1-1-1: Embracing Failure, taking Control and Art without Suffering
1-Thought-Starter
“Our mind likes us to play safe, and if we let it have its way, we'll go through life not facing failure the way we should. Because failure shouldn't make you run away from trying something; it should teach you how to do it better the next time.”
- from my book Everything Is Out Of Syllabus
1-Insight
We love to hate on labels, as we should. And yet, we tend to label ourselves so many things – ‘lazy’ and ‘procrastinator’ being two common ones.
But ask yourself if these are just habits you can change, or are they really innate characteristics that define who you are?
I think we may need a mindset reset on how we label ourselves. It might actually give us more control over our own life’s outcomes.
1-Recommendation
I recommend this conversation today as it solves a question many creators struggle to answer – Does great art require suffering? Must our most transcendent art be created by dipping into our most painful memories? Do we have to sell our souls to the devil to create work that sells?
On the Rich Roll Podcast, artist and musician David Choe shares the story of his tumultuous life, his struggle with addiction, his love for his art, and how he took a year off to find a positive space to draw inspiration from.
He talks about how he managed to change his mindset from one that thrives on negativity to one that is a more positively-charged. Could it be then that the next Van Gogh turns out to be someone who goes to therapy and derives their creative stimulus from the more optimistic parts of life? Perhaps it is time we put to rest the old belief that great art comes from great pain.
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