Natalie Goldberg

"It is important to remember we are not the poem.... The power is always in the act of writing.... Write good poems and let go of them.  Publish them, read them, go on writing."

Natalie Goldberg

American Writer, Artist

1948 -

Message to followers

Two years ago tomorrow, I began this blog.  I have spent between 5 - 7 hours a week producing it.  This amounts to over 25o hours a year.  There are now over 700 quotes on this site that are designed to inspired creative leaders, including writers, artists, musicians and actors.  When I started, my goal was to write the blog daily for a year.  Unfortunately, the time I have spent on this blog has taken time away from my personal writing.  One option would be to close the blog down, but I believe the messages I have been sharing are important to others.  I have decided instead to change it from a daily blog to a weekly blog. So beginning with this entry, I will be publishing the blog every Monday morning.  And I have changed the name to Monday Morning Motivation.  Please come back every Monday for your dose of inspiration and motivation.

Commentary

Natalie Goldberg has had a powerful influence on my writing.  I have read all of her books on writing and continue to reread them.  I highly recommend that every new writer read her books.  

We are not our writing or our painting.  Don't get caught up in confusing your identity as a person with the identity of the people in your writing.  The power is always in the act of creation, not in the final product.  Enjoy and appreciate the creative process.  That is where you will learn the most about yourself.

About the Author

Natalie Goldberg is an American poet, painter, teacher and author.  She has written 12 books including Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within which has been translated into 14 languages.  She has written several memoirs including The Great Failure and  Long Quiet Highway.  She currently lives in northern New Mexico.

Quote Source:  Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, p. 32 - 32.

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Natalie Goldberg

"Some people write for fifteen years with no success and then decide to quit.  Don't look for success and don't quit.  If you want writing, write under all circumstances.  Success will or will not come, in this lifetime or the next.  Success is none of our business.  It comes from the outside.  Our job is to write, to not look up from our notebook and wonder how much money Norman Mailer earns."

— Natalie Goldberg

American Writer

1948 -

The creative arts are not about fame and fortune.  They are about creating.  If success is what you seek then you ought to pursue another profession.  For every actor who becomes rich, famous and invited to the Oscars, there are thousands who act in small community plays for the love of it.  For every writer who reaches the best sellers list, there are thousands who toil daily with neither recognition nor financial rewards, simply for the love of writing.  For every musician whose songs top the music charts, there are millions who sing at church or in the shower.  Our work is to create, not to become rich and famous.  Are you focused on creating or are you daydreaming about being rich and famous?

Here is Natalie Goldberg:

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Natalie Goldberg

"The only failure in writing is when you stop doing it.  Then you fail yourself. "

— Natalie Goldberg

American Writer

1947 - 

Too often people quit writing, painting or acting because they think they are no good.  The only failure is giving up.  Even though your book has not been published you should not give up.  Even though no one has bought your paintings does not mean you should quit.  Even though no Hollywood agent wants to put you under contract, you should keep acting.  Don't give up on yourself.

Here is Natalie.

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Natalie Goldberg

"Writing, too, is ninety percent listening.  You listen so deeply to the space around you that it fills you, and when you write, it pours out of you. . . . The deeper you listen, the better you can write."

— Natalie Goldberg

American Writer

1948 - 

Most of us probably never associate writing or painting with listening.  Writing and painting are active processes.  We perceive listening to be a passive process.  Actually, listening is very active and engaging.  As writers and painters we need to be listening to the world around us. By listening we learn to see the world for what it is.  The better we understand our world the stronger artist we become.  Those, who are so absorbed in themselves that that they do not listen, ultimately, will lose touch with the world and they will become weak.

Learn to listen with your heart, your body, your soul, your mind and your spirit.  Taste the different flavors of the world around you.  Explore the dark crevices and the deep roots.  Climb the highest trees and tread on the sandiest beaches.  Taste the heights of the human spirit and the deepest valleys of the human heart.  Listen with every pore in your flesh.  Listen with every cell in your body.

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Natalie Goldberg

"One of the main aims in writing practice is to learn to trust your own mind and body; to grow patient and nonaggressive."

Natalie Goldberg

American Writer/Painter

1948 - 

Do you trust yourself — your mind, your thoughts, your dreams, your desires, your hopes?  Do you trust your body — how you walk, how you dance, the sound of your stomach gurgling, the pain in your left knee?  Many of us don't trust our own instincts.  We put our faith in others.  Maybe it is a parent, a friend, a spouse of even a spiritual leader.  We believe what they say to be true.  We need to learn to listen to that small tiny voice inside us that knows the way.  This voice is the first one we hear before we quickly move on to our more rational voice.  How many times have you felt something to be true in your gut but you have chosen to do what your rational mind said?  Learn to trust yourself and to believe in yourself.

(The source of this quote is the book, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, by Natalie Goldberg.  Every creative leader should read this book multiple times.)

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