“Art glows with faith even in its weakest parts. At every moment, writing is an act of self-confidence – the sheerest, most determined, most stubborn self-belief. You CAN have faith and doubt at the same time; the most insecure writer on the planet has faith that shines just as bright as her doubt, and she deserves props for that. It might be hidden deep, she might not feel it and you might not see it, but it’s in there, or she wouldn’t be able to write.” - Kristin Cashore
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friends let me tell you a little secret.
it takes a lot of courage to say i want to be a writer.
it takes even more courage to say i want to be a writer more than i want to spend time with friends, or organize that drawer, or visit a neighbor, or volunteer at the kids' school, or contribute to my family's finances. when i write, there is a list of a 1,000 other things i could be doing with those hours. i look at that list in my mind's eye every day when i sit down to write. and i have to take fresh courage every day.
do you think when bob ross set up camp in front of his canvas he said, "what will so and so think of me, wasting this time on such an unworthy pursuit?"
no. he said, "i believe we're all creators and that the joy of creation is reason enough to make something. creating brings joy to your heart. come, paint with me for an hour and see what i'm talking about."
or at least that's what i think he said. something like that.
so when i start to doubt myself, and wonder if i'm wasting the days of my life on an empty pursuit, i remember what he said.
believe that you can do it. this is your world. make happy mistakes. you can do anything. you're full of power. you're the creator.
i have no desire to be a writer, so i'll probably never know how much courage it takes for that. but i do know how much courage it takes to admit that i consider spreadsheets and budgets both a hobby and my form of creating. to each his own, right? :)
ReplyDeletetim introduced this video to me a few weeks ago. we had such a lovely time remembering bob and his happy trees and laughing until we cried at this remix (not quite double rainbow, but fantastic nonetheless). and i agree, it takes courage to write. and i think you, my dear, are FULL of courage. i cannot wait to come to your future signings. . .
ReplyDeleteI have never seen this before and it was fantastic!! Made me happy. So glad you have the courage to write because you are truly good at it.
ReplyDeleteUm, I can't tell you how much I love this (the post, and the video!). Came at the perfect time!
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