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"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything." ― Theodore Roosevelt

Quote by Theodore Roosevelt

“The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” ― Theodore Roosevelt Quote Art

December 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments

“The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

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I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life. Have you?

I’m not saying this because I am proud of my mistakes. I’m not, but I will tell you what I am proud of.

I’m proud of taking chances. I’m proud of bouncing back from failures. I’m proud of continuing to experiment despite the setbacks. I’m proud that I can say I tried.

If you’ve been paying attention to all the talking heads in the startup and business world, you might believe failure is a good thing. I can tell you this much: failure sucks. Failure does not make you better at business. Failure does not pay the bills. Failure is demoralizing. Even so, the truth is failure is inevitable.

If you want to achieve something great, you will also face failure. It’s not because you are dumb. It’s not because you don’t deserve it. It’s not because you aren’t special.

It’s because you don’t know what you are doing. None of us do when we begin our journeys.

It also doesn’t matter how much you follow an expert’s suggestions. You will still encounter failure. You will make mistakes. You will find obstacles all along the way.

The good news is, you will learn from your mistakes. You will learn what to do and what not to do. You will make tweaks to your process. You will adapt and change until you discover what works for you.

That is why we must embrace experimentation. We must embrace taking action despite the fact that we will run over speed bumps along the way. We must be willing to embrace the unknown.

If we don’t, we will never achieve anything. If you want to go through life without any blemishes on your record, you might as well give up now because the only people who don’t make mistakes are those who don’t do anything.

Photo by Pach Brothers

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“Even when you have doubts, take that step. Take chances…” ― Cat Cora Quote Art

July 31, 2016 / / 1 Comment

“Even when you have doubts, take that step. Take chances. Mistakes are never a failure—they can be turned into wisdom.” ― Cat Cora

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In school, I was always scared of getting an answer wrong. Red marks across a test or paper would make me cringe. What did I do wrong? I studied so hard. I wanted my grades to be perfect, but perfection was often unattainable.

I’m sure you’ve felt that same fear and embarrassment too. We have been conditioned to always strive for perfection, even if it is unattainable.

Our schools punish kids for their failures, but is that the best way to teach our future generations? They condition us to find the one right answer, but there is rarely ever one solution to a problem.

Those lessons often translate to our lives outside of school. Most companies are searching for people who can come up with innovative solutions.

On the other hand, we expect companies to tell us exactly what to do. We have been conditioned not to take chances. We look at mistakes and believe there is no recovering from them.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from studying creative people, it’s that they are unafraid to take chances. They leap into challenges head first. They treat failures as a chance to learn instead of as an indictment or themselves and their work.

Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone learns from them. Click To Tweet

When they fail, they look at that experience and ask themselves “What could I have done better?” That’s exactly what we all need to do. Stop getting down on yourself for making a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone learns from them.

Don't worry about making a mistake. Mistakes are the foundation of learning. Click To Tweet

We need to be more bold in our thoughts and our actions. So go out there and take chances. Don’t worry about making a mistake. Mistakes are the foundation of learning.

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"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." - Scott Adams

Quote by Scott Adams

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” – Scott Adams Quote Art

December 19, 2015 / / 1 Comment

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” – Scott Adams

Print available on Storenvy.

Creativity and art are two separate yet interconnected pieces of the same puzzle. They exist in a constant ebb and flow. They can, and do, exist separately but they are better when they work together.

People often mistake creativity as a thing only artists have and use. “I’m not creative. I don’t know how to draw or paint.” That sentiment is shared by many people, but it is a mistake to do so.

I have spoken to many people about the topic of creativity and there are a few common things that consistently come up:

Be Open to Play

Creative people have one thing in common. They are open to exploration and play. They are not hindered by pre-conceived notions. They don’t worry about whether something will succeed or fail. Just like children, they are willing and open to try new things.

You Can’t Force It

Creative people do not try to force their ideas onto a problem. They look at problems from multiple angles. They scrape the depths of their mind looking for a solution that fits the problem at hand. They are not hindered by the idea of a single best solution. They don’t let mistakes discourage them. They turn those impediments into action.

Constantly Create

Creative people are constantly creating. They do not wait for the muse to sing to them Click To Tweet

Creative people are constantly creating. They do not wait for the muse to sing to them. They find the muse through consistent and persistent action. Some of their art will be better than others, but that doesn’t stop them from creating.

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Art, on the other hand requires discernment. When you are creating art, you use your creativity to come up with ideas, but you also have to decide what to keep and what to leave out.

Art allows you to express your feelings in a way that makes sense. It takes your ideas and brings them to life.

As artists, we all want to be perfectionists, but if you want to keep your sanity, you will know when to stop. That moment of finality is the difference between creativity and art.

Art is the end result of all that creativity. It is the final product that of all that experimentation.

Creativity is an endless cycle. Art is what you have to show for it Click To Tweet

Creativity is an endless cycle. Art is what you have to show for it.

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Photo by Andrew Phillips

"One who makes no mistakes makes nothing." - Giacomo Casanova

Quote by Giacomo Casanova

“One who makes no mistakes makes nothing.” – Giacomo Casanova Quote Art

August 23, 2015 / / 5 Comments

“One who makes no mistakes makes nothing.” – Giacomo Casanova

Print available on Society6.

The blank slate is one of the scariest things an artist faces. Every time I create something new, I can’t help but feel a little worried.

I am worried that my work won’t be good enough. I am worried that people won’t like it. I worry that people will criticize it.

These are mostly irrational fears. I know that. But that doesn’t mean my mind is immune from having these thoughts.

One of the causes of these fears is the perfection curse. As artists, there is always something we can nitpick about our work. We are our own worst enemies.

We want to create art that meets our own lofty expectations. This means, we tweak a work to death. We want to get it just right before we let it out into the world. Although this may seem admirable, it often causes us to sit on certain pieces for far too long.

You can try all you want, but you will never attain perfection. Click To Tweet

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nothing is perfect. You can try all you want, but you will never attain perfection. Let go of the notion that your work should be free of mistakes. Embrace the mistakes instead.

You need to know when something is good enough. I love the idea of iteration. Release your work and get feedback from it. Learn from your mistakes, and improve upon them.

If you are afraid to make work without mistakes, you will never make anything. Click To Tweet

If you are afraid to make work without mistakes, you will never make anything.

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Mistakes Artists Make: The Do's & Don'ts of Art Sites

Mistakes Artists Make: The Do’s & Don’ts of an Art Website

July 8, 2014 / / 4 Comments

So you’ve decided to create a website for your art. If you still need convincing, read “Should I build a website for my art?” Yes, and I’ll Tell You Why. You might be asking yourself “What the heck am I supposed to put on it?” or “Where do I even begin?”
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