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Confidence vs Effort

Created: 2022-07-22

Something I’ve realized lately that I haven’t seen anyone describe before (though I’m sure I’ve just missed it):

Why is it so hard for me to put effort into some creative projects (and easy for a different project? There are probably a million different answers. But I think I’ve got one that is more true than most: it’s about confidence!

When I’m first starting something (needle felting comes immediately to mind), I don’t yet know if it’s going to turn out well or if I’m doing it right at all. That makes it HARD to put in the effort to do a good job. Because in the back of my mind, I’ve got this doubt that what I’m doing is worth the effort. What if it’s a complete failure?

By contrast, a pen or pencil drawing of a familiar subject (a skull, say) is something I’m confident will work out. I know that if I spend five minutes on it, it’ll turn out fine. If I spend a day on it, it will probably look amazing.