“better to create crap than to not create at all”

by | May 23, 2018 | Art, Artistic Endeavors, sketches | 74 comments

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For a long time, I’ve had a hang-up with sketchbooks, notebooks & journals.

Don’t misunderstand me.  I love them.  I walk through the notebook/journal section almost every time I’m at a store that carries them.  I look for ones with beautiful bindings, filled with inviting papers.  And I’ve certainly bought enough of them.

But, what I’ve accumulated is a collection of journals and sketchbooks that have two or three pages filled, a few pages torn out, and then the balance of the pages are blank.  So I’ll stroll through the notebook section, get wooed into buying another one, and do the very same thing to that one.

I finally had to draw a line.  Stop buying notebooks until you fill the ones you have.  Don’t fill them in a spirit of angst and criticism, but with joy and passion.

Why does that seem so hard?

It’s hard because I approach those blank pages with the expectation that everything will be worthy of selling, printing, sharing, posting.  I don’t want them to be filled with mistakes and stupid mundane things and incomplete thoughts and poorly rendered sketches and amateur watercolors and misspelled words.   I want every page and word to be brilliant and, when I’m long gone from this earth, people can look at my notebooks and journals and see the best things I created contained there.

That is a very unrealistic and completely ridiculous way to approach a journal or sketchbook.

Right now, what people will find when my belongings end up in an estate sale, is a bunch of empty notebooks.  A woman who had a notebook-collecting issue and a fear of filling them.

I’m thinking about when we cleaned out my Oma’s attic.  She was a major collector, so there was a lot to sift through.  I remember sitting on my knees in the dusty, dark attic, pouring over letters and mundane scribblings in scrapbooks with edges nibbled away by silverfish.  Those scribblings were precious and I wish she had written more.

By not filling these notebooks, I’m robbing myself of the opportunity to use them as a part of the creative process.  They should be a place of free expression, trial and error, discovery, and yes, failures.  But, it’s all valuable.  And maybe it will all be interesting to someone some day.  Maybe not, but maybe.

Lately, the movie Ratatouille has been on my mind.  I absolutely love the quote at the end, by the food critique.  He says…

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.”

I think that’s true even of self-criticism.  It can be a valuable tool to prod us to improve, but it can also stifle and prevent us from creating anything at all.

As I was scratching away in one of my sketchbooks yesterday, this was on my heart.

I wrote out some of these very thoughts and finished the page with the not-at-all eloquent, but honest, “Better to create crap than to not create at all.”

I know I don’t always believe that, but I’m going to try to create more in the freedom that sentiment bestows.  It’s permission to create simply for the joy of creating and not for the end result.  It’s an invitation to fill those pages as often as I want and none of it has to be profound or remarkable or even good.

But it’s all done in the hopes that some of it will be good and what’s not good will get better from the practice.   And, with each blank piece of paper filled, imperceptible growth will be occurring that one day will show up on the canvas or the printed page.

(This was my sketchbook entry today – a study of a sketch by Jon deMartin found in the book Drawing Atelier – The Figure.)

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    74 Comments

    1. Colleen

      I too worry my art isn’t “worthy” of being in a journal, but … it’s just paper and it’s kinda fun to go back through old journals and enjoy. And, if we don’t try different methods with our art, how will we learn. So, I fill those pages and learn and enjoy! I so admire those that are truly artistically gifted, but for myself, I have fun trying! 🙂

    2. Susan

      I use less expensive books (a dollar or 2) for my journaling/doodling. I have a hand made fabric slip cover that fits over the notebook that I’m currently using so it’s pretty. But I feel so much more free to do whatever I want in them than I do the few hand made more expensive blank books I have which are still blank!

      It’s a good phrase, better to create crap than nothing at all.

    3. Heather Z

      I really needed this. I bought myself a new sketchbook and pencils almost 2 months ago and still have yet to just pick them up. I loved drawing in my teenage years. I gave up the skill and moved on to my adult life that I felt didn’t include time to draw. And now nearly 18 years later, I’m scared of being horrible at something that used to bring me such joy that I’m paralyzed to even try.

