Failure is Necessary

On the whole, failure is something we view as negative. If someone fails, it’s bad. No one wants that big red “F” on a term paper. No one wants to get fired from a job. It’s because society touts success and eschews failure.

We praise Beyonce’s Lemonade, George Lucas’ Star Wars, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. We can’t imagine that Toni Morrison was rejected 12 times; that Beyonce lost on Star Search; or that George Lucas made THX 1138. And yet, they did; and lived to become household names.

Failure is Normal

Imagine that you were only able to sell one painting in your life, just one. Let that sink in for a moment. Your dream is to paint, you’ve dedicated your time and energy to this endeavor but no one seems to appreciate your work. You studied art, your nights and weekends are full of sketches, canvases, and oils. Yet, you struggle. Now you know how Vincent Van Gogh felt.

Say you wanted to write, but your marriage collapsed, you lost your job, and you were homeless. This was J.K. Rowling.

The list of “failures” goes on and on. Not much is known about people who gave up after their initial stumble, but we have mountains of brilliant work by those who dusted themselves off and trudged on.

Failure is Hard

We are taught that success is hard, but, the truth is, failing is much harder. In a creative role, part of the work is discovering what does and does not work. Honing your craft often involves taking a spill or two (or three). But these spills are opportunities in disguise. If your writing needs work, or your voice isn’t quite up to par, failure is natural. Ask yourself why you failed. Did you not practice enough? Could your writing use some fine tuning? A failure can point out flaws in your craft, but it does not mean stop.

Think about the first time you drove a car. Did you give up when you ran over your mom’s yard gnome? No, you got back behind the wheel, checked your mirrors, adjusted your seat, and learned to back out of the driveway. Because, dammit, you wanted to drive!

Failure is Fixable

So, failing is normal. The process of getting back on the road to creativity, though, can be productive. Think about these three steps.

1. Reflect

2. Rest

3. Reset

Reflect. Handwritten journals are a great way to step away from your medium and think. This way your whole body is involved with facing the failure. Grab a Field Notes and jot down things you feel were good about your project, then list the things that didn’t quite work. Cross out items to remove, circle items that can be improved upon. I’ve been close to scrapping an entire project before, only to discover that more than half of it was salvageable.

Rest. Take a break! Resting after a failure is healthy. Trying to continue while exhausted will result in another upset. Nature is a great way to recharge your creative energy. Find a park or a trail where you can walk. Plan a trip, rent a B&B outside town, have dinner with friends. Read a new book or watch a film you enjoy. Avoiding talking or thinking about your project. This is vital time for forgiving yourself.

Reset. Now you are energized, and you have a fresh outlook on your project. If you’re used to working in Adobe Illustrator, work in Photoshop. If you’re used to using acrylics, use oils. If you write on a laptop, use a pencil and paper. Ease yourself back into it and you’ll again feel the spark.

Failure isn’t Final

Life is too short to give up on your dreams. When you get up in the morning and turn on your music, think about the work that artists put in (hell, think about the engineer who developed your voice-controlled music device!). When you’re flipping through design magazines, think about how that artist honed their craft. Think about all the other creatives out there failing right now.

When we fail, we grow; when we grow, we succeed.

-Damon Dycus, developer at greenlight