persistence

This video by Ira Glass on persistence + creative work is incredibly honest, funny, and refreshing. I often think that talent and skill come naturally to most people, and take for granted the amount of time and work goes into a successful, creative life.

"...most everybody I know who does interesting, creative work, they went through a phase of years where they had really good taste and they could tell what they were making wasn't as good as they wanted it to be."

"It takes a while ...you just have to fight your way through that. You will be fierce, you will be a warrior, and you will make things that aren't as good as you know in your heart that you want them to be, and you'll just make one after another."

It's awesome, and kind of reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour theory, where he claims that the key to success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for 10,000 (!!!) hours. The difference between the good and the great isn't necessarily skill, talent, or opportunity - just persistence and a whole lot of work.

video via nicole's making it lovely.