Once having traversed the threshold, the artist moves in a dream landscape of curiosity, where fluid, ambiguous forms arise. He or she must survive a succession of trials.
Joseph Campbell described the artist as a hero. He meant the person of myth who embarks on a journey of discovery — including self-discovery. A hero risks in order to pursue a full life.
Campbell wrote:
You enter the forest
at the darkest point,
where there is no path.
Where there is a way or path,
it is someone else's path.
You are not on your own path.
If you follow someone else's way,
you are not going to realize
your potential.
- from A Joseph Campbell Companion
Writers must dive into an interior world and find the courage to reveal the discoveries in their art. They visit the darkness, channels, and textures of the unexplored mind. Writers avoid trails previously taken and move within discomfort to seek something wild and refreshing.
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