“As our artist’s protective parent, we must learn to place our artist with safe companions. Toxic playmates can capsize our artist’s growth.” (Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way)
Cameron means the word parent literally. Someone has to decide who our artist spends time with.
She chose the word intentionally. Raising a child takes daily attention and commitment.
Some ‘playmates’ are openly critical. Others are quieter, people whose own stalled creative work makes them uneasy around anyone still trying.
Some drafts need to exist in private for a while. Not everyone has earned a place in the room while it’s still taking shape. Protecting the work means being selective about who sees it early.
That kind of guarding is how the work survives long enough to become its best version.
Take an inventory this week. Who gets your early drafts? If someone on that list leaves you doubting the work instead of returning to it, that’s worth noticing.
That’s the clean, publication-ready draft. Let me know if you want it as a Word doc or markdown file for WordPress, or if you’re posting straight from here.
R.A.R.
If you would like to learn more about the craft behind storytelling, my articles on Ramos On go deeper every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe here
Rolando Andrés Ramos 
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