This was sent to me in an email from my artist friend Judi Strahota…

“We are the ones making unreasonable demands. We expect our artist to be able to function without giving it what it needs to do so. An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the time of healing alone. Without this period of recharging, our artist becomes depleted. Over time, it becomes something worse than out of sorts. Death threats are issued….
      An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing. Defending our right to such time takes courage, conviction, and resiliency….An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the time of healing alone. Without this period of recharging, our artist becomes depleted…. We strive to be good, to be nice, to be helpful, to be unselfish. We want to be generous, of service, of the world. But what we really want is to be left alone. When we can’t get others to leave us alone, we eventually abandon ourselves. To others, we may look like we’re there. We may act like we’re there. But our true self has gone to ground . . . . . unless we alone make the courageous act to nurture our own artist self in any idiosyncratic form it beckons for. “
                                                                                              – Julia Cameron

I can really relate to this.  I especially like the “…in any idiosyncratic form it beckons for.” part.

I do find that I must find time to be alone to recharge – I am no fun if I don’t.  I like this statement by JC because it helps to give me permission to do what I need to do to take care of myself.  I have to hope that my friends and family  understand this …