upon conclusion of the project, i measured my success on a variety of metrics and determined that despite my successes, there remained a certain degree of failure. that is fine: no work hits every mark. but what is not fine–not even okay–is that this narrative of failure became the foremost assessment of my effort. in fact, i took a perverse pride in acknowledging my shortcomings, as though admitting that i’d fallen short was more important than recognizing my successes. the trouble with this assessment is that it began to permeate and even saturate my thinking, to the point that i took to believing that the project was a failure overall.
that is not the case, and shedding that perspective has brought me newfound confidence and a healthier form of pride for what i have accomplished. there is no need for ego here. but there’s no value in self-punishment either.
as I prepare for the next stage of this ongoing effort to spur positive change in the world through art, i will benefit (and the project will benefit) from a recognition that all the work was worth it, and that the mistakes i made have value, and that pressing on is the least i owe myself (as artist and human) and you (as prospective audience and fellow human beings).
much love. here’s to the dream.