Dec 04 2008
Tolerance for Courageous Sucking
Nobody likes feeling like a noob, especially when you’re getting
constant pressure on all sides to never stick out in an unflattering
way. And, in this godforsaken just-add-Wikipedia era of
make-believe insight and instant expertise, it’s natural to start
believing you must never suck at anything or admit to knowing less than
everything — even when you’re just starting out. Clarinets should never
squawk, sketch lines should never be visible, and dictionaries are just
big, dumb books of words for cheaters and fancy people. Right?I think finding your own comfort with the process (whatever that
process ends up being) might just be the whole game here — being
willing to put in your time, learn the craft, and never lose the
courageousness to be caught in the middle of making something you care
about, even when it might be shit and you might look like an idiot
fumbling to make it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?Well, you could quit, because it’s too hard to make stuff
you aren’t already great at. You could convert all that pointless
effort and practice back into MySpace updates and the production of
funny cat pictures. No, it’s not technically the worst thing
that could happen, but it’s a damned common pathway for fear to molder
back into an emotional impulse to put on jammies and watch Judge Judy.I’m not doing anything special here, and I don’t claim to have a
magic formula for creativity, let alone for getting a half-decent photo
of a rubber shoe. All I know is that sticking with things that don’t
arrive with instant mastery does have its own reward, even if
you’re the only one who ever collects it. Because the more you push
through the barriers for these little avocations, the easier it becomes
to remember you always have everything you need to just keep banging
until you’re satisfied with any work that’s thrown at you.Next time I need inspiration to get through a bad patch, or to get
past that persistent feeling that I’ll always be stuck in the lowest
creative gear, I hope I’ll remember to stop and ask myself what exactly
is keeping me from just laying on the sidewalk until I get my shot.
Even if it’s cold, even if I look like an idiot, and even if I risk
missing the first crucial minutes of Judge Judy.
This article is about photography, a guy willing to look like an idiot and keep trying until he gets better at taking picture but, to me, it can also easily apply to writing as well. I like it. It add a sort of justification to the ridiculous exercise that is writing. Full article is here.
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