Friday, August 26, 2011

SHOW UP EVERY DAY, PART 2 - TALENT



I get so frustrated when people say 'You're so talented, I could never do that!'


This phrase has been repeated to me hundreds of times during my life, and you know what? It makes me mad. This is not about god-given talent, it's about showing up...EVERY DAY!


"80% of success is showing up"
~Woody Allen


You can tell how dedicated to a project someone really is based on just this factor alone. If you want to do something, or get better at something...show up. Every day. Even if it's a small amount of time. Regularity and consistency are far more important than qualitative results. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Keep showing up, you will get better.

You may eventually reach a plateau, a threshold, or a fork in the road. At that point you have to choose whether to stay on the same road, or to continue your artistic growth (challenge).


IDEAS ARE ONLY 1%!!!
You want a good idea, as you will spend most of your time laboring over it, but, don't get stuck on this, it's just a fantasy until you complete the journey.

THE OTHER 99%:
SHOWING UP (EVERY DAY): 80%
GREY AREA OF MAGIC AND MAYHEM AND INTERNAL/EXTERNAL REFLECTION: 19%

That 19% of fudge-space is where things are polished, modified, enhanced, edited, simplified, and distorted. This one I think comes down to you, this is human 'error'. This is where what makes you who you are takes over, this is where you own the work. This is where you bring your personality, your style, or not.

Now, that 1% is important, but I, like so many others was in love with the ideas...they are so easy, and so ambiguous and non-specific. It's easy to fall in love at this stage. It's like infatuation. But it's not love. It's not deep or fulfilling. It's a cheap thrill.

The great rewards don't come this way.

So, long ramble short....show up, every day

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