hears this call? When you channel her do you notice how suddenly the to-do list that just yesterday was overwhelming can now be pared down to the action items that really matter? Can you be your own best artist coach and call forth your inner writer or artist and return to the studio, the dance floor, or the writing page unfettered and focused?
Photo by Gabriel Sanchez on Unsplash