6/1

bringing it down to the bare bones

it's necessary to expose everything sometimes
in order to proceed
it's necessary to rip everything apart
mercilessly
without that
any work you do is built on a faulty foundation
and it will collapse

and sometimes this means facing your deepest fears

An artist needs to become familiar with that which is most hidden from the self by the self for this one thing which one fears to know is often the driving force in ones life. These recognitions seen in art are the difference between decent and extraordinary and great. - Pat Stier

(thank you bruce for identifying the author)

when i was in the studio
i would endlessly ponder what that fear was
it took being out of the studio to find it

(and of course, the fear will change
as you discover one, it melts away
and a new one emerges
first
as an undefined hard little knot)