One morning we had beautiful sun coming into our little bedroom. We decided to grab the camera and capture some family time for preservation.
SO, we set the timer and tried to capture a NICE family picture. Why we decided we could take a nice photo in our PJ's so early in the morning fails me.
Here are some of the out takes. Everytime I look through these I cannot stop laughing. They are so terrible they are AMAZING.
the eye blink
Luna looks stunned, What am I doing with my mouth, Isaac looks hung over
Prototype Lace up Ballet High top (no idea what I'm doing)
More Seasoned Lace up Ballet High Top (still no idea what I'm doing)
A man I respect delivered a talk on persistence. What impacted me most was his thoughts on not giving up and consistency. He quoted a respected author (who's name escapes me) who suggested that to master any cognitive skill you can expect to log around 10, 000 trial hours first.
Than my friend sent me this video:
I had never seen it before and it really impacted me.
It got me thinking. I have had a tremendous problem with staying committed to a creative discipline for the long haul. I give up too quickly. There is a point I reach in learning, where I am growing skills, but am not 'skilled' to master it, that I can't seem to push through. Frustration sets in and I drop it.
When I was younger I had the ability to pick things up very quickly. I could play music by ear and seemed to excel in school (excluding sports...high jump was a write off). I now think this hindered me from actually mastering things. Once the skill required practice and no longer came naturally, I would assume it was over for me. My perfectionism also hindered me from grace to make mistakes and the reality that not everything I make or do will be worth something.
There are many unfinished projects lying in the burrow of my past. So many missed opportunities that it's embarrassing to me. I know I self sabotage, am lazy and a major procrastinator; but the main reason I give up is FEAR.
I really really dislike fear. I have struggled with it for eons and honestly...I am OVER it.
Who cares what I make or how I make it? Probably no one. If they do care...does it matter? How does this affect my reputation? Who makes these rules anyway?
So I stop making , get discouraged and sulk. I look at myself as a failure and look for something new to try. But you know, watching this video and hearing my friend speak made me realize that all the trial and error is part of the process. I don't have to be a master at the start. The process is important to.
My friend also shared that consistency, though not glamorous can be a beautiful thing. When feeling lost, return back to center and pick up the trail. This is so encouraging for me. Rather than being a failure I can view myself as a seasoned person, bringing all my life experiences with me to keep expanding and maturing my creative process. I can pick up where I left off and keep moving forward. I think I am honestly getting better as I age. I like myself a lot more now than I did in my teens and 20's. I am way way nicer:)
I do have to add, that it is also wise to know when to let interests drop, without calling it failure or laziness. I have felt tremendous freedom stopping
hobbies in the realization that it had begun to dictate to me negative boundaries around who I had to be.
SO here's the thought. What is it that I want to pick up again, without fear and move forward. What can I expand and bring with me on this journey?
Hold that thought while I do some thinking and I will get back to you.
