Fear of criticism. Attachment to a commercial result. Competing with past work. Time and resource constraints. The aspiration of wanting to change the world. And any story beyond “I want to make the best thing I can make, whatever it is” are all undermining forces in the quest for greatness.

“To Whom it May Inspire,” Austin wrote. “I, like many of you artists out there, constantly shift between two states. The first (and far more preferable of the two) is white-hot, ‘in the zone’ seat-of-the-pants, firing on all cylinders creative mode. This is when you lay your pen down and the ideas pour out like wine from a royal chalice! This happe

Poignantly, on a tour of a primary school an ageing Picasso once said, “At their age, I knew how to paint like Titian. It’s taken me a lifetime to remember a greater achievement: how to paint like a child.” What he meant was that it had taken him decades to shake off a compliant urge to paint “well” and “respectably” and to listen instead more clos

Consider that it might not have been your initial style that attracted success, but your personal passion within it. So if your passion changes course, follow it. Your trust in your instincts and excitement are what resonate with others.