by Terence A Anthony
There are people who follow paths
other people have created. They follow the conventional path. Follow the school
syllabus, get a degree then follow their industry’s standards to get the best
accolades. There’s nothing wrong with that. For some, a regimented path is what
keeps them going.
From day 1, they know where to go
and it’s a smart decision. While I do agree that insecurity affects any
industry, but I have a feeling anyone who wants to get out a predetermined path
is more likely to feel insecure. Even some of the hardest working people I know
don’t feel like talking to those with easily described ventures.
The way I see it, it’s because
creators and innovators have no idea where their ideas could take them. If they
have tertiary education, that’s great. They have a social safety net. If they
don’t have a paper backing them, then they have nothing for show. If they are
still building their portfolio then compiling it would probably be a depressing
reality for them.
That’s because they start
comparing things to other people’s portfolio especially their heroes. But the
one factor many don’t consider is where exactly did their heroes start.
You Were Not There
You were not there when Rodney
Mullen tried to Ollie or landed his first Kickflip. You only saw him when he
has won 41 championships or watched his most technical moves in a skate video.
You were not there when Anthony
Bourdain struggled with his heroin habit and took the bus to culinary school.
You were not there when he was looking for a camera man to film “A Cook’s Tour”
when he had no idea how to run a media company. You only saw him in the best
parts of “No Reservations,” him getting on CNN with “Parts Unknown” and him
working with Zero Point Zero Production.
You were not around when Maya
Angelou was in between jobs, being a waitress, a night club dancer and even was
a sex worker at one point. You were not around when she went mute for 5 years,
thinking her speaking up against her sexual abuse lead to a murder, in which
she only paid attention to her books. You only saw her when she was already a
journalist, a civil rights activists and an award winning poet.
You were not there when Elon Musk
lived on 30 dollars a month while he was living in Canada. You were not there
when he was a recluse, only paying attention to books after his parents
divorced. You only saw him when was rich of Paypal with Peter Thiel and went on
to run Solar City, Tesla Motors and SpaceX.
I am My Worst Critic
The point is, don’t be too
overwhelmed by the best work of other people. They are made over a long period
of time and you probably have never seen their first drafts. What you saw was
the final product, all financed by producers or investors who has seen the
growth of their portfolio. The difference is that they put in the hard work
instead of giving up.
Even then, they are still self-critical
about themselves. So don’t think you should be trapped in that insecurity.
I know I am still insecure and
constantly reminding myself the struggle others went through, might help with
it. Maybe what I write today may not be so good, but at least I am able to look
back on it and improve. I can tweak things along the way to create pieces that
I want. You wouldn't get perfection today, but at least you created something along the way.
What people forget is that people
will receive the worst comments from time to time. Even Stephen King was hated
by critics when Carrie came out.
With that, I would like to share
of the harshest comments I’ve ever gotten on one of my poems. I wouldn’t say
that I have made it. But I would say that I am proud that I am still trying to
be creative. This is my battle scar and I am proud to show it. Hopefully anyone
who still wants to be an innovator or creator no matter what line goes on and
continues the fight.
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