The Artist Begins Again and Again

University of St Andrews is hosting an art and monasticism symposium at their Transpositions blog.  I wrote about beginning again and again as an artist:

As artists and creative people we are filled with the best of intentions. We are inspired with big visions and a longing to express ourselves freely and fully. We begin a project – whether writing a book, painting a canvas, or composing a song – with enthusiasm and full of confidence. Then somewhere along the way we find our energy waning, and the artwork we once felt such delight in has now become a source of vexation. It hangs over our head as a symbol of our failure as an artist.

Perhaps we encounter what the desert monks called acedia, which is a kind of restlessness and has been called the “noonday demon.” Halfway through the journey of the day, ancient monks would find themselves bored and distracted. Their spiritual practice would wane, perhaps because they held high expectations about how they should already have achieved transformation or enlightenment, and the contrasting realities of daily life would dull their commitment.

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Stop by this week’s Poetry Party to explore the center and the edges (and win a free book from Christine)!