“To be exceptional means to be outside the norm, to be unusual, to be alone. We don’t often think of it that way, but when we start longing for something, we become the exception. We have to choose between wanting to belong and willingness to follow the lonely, individual path of the dream…
“I needed to be convinced that my desire to write was based on talent to write, which is a gift from God, as is all talent. And once I acknowledged the spiritual source of the talent, I saw that the imperative to do something and the ability to do it are really the same. The longing, the ability, and the opportunities are all the same. They are all spiritual. They are the way God acts. Our job is to choose to have faith in this triumvirate instead of having faith in neuroses, doubt and anxiety.”
Joy Hougton from Life’s Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest by Christina Baldwin
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Dear Ronna, thank you for your words. I came back to them after reading a disheartening comment on Google+. Someone was describing their abhorrence for creative ignorance…for example, those people who think they can paint simply because they want to paint. For a moment, my heart stuttered when I read this genius painter’s words. Have I merely been fooling myself by calling myself an artist? A painter? A writer? Your words came back to me, and I breathed a bit easier. I may not have an art school degree, but I have a life school degree. I paint what I feel, what I have felt, what I hope to feel. This is enough.
Thank you,
Trenda
Trenda recently posted..Cute Kokeshi Doll – Turquoise Dress with White Collar – Light Brown Hair – Blue Eyes by TrendaMarieOriginals
It is enough, to be sure, Trenda, as are you. xoxo