Martha Graham

I heard a fabulous Martha Graham quote on the radio the other night -- Roy of Hollywood's Something's Happening show on KPFK:

"There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it! It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware of the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased -- there is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."

You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work? That's quite different from the way I've been operating. I also have a tendency to compare my work to others, and it helps me to hear that not only is it not necessary, it's not my job. My job is to focus on my unique expression, and nothing else. How liberating!