No one likes to fail. And yet, we do it all the time. It’s a critical part of the creative process, and doesn’t deserve all the fear and anxiety we load on to it.

“[F]ailure is a stepping stone to clarity. I will forget this more often than I wish to admit, and panic a bit (is it possible to panic only a bit…) only to remember [that] caring, placing your focus upon something, is a form of love. And these messy imperfect moments that sometimes look like one thing can, from another angle, look like something else. Beautiful opportunities to see something in a new light. To not miss the many ways love can look…”

—artist and writer Fia Skye, in the Flying Edna newsletter, 10/14/21

Here’s to the ability to find clarity from failure and see opportunity in obstacles.

Today’s my birthday, so as a gift to you, I’m sharing a few quotes from my collection, quotes that remind me what creative work is at its essence, and why it matters.

– “Writing is more than a vehicle for communicating ideas. It’s a tool for crystallizing ideas. Writing exposes gaps in your knowledge and logic. It pushes you to articulate assumptions and consider counterarguments. One of the best paths to sharper thinking is frequent writing.”
– Adam Grant

“If you’re feeling like things aren’t going anywhere, hang out with people from different disciplines.”
– Questlove

“But in the end, stories are about one person saying to another: This is the way it feels for me. Can you understand what I’m saying? Does it also feel that way for you?”
~ Kazuo Ishiguro

You owe it to all of us all get on with what you’re good at.
– W. H. Auden

“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.”
—John Steinbeck

Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
– Mary Oliver, American poet (1935-2019), “Sometimes,” from Red Bird (2008)

Go forth and do the work!