Being an artist is particularly dangerous because being one rarely goes without ambition and this ambition binds us to the earth not only while we are here, but also later, when we no longer exist. We intend to survive here, to still matter and shine, of course, whereas it is necessary to work to humble oneself and destroy all the bonds that tie us to this world.
We cannot claim to do so if we remain attached to a state that fatally stokes the desire to shine, to rise, to excel and persist both in this world and the next, after death has taken us.