Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement…
We will be focusing on failure today.
A Thought
“I want to continuously embrace failure as a writer throughout my entire life, relentlessly pushing the boundaries of my abilities by constantly picking myself up after each stumble.”
– Austin Alford
A Quote
“Failure isn’t a necessary evil. In fact, it isn’t evil at all. It is a necessary consequence of doing something new.”
– Ed Camtull (The Co-Founder of PIXAR)
An Excerpt
Ed Camtull (Author of Creativity Inc)
“You don’t have to work at Pixar to create a Braintrust. Every creative person can draft into service those around them who exhibit the right mixture of intelligence, insight, and grace. ‘You can and should make your own solution group,’ says Andrew, who has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate from the official Braintrust, on each of his films.
‘Here are the qualifications: The people you choose must (a) make you think smarter and (b) put lots of solutions on the table in a short amount of time. I don’t care who it is, the janitor or the intern or one of your most-trusted lieutenants: If they can help you do that, they should be at the table.’
Believe me, you don’t want to be at a company where there is more candor in the hallways than in the rooms where fundamental ideas or policy are being hashed out. The best inoculation against this fate? Seek out people who are willing to level with you, and when you find them, hold them close.”
A Discipline/Habit to Implement
Take a moment to create a dedicated space for taking notes, whether it’s a notes page, a journal, or any other designated place to record your learnings from creative failures.
Here are three important questions that you should honestly ask yourself and answer:
- What can I learn from this?
- What could I have done differently?
- Do I need to acquire or improve some skills?
Test this out and let me know what you think!
Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!
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