From the Inspirational Thought Unit
A friend of mine shared this message with me this week and I keep thinking about it.
“In centuries past, art was made for the honor and glory of God. Viewed in this light, a career in the arts was a career of service, not egotism. There is a cue there for us. The dedication of our work to a higher cause than our own self-promotion frees the work from preciousness. It becomes not about how good we are but about how good we can be in selfless service to something larger than ourselves. As artists, we are the bearers of gifts, spiritual endowments that come to us gratis and ask only to be used. A gift for music asks that we give voice to it. A fine photographer's eye asks that we focus it. We are responsible to our gifts for the use of our gifts, and this is a form of accountability too.”
by Julia Cameron.
I love this message, because for the side of me that thinks I'm hot stuff it's a reminder I shouldn't use my talent for stroking my ego, and conversely, for the side of me that thinks I'm a washed up hack it's a reminder that I have the ability to use it in the service of something bigger than me.
Source: Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity
-Jake