I like that you added the “minus social programming” to the artist’s way of finding your way back. In 2019 I made a good deal of money on Medium writing about self-improvement, which I coupled with colorful cartoons and clickbait headlines. The money was nice, because the algorithms reward clickbait, but the work felt shallow to me. So I began writing poignant, heartfelt essays about life lessons, illustrated by my classic black and white photography. I lost some followers and the income declined, but then I gained new followers and feel the work now is far more authentic and better aligns with my creative spirit. Here’s to celebrating the Sovereign Artist within.
Yeah, I'm curious about that because you sort of changed direction (as have I to a large degree) - are you not really doing painting and cartoons now and is the (great by the way) stories and essays illustrated by your (also great) black and white photography your current "main" thing?
Thanks for sharing, Clint. I must admit it took three burnouts and sabbaticals for me to truly listen to the inner artist. It’s amazing what happens once you start the process. Part of the reason I started my own Substack and trying to feel out exactly what I want to write about. I was recently gifted The Artists Way, so guess I have another book to start reading asap.
This: "For example, one of the things I uncovered about my true artistic self is this: I am a writer. That isn’t how I made my living, and it’s certainly not what our customers expected from me. But, once I removed expectations and fear, and experimented with new directions it became crystal clear. I am a writer, I always have been, and I’d been suppressing that truth. No wonder I had a breakdown! I now even write fiction." This could me. Well, it is me in many ways.
So glad you took a leap of faith and shared this inner journey to connect with your Sovereign Artist. Like you, I also joined STSC and it has... made me calmer? More focused? More confident and eager to try things and, as you point out, play with creativity. It is fun, fun as in joyful, to read about another person's journey toward their creative self. I am happy for you.
I reflect on my own creative life quite a lot. I have loved writing since I learned how to write. I know I am a writer. I have distilled it down to: I must create or I am not. I also know I cannot support myself financially by writing (yet) so I do one paid job and one unpaid job. The reason I can sustain it is partially (largely) due to the fact that I find tremendous joy in writing. It generates 'life force' when I create.
Heck, you wrote some good stuff here that made us think. Keep writing and sharing. We read it!
Thanks for revealing your breakdown (burnout) because that is what happened to me in mid January 2023. It scared the heck out of me because I had never lost my way before when it concerned my creative journey that I had been on since 1985. I started having fears and doubts about everything I created. I was exhausted, sad, and lacked motivation to do anything including creating art. I felt like I had lost my way practically overnight. It was terrifying. This was the first time in my life I had to talk myself into going to my studio and I could readily talk myself out of going.
I am starting to come around again 4 months later but it seems it will take a little longer. My body keeps telling me to take it slower to heal. It is so important to listen to your body. Life felt so dark when I had no desire to create. Creating is my passion so I had no passion.
I read the Artist’s Way when I was just finished with college in 1985. So I just went to my studio and picked it up again to read. It worked for you and it seems I need it now. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks for writing this and sharing it. So much of what I have learned from my first month here on Substack Is about that internal connection to that internal wellspring that feeds our creativity. I am actually coming at it from several different directions of reading: Julia Cameron, Thomas Merton, Ian Roberts. May we all find our creative joy and the ways to keep it alive.
Clint. I resonated with your honesty on this post. It’s important that we know others have gone through hard psychological times which led to change - and much needed change. I’ve been journaling for decades with pen and paper. Lately, I’ve lost myself because I wanted to devote myself to painting and getting better at it, but I think I lost my primary self - the one who longs to look deeply and ponder how things work. Reading your post here is causing me to evaluate where and how I want to spend my time. I’m considering putting painting on the back burner (still simmering) and play around with writing again.
Thank you for writing this and having the bravery to share it. My challenges have pushed me closer to God who has always been there and has responded. I pray before I create (mostly paint) because I want Him to guide me and I let Him. My own artwork is infantile, but when He guides me, I get to see what He creates through me and I get to experience the joy from Him guiding me as I paint. I truly am an incompetent when I am attempting to create on my own. Again, thank you so much for sharing this.
Awesome. Thanks for being courageous and vulnerable and sharing this. You’re right to share it. We all have our unique struggles. One isn’t more important than another; they’re all just experiences along the road of life. My dad is dying right now from terminal cancer. I’m writing my ass off as it happens, on both of my substacks. This is my creative connection. The source. It’s catharsis in the Ancient Greek tradition.
I pray you receive strength and fortitude from God during this time of your life as well as support from friends and loved ones. Agreed about all of our challenges. My wife and I lost all of our parents in the last two years. She has taken it the hardest. I found continuing conversations and sharing with close friends as well as continuing with your art-making and writing as necessary to keep that thread alive in your life. In the last few months of my Dad’s life, he became much more willing to share feelings. He told my wife how special she was and how much he loved her. All music to her ears because for some reason, she felt he was not particularly fond of her. Very healing! God bless you my friend!
I am so sorry about that Michael. Yes, tapping into this is the only way I know to cope. I too have a family member going through cancer, a very serious type. He still has a chance to beat it though, but it is an extreme procedure he must undergo, and it must work if he is to beat it. I guess I didn't know this was technical "catharsis" although I've heard that term before.
