Creative Process

Mosquitos and Doubts

I have lots of doubts. I doubt in the middle of a project. I doubt when it’s finished. I doubt whether it’s finished. I doubt whether or not something is even worth pursuing from the outset.

In fact, I can’t recall the last time I was clearly certain about something before I did it - even when the numbers were in my favor. Because I fall on the experimentalist side of creative polarity I tend to work in iterations. This inherently creates doubts about which direction is best.

{xtypo_quote_left}Mosquitos can ruin the hunt for big game. David Allen{/xtypo_quote_left}In taking a cursory glance at successful artists and leaders it’s easy to buy into the notion that all success was pre-destined and that all that was required was to follow the blueprint carefully. If you read biography (which I do often and recommend furiously), you begin to notice that successful people have lives riddled with doubts and failure.

The common theme I’ve noticed, however, is the willingness to sniff out opportunity and the persistence to keep exploring and attempting new things. This pattern applies to artists of old, (Da Vinci was notorious for "patron-hopping" - he went wherever the money and opportunity was best) - as well as contemporary scientists, artists and leaders.

It’s easy for us to allow the doubts - call them mosquitos - to ruin our pursuit of worthwhile goals. The real trick is to have an over-riding "thing" that trumps our specific goals or tasks at any given time. This prevents us from seeing any one deal, project or goal as ultimately important.

We need metrics and we need ways of measuring our progress. We also need to ensure that we’re not becoming myopic in our day-to-day activity.

Don’t forget - mosquitos survive off of the life-blood of their victims. Don’t let your doubts cause inaction - keep moving.

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