How to look good
Working through, not against / Issue 1,212
Oh, hi friends!
Take a breath.
There will be many times when we won't look good—to ourselves or anyone else. We need to stop demanding that we do. It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time.
Remember that in order to recover as an artist, you must be willing to be a bad artist. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. By being willing to be a bad artist, you have a chance to be an artist, and perhaps, over time, a very good one.
When I make this point in teaching, I'm met by instant defensive hostility: “But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano/act/paint/write a decent play?”
Yes…the same age you will be if you don't.
So let's start.
— The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Sara Wordsworth read this quote aloud in our podcast conversation — out this morning! — and I want to marinate in it for a minute.
Because this, to me, sums up the seemingly impossible task of reaching for our meaningful work: It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time.
And yet, we always want to look good.
We want to be polished and respected. We want ballooning analytics and bestseller lists and the prime spot at the table. We want praise instead of critique and we’d like it now, if that’s not too much trouble.
But working through is the way. This is where our creativity and our ability jump in the leaf pile and crunch around.
It’s all in the figuring out.
That’s how I’m trying to approach my Monday. With a bit more acceptance of the process, rather than the end product.
How are you feeling?
In what ways can you give yourself permission to be a beginner again?
Do It Today with Sara Wordsworth: Living a Lifetime by 9 a.m.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or my website.
This one is getting bookmarked for sure. Thank you!