    4. Laura Cates

      Thank you for this! When you spoke of Oma it reminded me so much of my own Grandmother. Thank you for reminding me. … Ps. I love the movie Ratatouille too!

    5. Lisa P

      Marian, did you know that Winston Churchill wrote a whole book about the benefits of this way of thinking? He took up painting later in life—eventually became a pretty competent painter—but said the secret was to to stop caring about the finished product but rather to focus on the pleasure of putting colour on canvas, of learning to see colours and shapes in a new way, of feeling the sun and breeze (he often painted outdoors), and just letting the act of painting be the goal. He recommended frequent painting (without any expectations for the quality of the finished work) as an antidote to the stresses of life and a way to find new beauty and satisfaction daily life—and as one that has the inevitable side benefit of making a person into a better painter.
      So I think Winston Churchill would love your motto. I know I do! Better to create crap than create nothing at all!

      • Marian Parsons

        I didn’t know that, but I love it! I knew he painted and became quite good, but I love hearing this different aspect.

    6. Judith

      Thank you..that was just what was needed to get me using my sketch books .Some Times crap counts too.

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, exactly! It has helped me to look through some of the sketchbooks and works of the masters. There are some works that really aren’t that great!! 🙂 If they can create something less than great, so can we!

    7. Brigitte

      I’m not an artist, but a paper crafter. At a class last year, I said that I hated journalling on my album pages because I don’t like my handwriting. One of the women said, “It’s a record of you for the future, your kids and grandkids.” What you said about your Oma reminded me of that and that we have to remember that what we create will be there for the next generation to share. Thanks from another Oma!

    8. Sharon

      I never heard you use the word “crap” before! I love it!!!!

    9. Lee Ann

      So so true! When we moved a couple of years ago, I filled a box with beautiful journals I’ve collected through the years … all blank and empty. And I’m afraid to put a pen to the pages, afraid I’ll mar the beauty of the pages by whatever scribbling I do on those pages. Thank you for this jolt of reality! Maybe opening … and using! … one of those empty journals will be my holiday weekend treat!

    10. Karen L.

      Love you and the sentiment although I am not a fan of using the crude word, which is still also considered “vulgar slang meaning excrement” . (I know—eek and yuk.) I realize that it’s becoming more and more used and accepted and that I will be in the minority but many still feel as I do. When my son, who is the same age as you, realized that he was teaching his kids to say it because he was, he started saying “junk” instead. 🙂 Thanks, as always, for such a neat and relevant post.

    11. Maureen

      A woman I ‘met’ on line who is an artist in CA has had what she calls ‘Bad Art Nights’ at her home. No expectations for the work each woman brings to play with or to start fresh. Foolishly, so many of us think we will be good, great or perfect when we are actually new to our art or just new to our art that day. Aren’t we silly!

    12. Marian

      Elizabeth Gilbert kind of addresses this in her book Big Magic. She talked about how she just wanted to be a person who write, regardless of the outcome. That’s when I decided to follow your lead and start drawing daily again. I want to be a person who is growing in artistic skill.

      Also, I write in a journal for 3 pages every morning. I made a promise to myself when I started this 7 yrs ago, that I would never judge what I write. It has been so liberating! And it has allowed me to write often and freely about whatever is in my head. Sometimes I star entries or dog ear pages if it seems particularly wise, but the rest of the time, it just us what it is.
      Good luck with yours!
      The Other Marian

    13. Jami

      “… to create simply for the joy of creating and not for the end result.” Best sentence in a creative blog.

    14. monique

      Marian..nothing you create is crap:)
      You inspire a 64 year old:)
      My journals are not works of art..but once in a while I peek through them..and am happy I have them..
      This latest sketch of yours is nothing but exceptional!

