Let it Burn...

“Work harder. Make a plan. Get better feedback... You’ll know it’s better feedback, because under the initial flash of pain and defensiveness, you’ll feel caught — ‘Shit, I thought I could get away with that’ — and know in your heart that if you address the issue, your work will be better.”
Allison K. Williams

What a piece of wisdom. This post me think of a conversation I had with a colleague who had gone through the ringer of life, pain, and training, and had begun to find initial success in the industry only to hear comments from fellow artists that “Ugh, everything just falls into your lap. Must be nice to be YOUR type these days” (which lets be honest is just an industry accepted way to be a true p.o.s.). It strikes me that those artists were using their jealousy of a colleague’s success as an excuse to explain their own lack of growth instead of as a springboard to launch them toward their goals. They couldn’t conceive of the years and training that they weren’t privy to. Talk about a lack of perspective.

I like that this writer doesn’t dismiss feelings of jealousy. Don’t gaslight yourself into feeling bad about how your unconscious responds to others’ success in your field. But don’t be foolish enough to let it make your heart grow small.

​“Whose success is making you sick, and what are you doing about it?”

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​Check out Allison's full blog post at Brevity Blog.