Yes, Guest 01 May 06 - 10:47 PM , your post is well written. But that isn't the point is it?

I have to ask- How many people are whole?

If after creating a work of great beauty, if there isn't enough left for the artist to be considered a whole person, then hopefully there is enough left to survive -with support from another or alone- day after day one foot in front of another until more of the artist's self is re-vived or re-created perhaps in some ways less than and perhaps in some ways greater but probably different than in he or she was before.

Artists {and non-artists} need to know that they don't always need to strive for perfection. Even more than non-artists, it's imporant that they learn how to be gentle with themselves.