    15. Kate Schwab

      Hi Marian! I just love your quote. I, too, have a whole slew of pretty, empty sketchbooks and journals. You’ve inspired me to start filling them. I may have to post your quote in my workshop to remind me that not every project has to be perfect and creating just for the sake of creating regardless of the outcome is beautiful too. I’m a pretty big perfectionist so the thought that something might not come together perfectly often keeps me from starting in the first place. I finally just started my blog this month after years and years of wanting to and being too afraid to start. In fact, your story and your blog actually gave me just the encouragement I needed. Keep creating. I love following along!

    16. Karen W.

      Crap is never the result…rather it is always

      Considerations
      Relevant to
      Achieving
      Progress

      • Marian Parsons

        Ha! Yes, exactly what I meant! 🙂

    17. Kara

      OMG! This coming September, it will be 56 years since I entered Maryland Institute College of Art as a freshman. One of the first things a practicing creative person comes face-to-face with is that not even a tiny fraction of what you make, esp. when you are starting out -when you are learning—, will be salable or “good” in the eyes of collectors or galleries, those professionals in your field who will judge your efforts. Learning to handle various media can take years, and even then, one is always learning as one “practices.” Be patient! Love the journey! Learn to listen to and love criticisism from people you respect. Decide what aspect of art or design you want to make your profession., and DO THAT THING! Or just be a “ happy creative, “ dipping your oar in wherever the water looks interesting! You will make lots of crap! And eventually, you will also make some ART.

    18. Susan

      Thank you for permission to just get to it and not try for anything other than what happens. You articulated what goes on in my head. Sometimes I sit and stare at the blank paper and am frozen with fear, fear of being judged (by whom?), fear of failing, fear of making mistakes and I suck the fun out of what I want to be enjoying. I too think about someone finding my things after I’m gone and I wonder what the heck they will think. I’ll probably be long gone and won’t know or care at that point so today I’m going to go create something, maybe even a crappy something.

    19. Lisa

      The brilliant Anne Lamott has so helpful, gentle, nudgy things to say about this issue, among them: “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft . . . Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend.”

      • Marian Parsons

        Very well said!

      • Bonnie Kilgore

        That’s a lovely and affirmative sentiment.

    20. Susan

      I’m a journal buyer also. Ten Thousand Villages has beautiful ones with handmade paper and unique covers. I’m always drawn to them…now to fill them!

    21. Judy

      My husband gave me an old copy of Winston Churchill’s book, “Painting as a Pastime” a few Christmases ago. It is excellent, though hard to find because out of print.
      Really enjoyed your post today, Marian!

      • Marian Parsons

        Someone else mentioned that book and it sounds like such wisdom. 🙂

    22. Karen

      Oh wow, you really spoke to me with this post. I too have numerous journals. I sometimes start them but end up tearing the pages out. I am always cringing as the thought of someone reading them after I’ve gone!
      It has been worse since I had a stroke last year and I struggle with writing neatly and spelling is an issue and I used to pride myself on my ability to spell. I have actually been embarrassed to leaving writings behind. You have inspired me to write more regardless if it is crap or not!

      • Marian Parsons

        Oh yes, please write!! Let those pages be filled with all of your humanness in its beauty and flaws. I think it will be such a precious thing for someone to find one day. I have copies of my great-grandmother’s hand-written recipe book and my favorite pages are the ones where she writes notes about how terrible something was! I’m so glad she didn’t edit out those pages in favor of perfection.

    23. leeanne kaden

      Marion, could you tell me where you purchased the circular jute rug.??
      Have searched and found pottery barn which is loosely woven. Flimsy compared to nice pier one like you have in rectangular.
      Thanks for all your help.

      • Marian Parsons

        I actually don’t have a circular one, but you can get 6-8′ braided jute rugs on Joss & Main. They are made out of the same braided jute rugs I have, though, and are very affordable.

    24. Stephanie

      This post was perfect timing. I loved to draw while in high school, but after graduating and getting married, I felt I had more important things to do. Now almost 10 years later, I was inspired to start again but with pen and paper instead of charcoal. Last week, I spent a day drawing and it was incredible! I felt so peaceful and fulfilled. Now I have a stack of loose drawings so I need to go buy a notebook and start filling it.

