Creative Self Sabotage and how to stop

Written By Taylor Johnson

Starting is always the hardest part!

Going Further

The Art Class Story

From Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

“[A] ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot — albeit a perfect one — to get an “A”. Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes — the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.”

Ira Glass on Closing “The Gap”

 
 

Reflection Questions

  • What is something you are good at now that took you a long time to learn? Did you ever feel like giving up? What made you keep with it?

  • Who is someone you admire for not giving up? Why?

  • What is something you want to “close the gap” with? What is one small step you can take in that direction today?

Exercise

Write a Break Up Letter to Fear & Pride

It’s just a rough draft! Don’t think, just write. It’s ok if it’s dumb. It’s ok if it feels silly. Just keep going!

What would you write to Fear and to Pride if you were breaking up with them and moving on to a better life without them getting to help make decisions?

How long have they been there for you? How have they helped you? Why do no longer need them? What are they keeping you from? What do you picture as life without them? How do you want to say goodbye?

Is there someone you feel comfortable sharing the letter with?

Taylor Johnson