Ask Baba Yaga: How Do I Abandon Striving For Glory?

Transcript after the jump.

Dear Baba Yaga,

I’ve recently decided to focus on my spirituality. But I’ve always been driven by accumulating accolades and praise for my creative work, and fame-seeking seems in fierce opposition to this kind of growing. How do I abandon my striving for glory while keeping the joy of creativity in the center of my life?

BABA YAGA:

Glory is , a bar of gold given & paraded at the market, joy is the well of gold hidden in the deep thicket of yr particular woods, where suddenly a valley opens. Of glory there is never enough, always you go hungry, it is the food of mortals for the mortal stomach. But of joy you may glut & glut, there is no end of it, it is the food you will crave once you truly taste it.

Previously: Should I Move to a New City?

Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. She’s taking questions on behalf of Baba Yaga at [email protected].