April 27, 2022

There is a real and present struggle among the artists I typically work with: they identify so strongly with their creative work that it becomes paralyzing.

It’s possible that this struggle is universal, but I haven’t done a worldwide study or worked with every artist in the world in order to generalize that far. What I can say is that this struggle is pervasive among the artists I work with most, who have been socialized as women, were very good students, and were in elementary school through the self-esteem boom of the 80s and 90s.

These folks were taught to believe that they are as good or as bad as their work in the world, which is lovely when your work in the world is writing book reports or passing a long division quiz.

But when you finally embrace the fact that your work in the world is creating multi-media performance art, a musical in a style never seen on Broadway, or a novel that cracks your heart open and makes the shattered pieces visible to the world, you face a challenge. Suddenly, there is no answer key. No deadline chalked on the top corner of the black board. No gold stars.