    25. Marlene Stephenson

      Even if it’s just future generations seeing what you did it will warm their hearts or someone who is just starting out and will see how yours looked when you started drawing and will become encouraged. I think everything we do has a reason, no matter how small.

    26. Donna

      I do studio art that I sell. These paintings are where I strive for perfection. My sketchbook is for outdoor painting with watercolor and pen and is just for me. I try to capture the feeling of the place and it is not always accurate. I don’t find landscape painting easy so it challenges me. Usually I think my painting is not good until the next day when I mentally revisit the site and all the memories of light, sounds and people. Nonjudgment is a good learning tool for an artist. This is where you experiment and really learn to see. I hope you can take one sketchbook and make a mess in it and not care. It will bring you immense pleasure.

    27. Belinda

      Thank you for this post! I get so overwhelmed by the need to create things that are “good enough.” And the title made me laugh! 🙂

    28. Joan

      I find I’m not a ‘writer’ or a journalist, if I was, I think it’d be easier to fill those little bound gorgeous books….cute sketches with notes, like a book I’d like to buy!
      I love them! they’re so pretty! …artpaper-filled bound booklets, and I’ve bought my share too!
      I have a handful of them, art papers inside,some thick, some bumpy and textured, homemade papers, all so beautiful, I couldn’t resist ! so I have a small collection more-so because I loved how they were bound, and looked! ..but I don’t use them or fill them,?
      yep you’re right I don’t want to wreck the prettiness of the art papers with junk ! LOL ! my comments are a bit back and forth, cuz I can kind of see both ways….
      I do sketch constantly, when I get ideas or are in the process of developing a new project, or just a new product,…those scribblings are usually impulsive, quick, junky, but have a real intent!… (and some are even decent sketches), well, they end up on big big pages of art papers to scrap envelopes, to paper bags, to photocopy paper, even on my grocery list paper pile for my rough ideas though…and I keep/have kept alot of those in folders with my rough notes and ideas and steps towards paintings, and creations, mostly just for me, for reminders for future paintings,…maybe, maybe it doesn’t have to be in a formal little book…although it’s beautiful that way, but nobody would say you have to conform to those and it’s really a size issue mostly for me…I think they’re a thing of beauty, and if you can fill them, even more beautiful. <3
      p.s. Marian, you really painted some gorgeously breathtaking cherries in your last two oilstills! Fantastic lights dancing on those beautiful red cherries!

    29. Wendy Y

      I love what Brigette’s teacher said. When I find my mom or dad’s handwriting on something it is so precious to me now, not because it is beautiful but because it is theirs! And that makes it beautiful to me ?

    30. Connie

      Thanks so much for this inspiring post. I have had a art journal Bible since January. I just love the thought of drawing and writing in it. So far I haven’t. I think it has to do with it being a Bible…….. But I see so many beautiful pages online and I think I will start it soon. Now I know that I have to start it. It is calling me. I have been doing a scrapbook kind of art journal for 7 years. I doodle, draw, write, cut and paste and add photos in it because I tell myself that no one sees it but me. It is just for me. I will need to tell myself the same thing about Bible journaling.

    31. Ginger Marshall

      I too, collect notebooks, I fill them with sketches of quilt blocks & furniture designs, but mostly lists! I am a list maker. But I regret that when I discover an old list in a thrown off notebook, with many empty pages longing to fulfill their destiny, that I do not date the lists. How long ago did I make a note to finish the trim in the new (now well used) bathroom? (Speaking of living with little unfinished things that annoy us, re:yesterday’s post). In the quilting world we say “better finished, than perfect!” & “It takes a long time to finish a quilt you’re not working on”. But I love your “crap” saying too!

    32. Chris Moore of Seattle

      I think you should explore the sketchbooks of the greats. You will see mistakes, anger at themselves, stuff you won’t believe they did. But most importantly, you’ll see evolution.

    33. Pam

      I needed that thanx ???

