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So, for all my talk of lists, of making a simple plan, enacting it and embracing the progression I felt sure that plan would bring, I have overlooked to take my own advice and I’ve given myself a damn good ignoring. Instead I have continued on a path of experimenting with new, exciting printing techniques and at time of writing I have produced nothing that could convincingly be called a finished piece of work.
It’s been fun, I’ve learned new things and I’ve produced some really credible starts for finished pieces and put in some decent time in the studio. This neatly demonstrates the power of mindset. I am not feeling the crushing weight of imposter syndrome currently, I feel robust and capable, if only there was a way to go directly to this powerful mindset and remain seated within it’s golden light all the time. No doubt many millions of humans will have pondered this and come to a similar conclusion as myself, that there is no up without down, it’s just about working through the rough to get to the smooth.
I am a ‘do-er’, I learn by do-ing, I need to feel stuff with my hands and with my gut to be able to grasp them, sometimes I can’t explain it, or write it down, I just need to being doing it. So, I’m just keeping going, steady steps in a forward direction, making, experimenting, failing some days but winning most.
There is a book in our house, ‘Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Bill Dobbins’, it’s a huge tome, first published in 1985, and I had largely ignored it until it was lying open one day and the section on ‘Training the Mind’ caught my eye. He’s a clever chap Arnie, the nine points in this section are each poignant for anyone working towards a goal, starting with ‘Define your purpose’, covering ‘Learn the positive benefits of failure’ and there sparkling and shouting directly in my face, ‘Confidence comes with doing’. Among other gems Arnie (and Bill Dobbins too, I’m certain) says, ‘keeping your purpose firmly in mind, simply go into the gym and do your workout, do it well and don’t worry about what other pople are doing…Your confidence will grow as it comes to rest on a foundation of solid achievement.’ Damn he’s good.