I like that you added the “minus social programming” to the artist’s way of finding your way back. In 2019 I made a good deal of money on Medium writing about self-improvement, which I coupled with colorful cartoons and clickbait headlines. The money was nice, because the algorithms reward clickbait, but the work felt shallow to me. So I began writing poignant, heartfelt essays about life lessons, illustrated by my classic black and white photography. I lost some followers and the income declined, but then I gained new followers and feel the work now is far more authentic and better aligns with my creative spirit. Here’s to celebrating the Sovereign Artist within.
Yeah, I'm curious about that because you sort of changed direction (as have I to a large degree) - are you not really doing painting and cartoons now and is the (great by the way) stories and essays illustrated by your (also great) black and white photography your current "main" thing?
Writing emerged as my main thing lately, and the black and white photography aligns better with the tone of the writing over cute cartoons.
I subscribe to your newsletter John. I’m glad you’re writing from the heart and not pandering to the clickbait.
Thanks for sharing, Clint. I must admit it took three burnouts and sabbaticals for me to truly listen to the inner artist. It’s amazing what happens once you start the process. Part of the reason I started my own Substack and trying to feel out exactly what I want to write about. I was recently gifted The Artists Way, so guess I have another book to start reading asap.
This: "For example, one of the things I uncovered about my true artistic self is this: I am a writer. That isn’t how I made my living, and it’s certainly not what our customers expected from me. But, once I removed expectations and fear, and experimented with new directions it became crystal clear. I am a writer, I always have been, and I’d been suppressing that truth. No wonder I had a breakdown! I now even write fiction." This could me. Well, it is me in many ways.
So glad you took a leap of faith and shared this inner journey to connect with your Sovereign Artist. Like you, I also joined STSC and it has... made me calmer? More focused? More confident and eager to try things and, as you point out, play with creativity. It is fun, fun as in joyful, to read about another person's journey toward their creative self. I am happy for you.
I reflect on my own creative life quite a lot. I have loved writing since I learned how to write. I know I am a writer. I have distilled it down to: I must create or I am not. I also know I cannot support myself financially by writing (yet) so I do one paid job and one unpaid job. The reason I can sustain it is partially (largely) due to the fact that I find tremendous joy in writing. It generates 'life force' when I create.
Heck, you wrote some good stuff here that made us think. Keep writing and sharing. We read it!
Thanks for revealing your breakdown (burnout) because that is what happened to me in mid January 2023. It scared the heck out of me because I had never lost my way before when it concerned my creative journey that I had been on since 1985. I started having fears and doubts about everything I created. I was exhausted, sad, and lacked motivation to do anything including creating art. I felt like I had lost my way practically overnight. It was terrifying. This was the first time in my life I had to talk myself into going to my studio and I could readily talk myself out of going.
I am starting to come around again 4 months later but it seems it will take a little longer. My body keeps telling me to take it slower to heal. It is so important to listen to your body. Life felt so dark when I had no desire to create. Creating is my passion so I had no passion.
I read the Artist’s Way when I was just finished with college in 1985. So I just went to my studio and picked it up again to read. It worked for you and it seems I need it now. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks for writing this and sharing it. So much of what I have learned from my first month here on Substack Is about that internal connection to that internal wellspring that feeds our creativity. I am actually coming at it from several different directions of reading: Julia Cameron, Thomas Merton, Ian Roberts. May we all find our creative joy and the ways to keep it alive.
👍👍
Nice artistic insights that apprends my thinking. Kudos
Clint. I resonated with your honesty on this post. It’s important that we know others have gone through hard psychological times which led to change - and much needed change. I’ve been journaling for decades with pen and paper. Lately, I’ve lost myself because I wanted to devote myself to painting and getting better at it, but I think I lost my primary self - the one who longs to look deeply and ponder how things work. Reading your post here is causing me to evaluate where and how I want to spend my time. I’m considering putting painting on the back burner (still simmering) and play around with writing again.
Thank you for such authentic and important writing. You are touching thoughts we all need to recognize and articulate. Please continue to share.
Well, hi there, fellow artist and writer. Welcome back!
Thank you for writing this and having the bravery to share it. My challenges have pushed me closer to God who has always been there and has responded. I pray before I create (mostly paint) because I want Him to guide me and I let Him. My own artwork is infantile, but when He guides me, I get to see what He creates through me and I get to experience the joy from Him guiding me as I paint. I truly am an incompetent when I am attempting to create on my own. Again, thank you so much for sharing this.
Awesome. Thanks for being courageous and vulnerable and sharing this. You’re right to share it. We all have our unique struggles. One isn’t more important than another; they’re all just experiences along the road of life. My dad is dying right now from terminal cancer. I’m writing my ass off as it happens, on both of my substacks. This is my creative connection. The source. It’s catharsis in the Ancient Greek tradition.
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
‘The Incompatibility of Being Alive’
https://reallife82.substack.com/
I pray you receive strength and fortitude from God during this time of your life as well as support from friends and loved ones. Agreed about all of our challenges. My wife and I lost all of our parents in the last two years. She has taken it the hardest. I found continuing conversations and sharing with close friends as well as continuing with your art-making and writing as necessary to keep that thread alive in your life. In the last few months of my Dad’s life, he became much more willing to share feelings. He told my wife how special she was and how much he loved her. All music to her ears because for some reason, she felt he was not particularly fond of her. Very healing! God bless you my friend!
I am so sorry about that Michael. Yes, tapping into this is the only way I know to cope. I too have a family member going through cancer, a very serious type. He still has a chance to beat it though, but it is an extreme procedure he must undergo, and it must work if he is to beat it. I guess I didn't know this was technical "catharsis" although I've heard that term before.