Building a strong foundation to create
Lessons from Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****
Mark Manson’s book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a **** has been on my TBR list for some time and I love how this book is completely different from the traditional self-help book. The mindset Manson promotes in not simply to think positively (like most other self-help books) but to acknowledge that most things worth doing involve a struggle. The trick is not to avoid the negative experiences in life, but to move through them.
'…pain is part of the process. It’s important to feel it.’1
Life, Manson suggests, is a series of problems and the joy is in addressing them. Our solutions to our problems will inevitably create new problems which we must then address (inaction is also a choice but not an effective one). Manson recommends the “do something” principle, suggesting that any action, however small, is likely to ignite inspiration and thus move a project forward.
‘Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; its also the cause of it.’2
The hard truths in Manson’s book serve as a useful reminder that while we are not always to blame for what happens in our life; we are responsible for how we choose to respond — as my father always says, ‘if it’s to be; it’s up to me.’ We must take ownership over our own lives in terms of how we respond to things and face our problems head on.
In reading Manson’s book, I was reminded of The Courage to be Disliked in that it is not ‘for us’ to take on how others respond to our art; but, simply, to go on creating.
For the creative, it’s about building a strong foundation from which to support ourselves while finding time to create; acknowledging rejection is a necessary part of putting art into the world; and then simply making art. The stakes must be low and we must be free to fail.
‘…when any result is regarded as progress… when inspiration is seen as a reward… we propel ourselves ahead. We feel free to fail, and that failure moves us forward.’3
It’s about practice — concentrated time and attention — understanding that ‘…depth is where the gold is buried.’4
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Have you applied this mindset to your own writing practice? What aspects of writing do you want to learn how to master?
Want More?
Learnings from The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
Do you have your copy of Maplecroft yet?
Manson, M. (2016). The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****. Pan Macmillan, p. 153.
Ibid., p. 158.
Ibid., p. 160.
Ibid., p. 188.