The Crisis In The Life Of The Artist

Any life-changing crisis can be seen through the archetypal lens of the crisis of the artist. How do we grasp the deeper significance of the crises that we confront? How can we transform such an apparant obstacle into life-renewing creativity? Steffen sees that the existential challenge facing all contemporary artists is achieving true self-knowledge. This essay shows how Schiller and Goethe dealt with the dangerous separation of thinking, feeling, and willing, and how they achieve their harmonious reintegration. It then turns to questions such as how the artist in each of us can find meaning in illness and pain and lead us to healing.