Samuel Beckett once wrote,
"Ever try. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail BETTER."
I read that quote on the arm of one of my favorite professional tennis players. His name is Stan Wawrinka. He has that quote tattooed on his arm. Apparently, Stan the Man is a thinker. This appeals to me as much as his exquisite athletic talent. It is a quote I have remembered since I first heard/saw it. Today, it carries even more inspiration for me. Because....
Over the course of my life, I have dabbled in many artistic arenas. Mostly music and writing, but more recently, I have begun to uncover yet another gift that seems to have lain dormant for a very long time. With that revelation, more doubt, if only at first. You see, now, now that I understand Mr. Beckett's message more clearly, I have come to embrace doubt. And the nagging whispers of that pesky nay-sayer who wishes me to stop rather than fail.
To the Nag I say, "SHUT UP. Make your own art!".
Then, with a giggle and my stubborn resolve, I resume my work, knowing that no matter how good or not my work turns out, there is really no failure. Failure is merely a means to an end. The "end" is merely the beginning of MORE. More discovery. More honing. More of what is aching to be seen or heard or felt. In short, failure is a means to an end that has no ending. It is the fuel the keeps our Creative motoring along, ever unfolding, ever blossoming.
So then...regardless of your chosen explorations, whether or not you think you're good at it, do not ever be dissuaded by the notion of "failure". It is as much an illusion as time. As Yoda told Luke,
"NO! Try, NOT. Do. Or do not. There is no try."
"Ever try. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail BETTER."
I read that quote on the arm of one of my favorite professional tennis players. His name is Stan Wawrinka. He has that quote tattooed on his arm. Apparently, Stan the Man is a thinker. This appeals to me as much as his exquisite athletic talent. It is a quote I have remembered since I first heard/saw it. Today, it carries even more inspiration for me. Because....
Over the course of my life, I have dabbled in many artistic arenas. Mostly music and writing, but more recently, I have begun to uncover yet another gift that seems to have lain dormant for a very long time. With that revelation, more doubt, if only at first. You see, now, now that I understand Mr. Beckett's message more clearly, I have come to embrace doubt. And the nagging whispers of that pesky nay-sayer who wishes me to stop rather than fail.
To the Nag I say, "SHUT UP. Make your own art!".
Then, with a giggle and my stubborn resolve, I resume my work, knowing that no matter how good or not my work turns out, there is really no failure. Failure is merely a means to an end. The "end" is merely the beginning of MORE. More discovery. More honing. More of what is aching to be seen or heard or felt. In short, failure is a means to an end that has no ending. It is the fuel the keeps our Creative motoring along, ever unfolding, ever blossoming.
So then...regardless of your chosen explorations, whether or not you think you're good at it, do not ever be dissuaded by the notion of "failure". It is as much an illusion as time. As Yoda told Luke,
"NO! Try, NOT. Do. Or do not. There is no try."
{"4Ever Froggy"
Original artwork by Camille Olivia Strate.
© 2016. All rights reserved}
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