Being A Suffering Artist - The Artist Way

Question -- The author talks about being a suffering artist. Have you experienced this? What might you say to a client who seems to be a suffering artist? 

I have bought into the idea you have to suffer to be an artist: Van Gogh not selling and cutting off his ear.  But right now I am not in that space.  I want to do well.  I want to succeed.  I want to travel and have friends and do what I want and have fun.

I would tell a client they don't have to suffer to be an artist  Making art can be a extremely creative beautiful experience leading to our wholeness and fulfillment. Let as celebrate with art!  Let's use the art to connect with our True Nature and the Divine. Let's use art and creativity as a spiritual experience one of ecstatic union.

"Creativity is an experience—to my eye, a spiritual experience. It does not matter which way you think of it: creativity leading to spirituality or spirituality leading to creativity. In fact, I do not make a distinction between the two. In the face of such experience, the whole question of belief is rendered obsolete. As Carl Jung answered the question of belief late in his life, “I don’t believe; I know.”

Cameron, Julia. The Artist's Way (Kindle Locations 346-347). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.