"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
“The Man in the Arena” - Theodore Roosevelt
I am a ruthless self critic. There are so many things which I judge myself upon, whether it is regarding my personality, my work, or my appearance. I find that this self critic is not helpful when I am creating art, because it hinders me from going forward. When I negatively criticise my own work, it pushes me away from accepting mistakes, imperfections, and accepting myself as an artist. I want to actively change the way I think, the way I talk to myself. I acknowledge that yes, this piece of art may not have turned out as great as I would have hoped, but - it is a stepping stone for my next piece of art. I may have to fail many many times before I succeed, but at least i tried! At least I did not give up. If I fail, may I fail while daring greatly.
