Yet when it comes to our own work, we fall into weirdly distorted thinking. The most mundane tasks suddenly weigh on our minds as more important than the pursuit of our creative calling.

the great artists achieved that greatness in part because they spent time and energy inviting you to experience their work.

Walking my path took an epic amount of effort—hours of exploring, practice, trial and error—before there were any results. Money was a constant concern; I spent my first few years waiting tables on the side, eating ramen, and weighing paying household bills against the cost of buying film for my camera. Whenever I did have the opportunity to

Managing your time is an art in itself. Your schedule is a creative work in progress that calls on your ingenuity just like the creation of any book, song, or drawing. By doing this exercise a few times every year, you’ll find yourself spending less and less of each week on the stuff that doesn’t matter.

Creativity is a natural force. It’s our culture that trains it out of us.

Negative thinking releases stress hormones, raises blood pressure, suppresses your immune system, and leads to a host of other health problems. Negative thinking impairs your cognitive ability and memory. Worst of all, negativity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you expect a negative outcome, you tune your intuition to act accordingly,

Something major can happen in our lives and convince us that we really want to be X, Y, or Z, but if we don’t follow up on that intuitive hint with action, the feelings will evaporate and we’ll be right back where we were.

It’s fine for your values to grow and evolve over time. Just know that unless you’re a Buddhist monk, at some point you’re going to need to negotiate with others and advocate for your vision. You don’t have to be willing to die for your art, but you do need to begin the process of deciding what matters to you and why.

achieve fluency so you can finally speak your mind.