Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Creativity Tips: Fail Forward

You know what the most creative people in the world do all the time?

Fail.

For example, exceptional photographers are like the best basketball players. They take lots of shots. Many miss the mark, but now and then -- Wow! Those Wow! shots get posted, purchased and prized. But it's all the other shots that make them possible.

Give yourself the freedom to fail. Laugh at the goofs:

Then, learn. Try again.
Practice may not make perfect.
But it sure can make a scarf.

P.S. I spent more than an hour last night trying to write this post. I finally gave up. This morning, it took two minutes. Along with embracing failure, know when to quit. I'm still learning that lesson.

3 comments:

joana johnson said...

So true! I wish teachers taught this is school.

Lezlie said...

I think knowing when to fail is as critical as knowing how to succeed. I keep a file of "failed" songs, plays, ideas, etc. Often as not, when the time is right, they clamour for my attention and become successes.

Jan said...

I may have to do another post on the "failure" file ...