a motto to live by: I do not require ideal conditions to do exceptional work
a motto to live by: I do not require ideal conditions to do exceptional work
“I must pursue my goal through thick and thin and I must not allow bourgeois society to turn me into a money-making machine,”
Mason Currey • Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
“It’s far better when doing good work is sufficient. In other words, the less attached we are to outcomes the better. When fulfilling our own standards is what fills us with pride and self-respect. When the effort—not the results, good or bad—is enough.”16 RYAN HOLIDAY
Paul Millerd • Good Work : Reclaiming Your Inner Ambition
Of course conditions are suboptimal. Of course the block of marble is the wrong shape. Of course the bureaucracy is frustrating, markets capricious, co-workers difficult, customers demanding. The creator sees these things and may even struggle against them, but her priority is the creation. She gets over it and gets to work.
Frank Forencich • The Art is Long: Big Health and the New Warrior Activist
If you want to feel good, brainstorm it. If you want to appear good, test it. If you want to know if you’re any good, ship it.
To someone who enjoys what they do, concepts like work and leisure don’t make any sense.