Yesterday on The Artist’s Way Every Day: A Year of Creative Living, this bunch of beautiful words dropped on my lap:

August 14

So often as artists the blocks that we feel to be ours alone can be dissolved by being shared. We have the opportunity to help one another and when we are willing to take it, great things can come to pass. So much of making art is like running a marathon. We may have to run the race ourselves but it is tremendously helpful to have friends who can cheer us on.

Writing 200 words a day every day, is like running a marathon. We face writer’s block more often than we want. Many of us struggle here publicly, reverting to writing random things; writing about how hard it is for us to write 200 words today; writing gibberish just to keep the streak. It’s not shameful to do that. If anything, we’re sharing our difficulties, which can then “be dissolved [after] being shared”. The rest of us writing here know how hard it is, and we all are the “friends who can cheer us on.”

Deliberate practice towards mastery requires two parts: showing up and quality practice. An occasional gibberish post still qualifies for half of the deliberate practice equation. Sure, you did a rep in poor form today. Promise to try better tomorrow then. Human performance isn’t a linear. It pulses and pauses, with peaks and valleys. Linear is for robots.  

We’re imperfect. We have our off days. We are not always at our best. And it’s okay. 

Be gibberish-proud. But come back tomorrow and do better.