An aspiring athlete doesn’t question the value of training. In basketball, you shoot the ball over and over again so that during the game, you can be relied upon to sink the shot. In martial arts, you spar again and again so that when the pressure is on, you can…

Some time ago, you made a promise. And now it’s due. But you do not act. You distract yourself. Find excuses. Run from responsibility. You’re only cheating yourself because this procrastination doesn’t make life worth living. Laden with guilt, you’re only partly engaged with whatever you spend your time on…

Whenever you judge any creative work against perfection, you always find that it’s not. Critique the writing in your favorite book and you find cliches and compromises. Measure the proportions of your favorite artwork and you find asymmetries and shortcuts. Check the tunings in your favorite song and you find sharps and flats. Why do we let everyone break the rules but hold ourselves to the fire? Why do we only judge our own work against such ridiculous standards?

Longing Finding Clinging Losing Pleading Searching Can I break this cycle? — — — — — — — — — — — - Husam like to write about the artist’s journey and the human condition.

To a painter, a new canvas is a new beginning. To someone that doesn’t paint, a new canvas means nothing. To the wealthy, a little more money isn’t much. To the poor, a little more money is the world. To the believer, the world is full of meaning. To the doubtful, the world is full of chaos. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Thank you for reading! If you liked what you read, please tap and hold that 👏🏻 button — your support really helps.

1. It’s not about the tools In any field, there are tool-nerds that profess the must-have tool for the job. Most of the time, they’re sharing over-priced technologies with excessive features that they rarely use themselves. Ignore them. Yes, it’s fun to talk tools. But let’s not pretend the tools make the story. What makes a…

Are you doing the work? Or do you need to learn just one more thing before you start? Maybe you’ve started but quickly veered off-road fearing that you just don’t know enough. Your intent is great: Learn more so you can make something you’re proud of. …

We idolize consistency. When someone’s consistent with their words or actions, we perceive them as reliable, stable and honest. We like consistent people and try to keep them close. On the flip side, when someone changes their mind often, we consider them erratic and undisciplined. …

Yes, listen to the greats before you, but question them too. Disregard how many followers they have or degrees they carry. Ignore what the critics say about them. Be not persuaded by their presentation. Take from them only what you feel necessary, let the rest go and be kind and…