I wrote in the 'War of Art' that I could divide my life neatly into two parts: before turning pro and after. After is better.

The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.

The amateur tweets. The pro works.

Most of us have two lives: the life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.

Fear doesn't go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.

My life now could not be better.