Audacity, Not Talent
Hey friend,
This is my first check-in since starting my 90 day experiment of publishing a fictional story every week day. The format for these check-ins will be the following:
A piece of wisdom I've found in books I'm reading, podcasts, etc.
A line or two from the most popular story I've published
A short note on the project itself.
Piece of Wisdom
I'm reading The Artist's Way, which I 10/10 recommend for anyone curious about doing something creative. I've got dozens of quotes saved from this book. One that really jumped out of me was this:
“All too often, it is audacity and not talent that moves an artist to center stage.”
This is the case for just about every industry, every profession, every creative pursuit. At some point, you HAVE to jump into things that you "have no business doing."
All of our heroes, at some point, were nobodies that courageously put their work into the world. They had the same feelings of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, they wondered how they'd possibly make money doing it, and they did it anyway.
Most popular story
The Gallery Maid has been the most popular story so far. A couple quotes:
"What makes you the artist you are is not what you paint but what you perceive."
"The world thirsts for artists, gifted to gaze upon truth's face; Those that perceive magic where others see mundane, brilliance where others find only blandness."
Notes on the project
I'm noticing that the more I express my creativity, the more I have access to. The more ideas I get.
I’m relearning that I should create something that I want, not what I THINK you want. We're just not that good at guessing what other people want, but when we create something that scratches our own itch, it's more likely to resonate for someone else.
I'm the happiest I can remember being in my work life - ever. And the joy I feel is spilling into every area of life.
My mind wanders to "how is this going to make money" more and more. I read a great article on How to Do Great Work that reinforced the idea that following our curiosity is foundational to doing something great. I have a ton of faith in myself in that my combination of curiosities and skills will connect in ways that allow me to create value for others in unique ways.
There's a Quechuan word, "Sulpayki" which means "thank you from the bottom of my heart." To everyone sending words of encouragement, telling me what you've loved about these stories, and everyone reading them at all, Sulpayki.
P.S. I’ll be on a Soul Searching Adventure in the Boundary Waters, MN all next week so am taking the week off publishing. I’ll start them back up the following Monday.
