“Our stereotypical formula, “practice makes perfect” carries with it some subtle and serious problems. We think of practice as an activity done in a special context to prepare for performance or “the real thing.” But if we split practice from the real thing, neither one of them will be very real.”
– Stephen Nachmanovitch, Free Play
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“Ninety-nine per cent of the difference between successful innovative people and those who fail is commitment to self-improvement. The extraordinary amount of time and effort the successful put into developing their work amplifies their abilities. If someone is more successful than you, the chances are they work harder at self-development. Practice is important but it has to be good practice. Bad practice is thoughtlessly repeating something to perfect it. Good practice is putting time into imaginative improvement.”
– Rod Judkins, The Art of Creative Thinking
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I can only guarantee that my writing is evidence of practice, not progress.
I don’t write every day with pressure of improvement in mind.
I do not click a stopwatch or stretch out a measuring tape.
My sessions don’t conclude with a pep talk about performance.
The writing happens, or it doesn’t.
What I take responsibility for and measure is the commitment to the practice.
Something may come out of a writing session, or not, but the practice remains, continues, is.
Because I am practicing there is every chance I write something of interest.
By asking my imagination to connect with my pen, I reinforce those bonds, perhaps a nudge closer to being in sync.
Or not.
I turn up anyway. Try my best. Then go home.
Conversations With Quotations 