    34. deb

      I have my grandma’s journal, she liked to write poems. She passed when I was 9 years old, my Mom told me, that my grandmother watched me when they did the farm work and said I was no trouble, just give her a pencil and paper and she will draw.

    35. Cindy Rosborough

      I read your post with great interest, especially noting your statement: “It’s hard because I approach those blank pages with the expectation that everything will be worthy of selling, printing, sharing, posting.”

      I don’t want you to take this wrong, but it has been bothering me that you sell your practice oil paintings… they are supposed to be for your growth as an artist, and be a place for experimentation, not another source of income. I have sold some of my practice watercolors, but usually at my yard sales, for only a couple of dollars each. I didn’t create them with expectations to sell, but as an exercise. Some are good enough in the end that someone would want to put them on the wall, but I still can’t see selling them as finished art. Don’t get me wrong… you are doing great with your art, and it’s fun to see how you’ve grown. I love that you share your journey, it just bothers me a little that you think the steps are worth money. I am sure I am in the minority here, seeing all the positive comments that are posted every time you share more paintings, and that’s fine… I just wanted to say my piece. I’ve held it in until reading the statement that I quoted at the beginning of my message.

      In any case, keep painting, and go ahead and journal with abandon! You are a source of inspiration to me and many others.

      • Marian Parsons

        I see what you’re saying and I respect it. I wasn’t planning on selling them when I first started, but I received an overwhelming number of requests to buy them. I actually wrote all about it and why I decided to sell my art in this post… https://missmustardseed.com/the-new-easel/

        And, this isn’t a foreign idea. I went to a fine arts college for theatre alongside painters and photographers and they always had shows for their works and, if they wished, could make them available for sale. Buying student’s art is a great way to support their future and have an affordable collection of original art. I think it’s a win-win.

        Since I am still learning, I decided to sell my paintings auction-style, with prices starting as low as $15 and then the buyers can decide what they are worth. I prefer to sell them and have them out in the world, because the alternative is storing them, painting over them, or throwing them away. That would be a shame when someone loves a piece and wants to buy it.

        Anyway, that’s where I’m coming from on it, but I know there are people who would agree with you on this! 🙂

    36. Michele (Finch Rest)

      BRAVO!!!!!!

      This was heart-felt and beautifully written, Marian. Well done.

      And is your sketch as well. : – )

    37. Lynn

      Thank you for this. I have been stuck in a creative slump for several years and it feels overwhelming to start again because it’s been so long. But the process is the important thing, not the end result. I journal my words easily enough; I need to give myself the same freedom with art.

    38. Robinleach

      I have dozens of blank journals. I am wooed by them also. I thought it was just me….

      • Marian Parsons

        They are just so irresistible!

    39. Cheryl

      Such true words!! I find I do this with my blog, I need to record more things whether it’s worthy or not! Thank you for the inspiration!

    40. Lydia

      Well said Marion one of your best posts ever ❤️

    41. loretta

      Guilty! I have blank and barely used journals and sketch pads.
      My friends even give them to me as gifts! I also keep a prayer and Bible reading journal but for some reason I tend to use composition books! Should be using those pretty journals!

    42. Jan

      I have taught Art on the college level for over 25 years. Beyond the classroom exercises and projects I encourage my students to go “make art.” That means be curious, committed and consistent in their practice. I also tell them to play the “what if” game. That’s when they try ideas and techniques that are not on the hand out but allow themselves to use the materials in a way that poses new interactions and results. Just play with the materials! Being an active artist is never a guarantee that the product will be admired, purchased or award winning, but it will eventually mean the artist found a relationship with the process, which I feel is the most important aspect of creating. If the result is a hitmaker, that’s just icing on the cake:) Keep making art!

      • Marian Parsons

        Beautifully put, Jan! Thank you for the encouragement!

    43. Martha

      Marion, I love your blog and read it daily, I too have never heard you use the word crap before. I was saddened. Here is a dictionary definition.of the word

      crap1
      — noun

      Vulgar.
      excrement.
      an act of defecation.
      Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
      nonsense; drivel.
      falsehood, exaggeration, propaganda, or the like.
      refuse; rubbish; junk; litter: Will you clean up that crap!
      — verb (used without object), crapped, crap·ping.

