Requiring control over external events is a recipe for heartache and frustration.

It’s insulting to call a professional talented. She’s skilled, first and foremost. Many people have talent, but only a few care enough to show up fully, to earn their skill. Skill is rarer than talent. Skill is earned. Skill is available to anyone who cares enough.

Art is the generous act of making things better by doing something that might not work.

If you’re on a journey but it’s rarely causing a spark, you probably need to make better work. Braver work. Work with more empathy.

My colleague Marie Schacht differentiates between hospitality (welcoming people, seeing them, understanding what they need) and comfort (which involves reassurance, soft edges, and an elimination of tension). But art doesn’t seek to create comfort.

Imogen Roy helps us understand that effective goals aren’t based on the end result: they are commitments to the process.

84. Bicycle Problems I’m having trouble learning to ride a bike. How long have you practiced? About fifteen minutes. It might take a lot longer than that. It might take months. I want to learn to ride a bike, but I don’t want to fall, even once. Not even once? I need to be able to ride a bike blindfolded. Have you ever seen anyone do that? No, but

62. And Maybe You’re Trying to Do Two Things at Once The first thing is making exactly what you want, for you. And the second thing is making something for those you seek to connect and change. Pursuing either is fine. Pursuing both is a recipe for unhappiness, because what you’re actually doing is insisting that other people want what you want and see

the practice is available to anyone who is willing to commit, you may choose the life of a professional. Or you can embrace the path of the engaged amateur. But the choice is a fork in the road. A professional is not simply a happy amateur who got paid.