If I appear to be obsessed with Keri Smith lately, it’s because I am. The way she approaches the world with naive eyes is fresh and truly inspiring. She has a number of books that encourage readers to expand their comfort zone by gaining confidence in their thoughts. Like the book Wreck This Journal.
“This book was created for anyone who has ever had trouble starting/keeping or finishing a journal/sketchbook. By forcing ourselves to wreck it on purpose, the “journal as an object” loses it’s preciousness, and allows us the feeling of completion. This book was created for every person who has looked at other artist’s journals and said, “I wish I could do that. I’ve started dozens of them but didn’t stick with it.” or, “But the journal itself is so beautiful, I don’t want to wreck it with my ideas/handwriting/drawings.” Or, “I feel pressured to write something good.””
I had this very Aha! moment the other day when I was reading a magazine and accidentally made a mark on a page with permanent marker. After I got mad at myself for “ruining” the glossy magazine, I realized that I was completely insane. I put the magazine down and asked myself, why is everything so precious? Why do I have a stack full of Moleskines that are filled with neatly composed to-do lists and not reckless doodles?
Everyone is generally the hardest on themselves, but it doesn’t have to be that way if we set ourselves up to embrace failure. It is an uncomfortable process, but shedding our habit to self-edit increases our opportunity to grow and succeed at the things we invest ourselves in.
I found the following list by Smith and instantly recognized myself in almost every line. Maybe if I loosen up a little and stop setting unachievable/overwhelming goals (see #10 below) then maybe I will be happier and maybe my work will benefit from it.
