Thoughts on Originality

"No man is an island, no piece of art is a continent unto itself"

"It is the ego's demand that our work be totally original– as if such a thing were possible."

- Julie Cameron, The Artist's Way

My inner critic whispers; it does not shout. I have to listen closely, quieting the outside noise, and even then, I am wary that I am getting the full story. So when I started The Artist's Way in January, I had to work hard to access that inner critic, gently coaxing it out with nurturing promises of the future we could create together.

As I began to listen closely, the first criticism I heard was that I would never create an original work. Taken to the extreme, my critic told me that if I couldn't make something truly original, I might as well not create anything at all. But creativity is so integral to my well-being that I shut that thought down fast. Instead of looking closely at the fear, I smothered it with affirmations: I have original creative ideas. I recited it again and again, assuring myself that this fear was not a boulder blocking my way. It was nothing more than a branch in the road—lightweight, easily moved aside. And so, I repeated my affirmation and pressed forward.

But there is danger in a quiet inner critic, power in subtleness. The criticism deftly creeps into the cracks. No, not a boulder blocking the way, but also not a branch effortlessly moved. Instead, a million tiny traps tacitly undermining the creative process.