I came across a quote today in an e-mail about a new book by Linda McDonald, I'm not familiar with the author, but I liked her outlook on life. She found her use of her personal art form- writing- helped her heal inside.

March 26, 2013 Dear Readers, Kurt Vonnegut said that you practice the arts, not to become famous, but to grow your soul. He also said it didn't matter how good or bad we were at it, that the spiritual growth still took place.  I came to writing relatively late, in my forties, when my life was something of a train wreck. After a number of years at it, I slowly came to realize that the healing I was experiencing from the creative process was way more important than any material success that might eventually come my way for having published.  I hasten to add that I’m not against making money. No, heaven forbid. I sweat the small stuff all the time. It was just that a larger truth was emerging. This “serious hobby” of writing seemed to possess the power to release everything inside me that hurt.  To all of us who attend to our creative journeys — whether painting, dancing, or making music — the arts speak to a part of us that often gets overlooked in our rush through life. In its indirect way, art asks the heart what it wants. Mine answered that it loved stories, about who we are and why we’re here.  Art also teaches us to empathize, which is the anathema to hate, bigotry, and small-mindedness (I think Mark Twain said that about travel, too, also true). My truth is anecdotal, hearing and seeing and sharing your experience as well as finding my own. And I rediscover, time and again, the beautiful paradox of meaning: the more specific and detailed my truths are, the more they touch on universal truth.  Finding out who you are through your imagination is like the difference between opening up to the beauty of the world or fearfully tiptoeing through it, as though walking through a minefield. The arts help us discover who we are. They confirm we are all in this together. I believe creativity does indeed grow our souls. Kurt Vonnegut, as usual, got it right. Linda McDonald's new book      Kurt Vonnegut's original quote can inspire all: “... go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country Goodreads Quotes      A reminder that to become whole and heal I need to retrace my steps and pursue my first passion- Art. Elise