Did somebody say fear?

Milton Glaser – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.

Oh, that was me.  Much like Pablo Picasso + Hannah Dancing, Mr. Glaser helped remind me of the truth.

Fear is unpleasant.  Fear is uncomfortable.  Fear is downright icky.  When we fear that something we create will suck, our brain is trying to help us avoid the emotional pain caused by enduring (potential) criticism from peers, critics, and ourselves.  Fair enough.  Makes sense to avoid a (perceived) source of pain considering that whole survival of the fittest thing.  So, without our explicit permission, but rather an instinctual will to survive, our brain is perceiving a threat and preemptively implementing the evasion tactic.  Decoy set, distraction engaged, paralysis full speed ahead!  But, wait.  An emotion that begins with such good intentions . . . actually suppresses growth and progress?  Go figure.

Luckily, there is a solution.  The facts according to Mr. Glaser: There is no avoiding the suck.  Just suck.  It's the only way to ultimately not suck.   

The moral of today's post?  Go forth + suck, my friends!* 

Originally found via Brain Pickings.

*Okay, okay, Mr. Glaser's musings are slightly more eloquent than my paraphrasing.  Enjoy his message + take heart!