As an artist, I do best when reaching for humility. I must be willing to be just a worker among workers, just an artist among artists. Competition has no place in in this scenario. Competition creates stress. Stress creates constriction and constriction creates block. Think of your artist as an emotional youngster. For that youngster, it's scary to be the center of attention. The glare of the spotlight can create the paralysis of block. To function freely as an artist, I must take the focus off of winning, off of being the brightest and the best. I must give up such ego-driven notions as being "fascinating" and "brilliant." I need a safe, critic-free arena in which to do my work. Then, with the ground rules in place, I must gently go forward.