“What keeps you from being fully alive is what you are most afraid to go through.” This quote is from Lawrence McCafferty, a teacher and mystic who understood the transformative power of facing our fears–which is just how writing often feels… Each step we take as writers is a step into the unknown. Every time we face the blank page, we’re alone with all possibilities.
There is nothing quite so terrifying as the creative process because as a general rule, we dislike uncertainty. Most of us build our lives around limiting uncertainty, through setting up predictable rhythms, habits and routines. The known equals the safe, whereas invention is all about what’s new, untested and unpredictable. As writers, we want to be surprised, taken over by the act of creation, but at the same time, we fear being swept away, or even worse, we fear failing, or feeling embarrassed. Still, we must risk failure, uncertainty and exposure in order to find our most potent material as artists. In order to keep our work alive and true.
What makes this journey less completely terrifying is to embark on it with others. That’s why I feel blessed to do the work I do; offering a supportive, productive space for groups of writers to take necessary creative risks, together. Alone, but in the presence of other writers, the isolation becomes more like camaraderie; the fear turns into something slightly different–something akin to excitement or adventure…
Though this work of writing never really gets easier, it’s nevertheless comforting to realize that we’re in good company! Hope you can join us for a workshop at the studio this fall…