      Vulgar. to defecate.
      — verb (used with object), crapped, crap·ping.

      Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. to talk nonsense to; attempt to deceive.
      — Verb phrases

      crap around, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
      to behave in a foolish or silly manner.
      to avoid work.
      crap on, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
      to treat badly, especially by humiliating, insulting, or slighting.
      to cause misery, misfortune, or discomfort.
      crap up, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. to botch, ruin, or cheapen; make a mess of.
      crap2
      — noun

      (in craps) a losing throw, in which the total on the two dice is 2, 3, or 12.
      craps.
      — Verb phrases, past and past participle crapped, present participle crap·ping.

      crap out,
      Also called seven out. (in the game of craps) to throw a 7 rather than make one’s point.
      Slang. to abandon a project, activity, etc., because of fear, cowardice, exhaustion, loss of enthusiasm, etc.
      Slang. to break a promise or fail to fulfill a duty or obligation; renege.

      Do you really want to use a word that the first definition is vulgar? I know everyone but me uses it with regularity. I just think it’s time to use more edifying language in our talk. I know I may sound like a prude but the Bible admonishes us to let no unwholesome speech come out of our mouths. I feel this word is unwholesome. I regularly hear words today that we never would have used when I was growing up. I think it is often used thoughtlessly with no reguard to how it sounds. Your overall blog post had great meaning, I just wished you had used a different word. I don’t want this comment to seem mean or unkind, it’s just my opinion.
      I will now step down from my soapbox.?

      • Marian Parsons

        Martha, I am sorry if the use of that word offended you, but I hope the spirit in which it was used wasn’t lost. Of course, I didn’t mean to be vulgar in any way.

    44. Mike at The Crafty Gentleman

      SO MUCH YES to this post! I am in exactly the same position with notebooks. I have a mild addiction to buying them, but I never fill them more than half way – for exactly the same reason.

      Your words have definitely resonated with me. I especially love the Ratatouille quote (I’ve never seen the movie, but maybe I need to!):

      “the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so”

      I’ll be adding this to my May Favourites blog post next month, to share it with my readers too – more people need to know that mistakes and rubbish quality work is the only way to creating great work! 🙂

      Thank you for the inspiration to complete those old notebooks…

      – Mike, https://www.thecraftygentleman.net

    45. Melissa

      This is so true. I am so glad to see this post today. I am 44 and kept a journal almost daily since I was 14, but stopped in the past 2 years after an episode of depression that left me feeling discouraged and hesitant to share my feelings even with the paper before me.

      Maybe I’ll pick up a journal tonight. Maybe it’s time to create again.

      Thanks so much for the inspiration. It’s just what I needed.

    46. Jo Nelson

      I’m 70 and took up painting last year. I knew I needed something to do when I get old(er). I watched my mom living in assisted living, miserable because everything she loved to do (cross stitching for example) she couldn’t do anymore because of bad eyesight, shakey hands, etc. Well, with abstract art who cares if the hands shake. So since then, I’ve taken many, many classes on watercolor, abstract, acrylics, etc. I’m really not all that good. Once in awhile, I hit the mark but, to me, those pieces are rare. But I don’t care! I love it and if I’m happy that’s all that matters because that’s who I’m doing the art for. I bought a beautiful journal from England. Gorgeous binding, gorgeous paper. I’ve been saving it for “when i get good”. Well, this post made me realize this might just be as good as it gets, so I’m going to start using it!!! this was an awesome post, Marian. Thanks!!

    47. Sandi

      Great thought provoking post for all creative people . I have sketchbooks with my markmaking and notes about the notans and sketches . They usually help me in creating a final piece . Stacking them up and seeing progression over the years is such a reflective way to learn and grow. Thanks for this post.

