I failed 165 times last year
Oh, hi friends!
What’s your passion?
Just kidding! Here’s an easier way to answer that question.
Instead of thinking about things you love, think about the things you never regret.
For me that’s...anytime I read or run or stretch first thing in the morning.
Plane tickets. I never regret buying those.
Calling people. Rarely turns out poorly. Unless it’s Time Warner Cable. But then I’ll just write a play about it, so…I win anyway?
Going for a walk. Even if it feels like I’m “wasting time,” I’ll come back with a scene or a song lyric or, perhaps, a cookie that I accidentally bought.
And speaking of cookies, I’ve never regretted a single one that I ate. Nope. Never.
Complimenting a stranger. Love that coat? Impressed by that speech? I always feel better after saying so.
There are many things I do regret spending time on, but reminding myself of the little moments that never fail me makes those much easier to swallow.
“Don’t give up control, don’t ask for permission, don’t sit on your ideas, and maybe don’t worry so much.”
That’s just a taste of what I learned last year, during my Big Fat Year of Creative Failures. I wrote about all the stories I abandoned, residencies that rejected me, plays I never finished, and editors who ghosted me for Magenta.
I am really proud of this story and hope it might shine even the tiniest light if you're meandering down your own long dark smelly failure tunnel.
Please share with anyone who might relate: What I Learned from 165 Creative Failures.
And this story's illustration (which I love!) is by the very talented Paul O’Connor.
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Passed along by Bairam Rizai: Looking for candidates for a project senior editor role on a women's content initiative here at The Foundry. Big program, running throughout 2018, needs a dedicated editor to make it hum. Mix of editorial and native content. If you're interested or know someone, please email: alec_morrison@timeinc.com.
Good Media Group is hiring a Trending Editor. (h/t Danielle Friedman)
If you're on the hunt, I’ve also found value in Hire Tech Ladies, Ladies Get Paid, and Working Not Working, which is centered more around advertising and design worlds. (In another life, I think I'd be an HR recruiter? THERE'S STILL TIME.)
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara