Monthly Archives: October 2012

The Artist’s Creed

“I believe I am worth the time it takes to create

whatever I feel called to create.

I believe that my work is worthy of its own space,

which is worthy of the name Sacred.

I believe that, when I enter this space, I have the right

to work in silence, uninterrupted, for as long as I choose.

I believe that the moment I open myself to the gifts of the Muse,

I open myself to the Source of All Creation

and become One with the Mother of Life Itself.

I believe that my work is joyful, useful, and constantly changing,

flowing through me like a river with no beginning and no end.

I believe that what it is I am called to do

will make itself known when I have made myself ready.

I believe that the time I spend creating my art

is as precious as the time I spend giving to others.

I believe that what truly matters in the making or art is

not what the final piece looks like or sounds like,

not what it is worth or not worth, but what newness gets added

to the universe in the process of the piece itself becoming.

I believe that I am not alone in my attempts to create,

and that once I begin the work, settle into the strangeness,

the words will take shape, the form find life, and the spirit take flight.

I believe that as the Muse gives to me,

so does she deserve from me:

faith, mindfulness, and enduring commitment.”

–The Artist’s Creed, From Marry Your Muse by Jan Phillips 

“We don’t always know what makes us happy. We know, instead, what we think should. We are baffled and confused when our attempts at happiness fail…we are mute when it comes to naming accurately our own preferences, delights, gifts, talents. The voice of our original self is often muted, overwhelmed, even strangled, by the voices of other people’s expectations. The tongue of the original self is the language of the heart.”

–Julia Cameron

“The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.”

– Lao Tzu