The Power Within

The Power Within

Feeling powerless in your writing life? You don’t need to!

Let’s say you’ve been on the creative path for some time, but are feeling depressed, thinking you are not as far down the road as you envisioned. You write and you write but the essence of what you want to express remains elusive. Or perhaps you feel that you have acquired the chops it takes to be a writer. But your publications remain few and far between. The series of books you dreamed of remains just that—a dream you fear will never be realized.

Many writers, good and talented, dream the same dreams you do, and want validation in the form of a book. The same is true in other areas of creative endeavor–people who are pursuing their aspirations in the visual arts, in photography and acting and design. The competition for public recognition is fierce. The reality is that in some areas of the artistic life, we have little control. We cannot make the publisher publish our book. We have no control over whether the director will choose us for the part in the play. That power lies in other hands.

There is, however, much over which we do have control. We can do our work—complete our paintings, learn the new dance routine, write new stories and poems. This is great and joy-filled power. And if publication is your goal, know that every poem you write makes the possibility more likely. Every submission you make makes it likelier still. Rejection has been and will always be a part of the submission process. Perhaps because the piece you submit isn’t quite “there” yet. Or because the editor had a bad day and couldn’t see it for what it was. We can’t control the latter, but we can continue to hone our abilities—take classes and workshops, strive always for excellence, and keep submitting. We can also take an active part in the artistic community. So that when possibilities come along, we will be aware of them. These things we can do.

And whether or not we are recognized by the gatekeepers of the art world, our greatest power lies in believing in ourselves and what we are doing. We were born knowing there was magnificence around us; it was magnificence we were created from, and we are capable of greatness we cannot imagine.

We are like birds, the ability to sing in our own unique ways embedded within our DNA, the facility of flying in the ways we were meant to fly. We yearn to find the notes to the song, to take wing in flying. And while sometimes we try to suppress that yearning, it is there inside us, waiting like a phone we know is about to ring. And when it does, it will be our destiny on the other end of the line, the call we have been waiting for.

All we need to do is answer the phone. Pick up the pen or the paintbrush and do what we were meant to do  And take joy in that, even if the book remains unpublished. “…Publication is not all it’s cracked up to be, “ Anne LaMott said. “But writing is.” It is the creative act itself which matters—the intense focus, the feeling of reaching beyond yourself to connect with the magnificence of the universe and bring into being some new sort of beauty. There is satisfaction in that, and great joy, and therein lies true power. You have it within yourself.

For more ideas to help you along the creative path, see our book, The Fire Inside. We think you’ll be inspired!