Starting something new can be scary. It’s easy for me to think myself out of it. Over the years, though, I’ve come to realize that I could think myself out of anything if I just keep thinking and don’t start doing.
Recently, I found great inspiration from artist and writer Etel Adnan in her wonderful interview for the Paris Review. When asked “with what element she begins a painting,” she responded:
At first, since I had these little ends of pastels, I’d start with a red square. And this red square called for the gestures that followed. That’s how it is. You make a mark, and the mark creates a situation, and this situation calls for other gestures. And it comes along, and you learn as you go.
How beautifully said: you make a mark, and the mark creates a situation. Much of life is like that. First, you must act. Thought follows action. Once you’re moving, you’ll keep moving, and the world will be changed.
Don’t think about the perfect painting—make a mark and respond. Don’t think about the perfect photograph—take a photo, adjust, and take another. The perfect pot follows a hundred less-perfect pots.