Why you can be a successful, prolific, writer (even if you’re broke-ish)
This week in The Artist’s Way, we’re diving into our negative beliefs – the sneaky, uninvited guests that loiter in the background of our creative lives whispering things like:
“You’re not really a writer”
“You’re too late.”
“You’ll never make any real money doing this.”
Ah yes, that last one. The big one. Let’s sit with it for a moment:
“I can’t be a successful, prolific, creative writer because I will never have any real money.”
This belief feels like truth when you’re knee-deep in laundry, emails, and imposter syndrome. But in reality? It’s just an old, crusty narrative that’s been passed down like a family recipe nobody really likes but keeps making anyway.
Where did this belief come from?
Maybe it was watching writers struggle in the margins, or hearing someone scoff that “no one makes money from writing.” Maybe it’s rooted in our own moments of fear – the client who ghosted, the grant that didn’t come through, the empty Etsy shop.
But let’s zoom out.
Is it true? Is it universally true? Or is it a belief that’s quietly blocking our creative flow?
Because here’s a reframe for your morning pages:
What if being a successful writer and being financially supported weren’t mutually exclusive?
What if your writing isn’t the reason you’re broke – it’s the seed of abundance? Not just financial, but emotional, spiritual, communal. What if “success” isn’t measured in piles of money, but in the life you’re creating: meaningful, expressive, joyful, aligned?
This week’s invitation:
Write out the belief: I can’t be a successful, prolific, creative artist because I will never have any real money.
Then flip it: I can be a successful, prolific, creative artist and I am building a life of enough.
Journal on this:
Where did I first learn this belief?
Is it mine, or did I inherit it?
What would it feel like to let it go?
You might want to write a letter to the belief. Or draw it. Or laugh at it. Or burn it (safely – I’m not paying your fire insurance).
And remember: beliefs can be rewritten. That’s what writers do. We take the raw material of the world and shape it into something truer, more beautiful, more us.
So, let’s write a new story this week.
A story where you get to be the writer, and the money comes too.