An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.-Dr. Edwin Land
I found today in a knitting book I got from the library yesterday. It has a pattern for a hat in it that I want to make for Owen. I didn't notice that quotes at first but there are several in it that resonate with me. The above one in particular.
I don't like to fail. I know that no one does. But I REALLY don't. I don't like not being good at something. Anything. If I try it I want to be good at it. The best. And I want to be good the first time. This is something I have to work on. All the time. Especially with my creative process. I give up if something is not coming easily to me. I don't know why. Well, I do know why. I am a perfectionist. I want everything to be perfect. Unrealistic, I know. But nonetheless, it's who I am. Sometimes it's a good thing. I am very detail oriented. I can be counted on to get stuff done and it will be done well. I can also procrastinate because of the fear and the "what if". What if I don't finish? What if it's not good? I have to learn to embrace the failure. It's what drives a person to work harder and try again. How many times did Thomas Edison try with the light bulb? We could still be in the dark if I had been him! It was 3000 filaments that he tested before he came up with one that was right. 3000! That's a lot of practice and a lot of work. I have to stop giving up so easily.
I admire that about my sister. Her persistence. She was persistent with our mom when she wanted something. She usually got it too. I just accepted "no" the first time. But she's also persistent with her creativity. She has an idea and works with it until she gets it right. She's always the person I go to when I have an idea I am stuggling with. She was always the person who could find whatever it was I was looking for but couldn't see. Usually it was right under my nose.
So I think I need to post this quote in my craft room. Then maybe I will be reminded to strive less for perfection and be more persistent.
Aww. You so sweet! If you think about it not giving up is part of being creative. Sometimes you have a great idea in your mind but it turns out differently that you thought, that isn't a failure. Because you have started something, you just need to refine the details of it. One idea will always lead the way to another one. I guess maybe deciding what "failure" means to you is more important than not giving up.
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