    48. Berta

      Woo hoo. Thought I was alone. As my husband always says: “Really, another pen.” Of course that could be more paper or another journal. Any writing or drawing instrument has my heart. Nothing wrong with it.

    49. JeanFB

      Fantastic post, fantastic discussions in the comments. Thank you so much for tackling this “little topic” that can in fact be a big barrier to our creativity. I still struggle, but I will push through…. I’ve started trying to relinquish my barriers in less expensive books, and will hopefully work up the courage to create in the gorgeous handmade leather covered journals that make me swoon just holding them (still blank, of course).

    50. Elizabeth St

      I love your hair in the new (to me) photo. Very modern and piecey.

      You are wise to express your personality as much as possible in your blog. We love getting to know all sides of you. Some will always be unhappy with change. But I would suggest that a word like “crap,” which is itself a euphemism, is a reasonable self-expression. BTW, I looked up “crap” in the dictionary. The word has more than one meaning. The first, or most commonly used, meaning is, “something of extremely poor quality.” That’s obviously the meaning you intended in your latest blog. … About perfectionism as the enemy of creativity, a piece of advice I’ve found helpful in getting words on the screen is this: “Don’t get it right, get it written.”

    51. Lorie Pirtle

      Apropos of nothing, your hair looks amazing!

    52. KarenB

      Great post, Marian, that obviously we can all relate to. Life has taken a different turn and the art journaling I so enjoyed has come to a complete stop. I struggle with wanting each page to be “post worthy”. I don’t have any desire to sell anything, but boy do I seem to want the pats on the back. Sheesh, that’s not pretty. I followed Michelle Wooderson as you did throughout her Meadow project. They were so beautiful and inspiring. Did I try it? No. I think I just have too many things I want to try and spend too much time on Instagram, dreaming. The great time sucker. Thanks for this post.

    53. Carl

      Interesujący wpis, uwielbiam czytać tego bloga !

    54. Anne

      Hi MMS, have you thought about art journaling? I started a few years ago and wish I’d known about it sooner. It can be many things, an art journal, like an “art trashcan” as Julie Balzer says, a memory/scrapbook where you put bits and pieces of your everyday life on the pages with collage, a place you try out new products or all of the above. Bad art can evolve into great art over time through inspiration and growth.

    55. Holli

      Not only is it better to create crap than nothing at all, it’s necessary. We can’t make good art without making a lot of bad art first.

      I make jewelry and textile art, among other things, and when I sell my work I always have at least a couple of people who say things like “oh, I wish I could do that, but I’d be so bad at it.”

      Well, yeah. So was I, when I started. So was everyone. You make the wonky, messy, ill-thought-out things so you can learn how to make the next thing less wonky, and the thing after that neater, and the thing after that better-planned. If you don’t risk making something that doesn’t work out, you’ll never make enough things to earn the skill that lets you do good work consistently.

      So fill those notebooks up without fear! Every mistake you make teaches you something for next time.

    56. Laurie Rothwell

      Very seldom do I read a blog article. But yours totally caught my eye and my attention. Not because I don’t read, LOL I do!. But being a creative you know what it’s like! And then I was intrigued by everything that you were about. Like most on here I am a collector of journals…but I write consistently and a composition notebook..
      Great post and look forward to reading more on here as I related with so many different things that you were doing. And my husband is now building my own art studio! It’s only a beginning and I’ll quit worrying about perfection and just fill it!

    57. Meredith Davis

      A kindred spirit. I loved this article. I make super crappy paintings and hang them on my walls like its picasso. The nerve of it! Lol. Thank you so much much for this post. It inspired me to not bow down to the critic. Crappy art. Is from the heart. Lol.

      • Marian Parsons

        Ha! I love this!!

    58. Kellene

      As person who is very hard on herself I thank you for this.

      • Marian Parsons

        Oh, I’m so glad this was encouraging to you!

    59. Amanda

      I love this entry! Especially helpful is the quote from Ratatouille. ?. I think this sentiment applies to teachers as well as restaurant critics. Your work continues to inspire me … ?

    Hello!

    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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