Nooble08 I failed... and its Okay!
What I am learning from my first set of failures on this Journey.
Hi!
Welcome to this edition of Nooble - hope this letter Brightens up your Inbox!
Today I am delving into the not often discussed topic of Failure being a good thing.
Come on in!
When I first started the Substack, you see, I wanted to keep up the Substack flow and go toe-to-toe with it Every Day and post about 30 odd posts in 30 odd days - then the first Nooble was in October, in the midst of Dasara/ Dussehra1.
Inktober had started (link), so that was an additional, uhmm, motivation to start posting every day. That was the Plan.
The Plan Failed.
And it’s Okay!
Having missed the Inktober start, “Lets go Dasara!2”, I said to myself!
And then I got to drawing during Dasara but I couldn’t post any of them! I made a few drafts (about 4 to 6 of them) but none I got to edit well enough to post - seemed like something was getting missed (at).
But it was - and is Okay.
Missing the target is, sometimes, a Good Thing!
Especially when new, Or when you are getting adjusted to something new. The “number” or “goal” target is just a way to direct your attention, but the actual “target” itself.
Learning:
To my mind, this experience has been about a couple of things. Things which I am sort of processing right now - but which, I feel will draw out better if I put my thoughts on paper - well, screen - so I can actually look at what I am being taught!
Going slow and enjoying (also learning) the process.
Resetting Expectations in-line with what I am able to do.
Anti-Perfectionism is good, but it should not be used to put out stuff one disagrees fundamentally with3.
1. Going Slow but steady.
Normally “Going Slow” is interpreted as more of “Failure to Launch” or even “Total Failure”.
But Going Slow is essentially a way of keeping the process and the changes from the new practice from overwhelming and leading to burnout. Trying out a new skill -whether it is posting Art-Letters on Substack or LEarning to Draw should not be emphasised as a hustling - go like Usain Bolt or Else! process.
Might as well guarantee a drop-out and even “I wont try it again for a long time” result.
Instead, it seems, going slowly, slowly - slooooowwly - but steady might be the best thing to embrace and do - while being able to sustain that pace or not be overwhelmed by it and quit.
You want to be able to keep going:
2. Resetting Expectations.
Expectations of How Much.
If the previous point was about Speed of Progress, this is about scale of progress. Like the tortoise and hare thing fable.
The initial Goal of 30 posts a day went out the window. Inktober was not to be! The logistics and decision making process of “which inktober theme to take up?” or “what to draw today?” and then “what to write about what I draw?” became a wittle little too much4.
But all of it was an Overestimation of what I could do. Each post that I make here takes me between 2-to-4 hours of writing + editing + finding GIFs. Apart from about half an hour + of drawing - because well, I am Mr Noob at all this! 😄🤣
So expecting that much level of output everyday, when starting was really really overly ambitious! insanely hustle culture! not very generous or considerate to myself and my Learning!
This is my 10th post since starting the blog/substack - over 60 days and that’s cool. Each letter I have tried to take one thing from the last one, and tried to add onto the next - it hasn’t always worked, but I am learning - both with Drawing and with Substack. That is what matters.
3. Becoming Anti- “Anti-Perfectionism”. Sorta.
I don’t know if a million Billion monkeys with keyboards have put out an Epic Novel together, but we have definitely put out millions of memes, loads of trash stuff and “+1 or Totally Me, Too!” posts.
Among that set are the posts that blast us - or our “perfectionist” selves for not putting our work / thoughts / etc., unless it is ‘perfect’.
That the Perfect is the Enemy of the Good.
Admirable sentiment, probably good advice from a Mentor to Mentee, or Teacher to Student. However:
The Anti-Perfect is Also the Enemy of the Good.
The Flood of “Don’t let your perfection stop you from posting what you need to” has effectively pushed us into the “Post any random s__t that you can no matter what it is!”, and the result is there for all of us to see.
Most people have been told there should not be a filter between brain and mouth or brain and keyboard / camera screen:
Or that “AI” is a magic want wand that everyone should use to generate the same stuff everyone else has said already and be re-posted over and over again. As though we are all robots, not humans.
The Result is a Trash Internet, Trash Discourse and more.
Enshittification is Everywhere5.
Even our bodies know better - out of the food we eat, the air we breathe - there is a lot of inbuilt filtration - of things we don’t need or are bad for us! You know, we pass most of that stuff out as either waste or or body defeats them if they’re germs and such! So the argument for putting stuff out no matter how half-baked it might be - is not a tenable6 argument.
So these are my 3 learnings / lessons from Failing. And also why I think Failing has been good.
What do you think?
Drop me a line in the comments or on Email.
Have a good one!
MrNoob
PS: If you missed the previous letter, “Can I Really Draw that?” here is the post: (link)
Dasara or Dusserha is one of the Major Indian festivals : It is a 10-days or nine-nights festival held in the Ashwina month of the Indian Calendar (latter half of the Roman Calendar year - Sept/Oct.)
No, This is NOT a political reference - as will be apparent when we read on.
This could mean that one I needs to simplify the process, but in the same “Slowly-slowly” spirit, that “rejigging” of process is something that might be best thought of later.
Getting used to a process takes time enough, without merciless chopping and churning.
I used to think ‘tenable’ meant “Give 10 Bucks for the argument”.
But now I know better, it means you “Get 10 Bucks with that Argument”.
let me just say that I love the name of your publication 🤩
I have tried learning to draw many times, but I am simply not patient enough to take up a new hobby. Hats off to you for trying! One step at a time, you’ll reach your goals :)