Your job is to offer a sanctuary of beauty to an ugly world.
~Jeff Goins
Once in a while I come across writing that takes my breath away. Though I've never met Jeff Goins, he's a kindred spirit ~ or my new BFF, as Beth Moore likes to say;)
I particularly like the little wonder of an e-book he's created called The Writer's Manifesto. It's very freeing, even profound.
Today, on his blog, he talks about your job as an artist...
"You must press into the work you've been given, stretch yourself further than you're meant to go, somehow believe in faith that something good will come.
This is not an easy life, as we see exemplified by men like Van Gogh who mutilate themselves and women like Emily Dickinson who cut themselves off from the rest of the world.
You must "think different" and go beyond expectations and norms, challenging the status quo. This is why we need your work. Because so few people are willing to do this - to truly be creative and accept the inherent risks of rejection that come along with it. And that's why the most important quality of an artist is simply this: courage. (With a splash of craziness, of course)."
Happy Friday!