From “The Discipline of Inspiration: The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity” by Carey Wallace
The foundational element in an artist’s relationship with God is love.
A muse may provoke, torment, tease, or reward us.
But it doesn’t love us, or encourage us to love, as God does.
And love is the antidote for the greatest enemy of art – fear.
The primary obstacle to creation is fear: of facing ourselves, God, others, the unknown, exposure, vulnerability, failure, success.
It’s fear, not laziness, that paralyzes us as artists.
Strength is no match for fear. No matter how strong we are, we are always susceptible to a stronger fear. And one of fear’s powers is its ability to endlessly expand.
Hope is no match for fear, either. Our hopes are often woefully misplaced. And they are constantly betrayed.
But love casts out fear. No terror is as terrible if we know we are loved. In fact, our terror of being unloved is so great that we are willing to endure all kinds of terrors simply for the illusion of love, or one of its substitutes: power, ambition, greed, lust.
Love cancels our deepest fear and shrinks all others.
It gives us both strength and hope.
And it puts us in the strongest position to create.