One of my favorite books on creativity is the book Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland.
It’s a book I always go back to when I’m struggling with revisions or staying consistent with my writing.
Here are a few of the gems that I wanted to share with you from this invaluable book:
In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive.
Art is a high calling — fears are coincidental. Coincidental, sneaky and disruptive, we might add, distinguishing themselves variously as laziness, resistance to deadlines, irritation with materials or surroundings, distraction over the achievements of others — indeed as anything that keeps you from giving your work your best show. What separates artists from ex-artists is that who challenge their fears, continue; those who don’t, quit.
Quitting is fundamentally different from stopping. The latter of happens all the time. Quitting happens once. Quitting means not starting again – and art is all about starting again.
Talent may get someone off the starting blocks faster, but without a sense of direction or a goal to strive for, it won’t count for much. The world is filled with people who were given great natural gifts, sometimes conspicuously flashy gifts, yet never product anything.
In the end it all comes down to this: you have a choice…between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot — and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy.
If you’re on Twitter, you can also finds lots of inspiration and other quotes at #ArtandFear.
Adding it to my Goodreads. As always, another brilliant recommendation! I think I’m about to start reading “Writing Is My Drink.” Have you read that one?
Yes! I love that book. One of my favorites last year. I have a favorite quote that a blogged about back in February: http://www.karen-strong.com/2015/02/11/trust-yourself/